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The 2012 Flirty Bird Syrah is an ALDI $4.99 import exclusive. Produced for ALDI by Felix Solis Wines a family owned winery in business since 1952, they have holdings in several areas of Spain and have operated a winery in China since 1998. The Flirty Bird Syrah is produced from vineyards in the Castilla-LaMancha region of Spain and is designated a Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla wine, which is one step below a D.O. (Denominación de Origen) wine. The Vinos de la Tierra wines are the same concept as Vin de Pays wine in France and IGT wine in Italy, the grapes have the qualities of a particular region, but for a variety of reasons the wine is not produced to D.O. standards. The alcohol content is 12.5%.
The color is a see-thru crimson red. The nose is jammy black cherry and raspberry, along with black pepper and an array of spices and spearmint gum. The Flirty Bird Syrah has fairly substantial body for under $5 wine. It tastes of blackberry and sweet strawberries along with a healthy dose of pepper and spice. The Flirty Bird Syrah is not a fruit bomb, if anything it could use a little more fruit to better balance the pepper and spice. The tannins are smooth and do not interfere and there is enough acidity for the Flirty Bird to do well when paired with food. The finish faded quickly but lingers for quite some time.
The 2012 Flirty Bird Syrah is no home run, but it is not bad, 6 or 7 years ago a wine of this quality would sell in the $8 to $10 range, today, under five bucks. I think the fruit to spice ratio is a little off-balance, pairing this Syrah with burgers or Buffalo hot wings would straighten things out. The name Flirty Bird is a little dopey, but the label has a bit of Spanish flair, making everything a little less cheesy than it could have been.
