Ty’s September Wine Finds

A little late with my September wine finds, but I guarantee it will be well worth the wait! I took some much needed time for myself at the start of the month. It’s hard to believe that it’s already the 10th of September. Sheesh! This month is going to fly by…I can already feel it. Anyways, I came across some interesting wines to share with you. I actually saw these when I was at Kroger a couple of weeks ago looking for the Snoop Cali Red. Sometimes, I feel bad when people text or tell me that they can’t find any of the wines that I recommend on the blog. It’s hard because (thanks to COVID) I shop at a lot of local wine bars and their wine lists are very unique, so you might have to do some deep digging to find many of them. But, I don’t want it to be that difficult for you all the time. As I was searching for the Snoop wine, I was reminded that there are some really good every day wines that you can find at your grocery store AND you don’t have to break the bank to buy any of them. I think I paid around $35 for all three. Now you know that’s a steal! Keep reading to learn more about these wines.

LVE French Sparkling Rosé ($12.99)

While many tend to get excited when a celebrity like Snoop or Mary J. Blige launches a new wine, I tend to run the other way. I talked a little bit about this in my Snoop Cali Red post. Wine seems like a new hobby for celebrities these days. John Legend’s LVE (pronounced L-V-E, an acronym for Legend Vineyard Exclusive) wine label has been around since 2015. Legend created the brand with Napa Valley winemaker Jean-Charles Boisset of Raymond Vineyards, which is a family-owned company with wineries in Napa and France and is actually the biggest wine producer in Burgundy, as well as being the third largest in the country. Last summer, he launched his sparkling rosé. I’ve seen it a handful of times on Instagram, but never had a desire to try it until now. When I stumbled across it at the grocery store, I had a feeling that you guys would probably want to know about this, so I picked it up.

The LVE French Sparkling Rosé is a very prominent salmon pink. It has very beautiful notes of citrus and red fruits on the nose. With this being a French rosé, I have to note that this bubbly is dry. It’s not overly dry though. You do get a lot of the fruit aromas that translate onto the palate. The bubbles are soft and don’t weigh down the rosé. I appreciated that because sparkling wine always makes me feel really full and I hate that feeling. I didn’t get this with the LVE Rosé. The Sparkling Rosé ends with a nice acidity on the finish. Overall, I thought it was cool. I actually prefer Chandon’s Sparkling Rosé. It has a little bit more sweetness to it, which I prefer with my bubbly. But, I will say for its price, it’s a solid find. The next time you’re headed to a brunch, pick up a bottle of LVE French Sparkling Rosé and I’m sure some heads will turn.

2017 Acronym Red Blend ($7.99)

Now, we’re shifting to the reds. I think what initially caught my attention about this wine was its little blurb. “With Acronym wines the only shortcut is the name – not the flavor. Acronym wines don’t require interpretation, just simple enjoyment.” Now that’s a wine that I can sip behind! Unfortunately, this producer doesn’t share what varietals are in this red blend. But, that’s okay because this wine speaks for itself. This red blend is a dark ruby color. It has notes of red berry fruit with hints of roasted coffee, vanilla and milk chocolate. If you’re a fan of the more bolder reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, then I think you’ll definitely enjoy this Acronym Red Blend.

2015 IXSIR Altitudes Rouge ($10.99)

So, the IXSIR Altitudes Rouge is another red blend, but from Lebanon! I have never tried wine from Lebanon before, so I couldn’t resist buying this one. Despite a turbulent political history, wine in Lebanon has flourished in recent years according to Christina Pickard of Decanter. IXSIR is actually a notable wine producer in the northern part of the country. The name IXSIR derives from ‘Iksir,’ the original Arabic word for ‘Elixir,’ a word common to many languages that defines the purest form of all substances – a secret potion that grants eternal youth and love. The vision behind IXSIR is to reveal the best terroirs of Lebanon, some long since forgotten. Cultivated with respect to sustainable agriculture, IXSIR’s vineyards are spread across the mountains of Lebanon on clay-calcareous and limestone soil, from Batroun to Jezzine, benefiting from microclimates that are unique to Lebanon. IXSIR’s vineyards culminate at an altitude of 1,800 metres, making them the highest in the Northern Hemisphere.

This red blend consists of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Caladoc, 22% Syrah, and 17% Tempranillo. For those not familiar with Caladoc (I wasn’t) it’s a red French varietal that’s a cross between Grenache and Malbec. This red blend has aromas of dark cherry and blackberries with a hint of oak. On the palate, it’s very smooth and you get a lot of the blackberry notes. This blend is very unique and worth a try!

I hope you enjoy this month’s wine finds. Like I mentioned at the beginning, these are very affordable and you should be able to find them at your local grocery store or you can try Wine.com or store like Total Wine. Let me know what you think of the recommendations. Until next time…glasses up!