As some of you may know, I am a Christmas Freak. As soon as the clock strikes 12:00AM on November 1st, I’m ready to deck the halls with boughs of holly. So when my coworker discovered this advent calendar from Drinjk Wines, I knew I had to have it.
I think it officially went on sale on November 4th because I was sitting at my desk waiting for it to be 12:00PM. It was in my cart ready to go, so I purchased it on the spot without even thinking twice. Thank goodness because it sold out within hours! It finally arrived on November 17th. The hardest part was waiting to open it, but I waited and it was SO worth it.
This advent calendar was $99, but tax was about $7 and shipping was discounted at $10 because I was spending over $50. I think it was definitely worth it because it came with 24, 5 ounce tubes of wine. Essentially it was about $4.88 for each glass of wine.
*Below you’ll find my tasting notes for the each of the wines I tasted. Please note that I am not a Certified Sommelier and that I am a human with different tastes and smells than you. My tasting notes will be different than what’s on each of the cards and definitely different than what everyone else thought.
Why is this good marketing?
Look, I am a millennial and I do not spend my hard-earned money without having a good reason to. I cannot justify buying a $100 bottle of wine or even two $50 bottles of wine. I can however, justify spending $117 on 24 glasses of wine. This idea is great because I’m not committed to only one or two bottles of expensive wine. I get to try 24 different wines from all over the world. It also lets me try things before buying an entire bottle. If one of the 24 wines is $75 and I fall in love with it, then I will absolutely throw down the money just to have it in my collection.
Without further ado, here are my notes on the wines:
DAY 1
2016 Seven Series Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Wahluke Slope, Washington
Aromas: Potting soil, black cherry, and blackberry
Flavors: Forest floor, blackcurrant
Other Notes: Tasted high alcohol, medium bodied
Rating: 6/10. It could’ve used another year to age.
DAY 2
2015 Antik Red Blend (55% Shiraz, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Region: Trachia, Turkey
Aromas: Tar, black fruit, wet gravel, bell pepper, alcohol
Flavors: Unripe cherry, tar, herbal qualities
Other Notes: Medium bodied
Rating: 4/10. Honestly, it wasn’t my taste, but cool to have wine from Turkey!
DAY 3
2016 Marques Azul [Blue] Chardonnay
Region: Jumilla, Spain
Aromas: Pineapple, mildew, unidentified tropical fruits (lychee maybe)
Flavors: Peach, pineapple, some minerality
Other Notes: Medium acidity, light bodied
Rating: 3/10. Not a fan, but now I can say I’ve had BLUE wine.
DAY 4
2017 Joey North Pinot Blanc
Region: Lower Mainland, Canada
Aromas: Pear, melon, peach
Flavors: Lemon, honeysuckle, melon, grass
Other Notes: High acidity, light bodied
Rating: 5/10. It was slightly too acidic for me.
DAY 5
2014 Besana Crianza Tempranillo Blend
Region: Toledo, Spain
Aromas: Plum, baking spice, burnt firewood, black fruit
Flavors: Forest floor, black currant, bark
Other Notes: Medium tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 4/10. I think there was great flavor, but it’s not something I would drink again.
DAY 6
2017 Chateaux d’Caveau Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Languedoc, France
Aromas: Cherry, gravel, potting soil, black berry
Flavors: Sour cherry, clay
Other Notes: High tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 4/10. I had high hopes for this wine, but it didn’t meet my expectations flavor-wise.
DAY 7
2018 Drinjk Merlot
Region: Wahluke Slope, Washington
Aromas: Blackberry, cedar, charcoal, plum
Flavors: Cherry, raspberry, wood chips
Other Notes: Medium tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 5/10. I think this wine is going to be a lot better with age.
DAY 8
2018 Drinjk White Blend
Region: Sicily, Italy
Aromas: Pineapple, tortilla chips, citrus, slight minerality
Flavors: Gravel, lemon, white peach
Other Notes: Medium acidity, light to medium bodied
Rating: 5/10. It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t go out and purchase it.
DAY 9
2017 Camarus Garnacha
Region: Castilla-la Mancha, Spain
Aromas: Gravel, dirt, tar, blackberry
Flavors: Unripe blackberry, forest floor, mint
Other Notes: Medium tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 2/10. Honestly I thought this one was terrible.
DAY 10
2015 Fundao Vinho Tinta Roriz Blend
Region: Cova da Beira, Portugal
Aromas: Cherry, cedar, petrol
Flavors: Blackberry, plum, some earthiness
Other Notes: Medium tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 6/10. The first sip was average, but I started to like it after a few more.
