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The Don’t Mind If I Do Red Blend 2021 is a $7.99 Aldi sort of exclusive. It is a wine that has zero sugar, 85 calories, is gluten-free, and has only 9% alcohol content. It is made for Aldi by Scheid Vineyards and family-owned operation located on the Monterey AVA.
The reason I say that this wine is sort of an Aldi exclusive is Scheid also produces a brand of wine, Sunny with a chance of flowers, that have the exact specifications. The “Sunny with” wines have grapes sourced from the Monterey AVA and are sustainably farmed.
The Don’t Mind If I Do Red Blend 2021 grapes have California noted on the bottle instead of Monterey and there is no mention of the grapes being sustainably farmed. So while the same process seems to be applied to lower calories and alcohol, and get rid of the sugar, the vineyard selection may be different.
The Aldi Don’t Mind brand line has this Red Blend, but the Sunny with has yet to feature the Red blend, but otherwise, the brands mirror each other. There is no mention of which grapes are used in the blend, but the back label mentions cherries and cranberries with a vanilla finish. The cherries and cranberry suggest grapes such as Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, and Syrah and the vanilla comes from some form of oak aging.
The Don’t Mind If I Do Red Blend 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is dark, but still see-thru black cherry red. The nose is ripe red berries, toasty vanilla, a hit of spice, and a savory note. The Don’t Mind If I Do Red Blend 2021 is a little light bodied for a Red blend but has some fruit-forward flavors.
This Red Blend tastes like strawberry, tart cranberry, a hint of chocolate powder, and plum. The mid-palate adds blueberry and vanilla creme. The tannins are soft and the acidity stays out of the way.
The Summary
- The Don’t Mind If I Do Red Blend 2021 has a little less body than I prefer in my Red wine, but then again it has 85 calories, no sugar, 9% alcohol, and is gluten-free. There has to be some trade-off.
- If you need to avoid, sugar, glutens, and calories and wouldn’t mind a little less alcohol this is a reasonable alternative.
