Big House Wines

Have you ever strolled down the wine aisle in the grocery store and looked at the labels? Some are classy, some plain, and some are just downright funny. It can be such an adventure to try a wine based on the label that intrigues you the most! And I do it all the time. Unfortunately, the wine doesn't always taste as good as the label looks. That is not the case with Big House Wines.

Big House Wine Company is located in Soledad, CA next to a correctional facility; hence the name. The labels are hilarious! All the wines have funny jailhouse names such as Cardinal Zin and The Slammer Sweet Shiraz. The labels on the back of the bottle have cute little stories that go with the name of the wine. All their wines come in 750ml bottles and come with a screw cap closure. I know screw caps have gotten a bad rap; but in this case the wine is really good. And you don't have to deal with a corkscrew. They also come in 3L premium wine casks, which reduces packaging waste by 92%.  (I get to drink wine and be eco-friendly; I'm sold!) They also happen to be extremely affordable, which is important to me being in a one income household. A 750ml bottle is approximately ten dollars.

As a ten dollar bottle of wine, we are not expecting to compare it to a 100 dollar Bordeaux. But it does compare favorably with other wines in this price range. I am a white wine drinker and my husband likes red. So we both got to sample some of our favorite flavors. The Birdman Pinot Grigio was crisp and delicious and I was sad when it was gone (after a couple of days, I'm not a lush.) The subtle citrus flavor of the Pinot was wonderful. My husband tried the Usual Suspect Cabernet Sauvignon. It has low acidity and is not too dry; which makes it an easy drinking Cab. "It has the mellowness that is reminiscent of a Merlot, but with more body." These wine would be great to pair with meals, or enjoy while sitting on the couch watching the monkeys (kids) play.