DAY 11
2017 Le Coteaux Syrah
Region: Languedoc, France
Aromas: Black cherry, boysenberry, wet paper towels
Flavors: Unripe blackberry, potting soil, licorice
Other Notes: High tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 5/10. Not memorable.
DAY 12
2018 Drinjk Semi Dry Riesling
Region: Horse Heaven Hills, Washington
Aromas: Fuji apple, lychee, petrol
Flavors: Lemon, green apple, the sour sugar on Sour Patch Kids
Other Notes: High acidity, light bodied, perceived fizziness
Rating: 4/10. I liked the acidity, but the flavors weren’t doing it for me.
DAY 13
2016 Doluca Bogazkere Blend
Region: Aegean, Turkey
Aromas: Potting soil, leather, dark fruit
Flavors: Dirt, unripe blackberry, earthiness
Other Notes: Medium tannins, medium to heavy bodied
Rating: 4/10. Nothing spectacular.
DAY 14
2018 Drinjk Merlot-Cabernet Blend
Region: Sicily, Italy
Aromas: Blueberry, cherry, wet gravel
Flavors: Pepper, boysenberry, baking spice, violets
Other Notes: Medium tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 7/10. I liked this wine a lot. I would buy it at a store, but I would only drink it with food.
DAY 15
2018 Drinjk Chardonnay
Region: Lodi, California
Aromas: Pineapple, butter, pear, kiwi
Flavors: Buttered popcorn, lemon, slight minerality
Other Notes: Medium acidity, medium bodied
Rating: 2/10. I hate oaked Chardonnay, so I hated this.
DAY 16
2017 Bon Voyage Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Region: Languedoc, France
Aromas: Baking spice, blackberry, black cherry, slight earthiness
Flavors: Baking spice, raspberry, unripe cherry, earthiness
Other Notes: Medium tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 5/10.
DAY 17
2017 Flamingo Rosado Garnacha
Region: Castilla-la Mancha, Spain
Aromas: Apricot, strawberry, tomato, slight minerality
Flavors: Lemon zest, watermelon
Other Notes: High acidity, light bodied
Rating: 1/10. Probably the worst Rosé I’ve ever had!
DAY 18
2016 Doluca Sultaniye Blend
Region: Aegean, Turkey
Aromas: Peach, pineapple, grass, melon, some minerality
Flavors: Peach, yellow apple, slight minerality
Other Notes: Medium acidity, light to medium bodied
Rating: 8/10. My favorite wine in the entire box. This white wine was awesome.
DAY 19
2016 Tinto Eight Beira Blend
Region: Beira Interior, Portugal
Aromas: High alcohol, herbal notes, dark fruit
Flavors: Pepper, blackberry, earthiness
Other Notes: Light to medium tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 6/10.
DAY 20
2016 Yx Castilla Sauvignon Blanc Blend
Region: Castilla-la Mancha, Spain
Aromas: Oak, butter, green apple
Flavors: Green apple, caramel, lemon juice
Other Notes: Medium to high acidity, light bodied
Rating: 4/10. This one was weird. I still don’t know if I liked it or not.
DAY 21
2015 Fassati Sangiovese Blend
Region: Montepulciano, Italy
Aromas: Tobacco, cherry, slight earthiness
Flavors: Licorice, tomato, clay
Other Notes: High acidity, low to medium tannins, light to medium bodied
Rating: 3/10. I don’t want to talk about how sad I am about this one.
DAY 22
2016 Kutman Narnice Blend
Region: Anatolian, Turkey
Aromas: Pineapple, grass, citrus
Flavors: Lemon, pineapple, hint of minerality
Other Notes: High acidity, light to medium bodied
Rating: 3/10. This wine was really plain.
DAY 23
2013 Alpedrinha Gold Touriga Nacional Blend
Region: Beira Interior, Portugal
Aromas: High alcohol, dark fruit, earthiness
Flavors: Black pepper, blackcurrant, plum
Other Notes: Low acidity, medium tannins, medium bodied
Rating: 4/10. The aromas were overpowered by the alcohol.
DAY 24
2017 Hérault River Chardonnay
Region: Languedoc, France
Aromas: Citrus, oak, pineapple
Flavors: Lemon peel, pineapple, pear
Other Notes: Medium acidity, medium bodied
Rating: 3/10.
