Every year as the holiday season approaches I get a call from my mom asking what I think would be a good wine to give as a gift and also serve at our annual holiday feast.

Having been around my mom my entire life, I know what she likes in a wine and what she doesn’t. Each year the challenge is to find a wine that she will like and still be able to pass that wine along to others as a gift. My mom is not a “reds” drinker by nature, still, I keep trying to get her away from the sweeter whites and the blush wines that she so adores. This year I found the wine.

Folie a Deux – Menage a Trois
I know, it sounds like some kinky French thing but don’t let the name fool you, this is a wonderful red table wine and it’s very well priced.

The wine is a blend of three varietals, Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, (thus the Menage a Trois). As standalone varieties you would expect spice, berries and tannins to make you pucker a bit. As a blend your tastebuds and palate have a party.

The best way to describe this wine is to say it’s fruity and jammy from beginning to end. From the time you sniff this wine you know it’s fruit forward. The aromas in the nose beg you to taste the wine and when you do you’ll immediately get the rasberry and blackberry flavors and the hint of spice from the bolder reds. To my surprise this wine is very silky, not something I would have expected from a Zinfandel or a Cabernet, but the blend is such that you never get that “dry wine” feel from the tannins.

The wine is priced right at $12 a bottle on the winery’s web site http://www.folieadeux.com but I have found it in my local supermarket for as little as $7.99.

Because it’s a red wine I would pair it with grilled meats but this is soft enough to go well with your holiday meal of roasted turkey or ham.

Cheers!