First off, I was surprised to smell this wine because whoa – it actually smells like Pinot Noir, which is practically unheard of in wines at this price point. It smells like a woody cherry Coke, spicy with a strong scent of vanillin. It’s noticeably light for a New World pinot, which isn’t a problem for me at all but I suspect it could be problematic for many American wine buyers who expected red wine to be opaque (this isn’t by a long shot).

It’s rather light in the mouth but not as light as low end Burgundy; there’s some varietal fruit sweetness but not much more than that, and the finish is short and uninteresting. Ultimately, it might be better just to smell this wine (and not drink it).

That being said, though, it’s not too shabby given the price point – but there are better options for just a few dollars more (or even the same price – Montes Pinot Noir from Chile can be much more interesting than this wine is). I’d suggest you serve it with Thanksgiving dinner (oops, too late) and hope that no one pays too much attention to it.

South Island (but really fresh&easy)
Price: US $9.99
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: November 2007