The 2011 Intermingle California Red blend is a $5.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from grapes grown in more than one California grape growing AVA. ALDI does not provide much information on the particulars of the wine, “Cherry and berry notes with a touch of oak in the finish” and this is a semi-sweet Red, is about all they are willing to give out. The alcohol is a mild for a California Red wine, 12%.
The color is a dark, but still see-thru plum red. The nose is red berries, dark chocolate, some mocha and a little oak spice. It is rated a semi-sweet wine, but the sweetness is held in check. This is a smooth satiny Red blend, not particularly complex or showing much depth, but with balanced fruit flavors. It tastes of plums and cherry, with a bit of toasty vanilla and cranberry. There is not much of a transition to the mid palate, but some Nestle’s Quik powder and raspberry do show up. The tannins and the acidity don’t get in the way. The finish is subdued but does last a while.
The 2011 Intermingle Red is a surprisingly subdued and balanced Red blend, when I saw “semi-sweet” on the back label, I was expecting a “fruit bomb”. I normally prefer “dry” Red wine, but the Intermingle was fine, no sugary sweetness or candied flavors. In fact, it is probably a little too subdued, it could use a little flavor boost to be called a really tasty wine. If you are shopping ALDI and need a Red wine that is a little sweet, but not too sweet, on a tuesday night, the 2011 Intermingle Red will do just fine.
