This dive bar is better known for birria tacos–and for bad decisions involving tequila–than it is for wine. But I really want a glass of red wine with some carne asada, so here goes nothing.
Santa Cruz Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sitting in mini bottles, next to vials of beer salt and a frozen-drink machine that possibly hasn’t been cleaned this calendar year. FailArmy is playing on the lone bar TV. Shots with silly names are circulating around the room. The wine ($9) is popped open and splashed into a stemless margarita glass.
“It’s not, like, a good or a fancy wine, you know,” the bartender mansplains, eyeing my notebook. “You can get this at the convenience store for like, $5 for a whole bottle.” I ignore him and taste the wine while I wait for my tacos.
The wine is a deep, purple-y red with medium-intense aromas of cooked black fruit, cinnamon spice, and tree bark. Full-bodied and dry with medium acidity, extra-soft tannins and moderate alcohol.
There’s a trace of cocoa, but the palate is overwhelmingly dark-fruited and medicinal: Baked plum and elderberry syrup. After five or ten minutes in the glass, the wine develops a minty zing that soon becomes hugely pronounced–almost toothpaste-y. Mint is a love-it-or-hate-it aroma, but it lifts up an overripe Cab that was otherwise dense and plodding.
This Cabernet is made in Chile and packed in 187 ml (6 oz) bottles for occasions just like this: Impulse purchases, corner stores, and dingy bars that don’t sell a whole lot of wine. Based on its habitat, I expected it to be appalling. But it cleared the low bar I had set for it with a smooth mouthfeel and identifiable Chilean Cab typicity.
Sangria y Cerveza doesn’t offer free chips or salsa–a Texan fail–and my bill contained a sneaky $3 upcharge for the three (pretty mediocre) steak tacos. These mini wine bottles wholesale for about a buck, so I endured an 800% markup to bring you this review.
It was an okay pre-movie meal, but it left a bad taste in my mouth–like when the wine list says “Pomerol” but the label says “Côtes de Bordeaux.”
Bottle: Santa Cruz Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (2023) – Chile (187 ml)
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
ABV: 13%
Suggested retail: $2.49
My rating: 6.9 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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