Someone just came in looking for this saying their wife said it was the best wine she ever tasted. Cellar Tracker notes big to differ:
I did a search for him and it seems to only show up on the East Coast. Some sort of private label?
Gallo product. Fruity and at most grocery stores for about 8.99 a bottle
You are a wine retailer, in Socal, and you seriously are claiming never to have seen Apothic Red?
Good point.
I’m surprised Gallo hasn’t tried to bribe you into selling the stuff.
Another friend bought me a bottle because he also thought it was the most amazing wine. Sadly, the cellartracker reviews are correct. Mass produced sweet red.
I don’t think I’ve laid eyes on a Gallo rep in over six or seven years. Wine Searcher pretty much has it in NY / NJ and a little in CT.
Is it one of those new fangled “Sweet Reds”?
Syrupy sweet grape juice with no character, body, complexity, finish, or tannins… So sweet that I can hardly detect any alcohol. Add lots of ice and drink on a hot summer day, or pour over ice cream. (593 views)
No that’s a note I can understand.
Told by my Gallo rep that it was the top selling red… Don’t know where, don’t know how but that was what I was told. I try to avoid (in my grocery store) the usual grocery store wines but the wine has a huge following. Not saying that is a good or bad thing but it sells…
JD
It must be a big seller in Maryland. I see it advertised on the scrolling sign of the “wine shop” closest to my place of work. It’s the only wine that ever gets mentioned by name. Right up there with Fat Tire and special events with Dexter Manley.
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2010 Apothic Winemaker’s Blend - USA, California (12/2/2011)
Ok, I’m not hating this so need to have an open mind. Its not bad, a little candied fruit on the attack and fairly simple with a short finish.
Posted from CellarTracker
There is a very strong and growing niche for sweet red wines.
We are blowing UP a nice Marzemino from Emilia Romagna that is probably 4% RS. We have a lot of Russian and Latina nannies in the hood and I keep something like that around for them but wealso pour it at the end of our Thursday night 20/20 tasting and people jump on it.
There’s an even larger niche for red wines that are sweet but don’t acknowledge it in any way, shape or form on the label. This wine is a perfect example of that style. According to the label, it’s a blend of Zin, Syrah, Cab and Merlot. Lots of buzzy adjectives, but “sweet” is not one of them. And this most certainly is.
Ever heard of Menage-a-Trois Red wine? That and Apothic are pretty much the same. A kitchen-sink blend at around 1% RS.
Apothic Red is a wine for the casual wine drinker, not the average Berserker…Simple, jammy fruit, gives you a buzz. Could be worse, could be a $40 Oregon pinot with raging VA that gets a 93 from WS or WA…
Someone brought a bottle over. Candied and a bit boring but comparable to Yellowtail. Its ok but I wouldn’t waste my time. For those looking for an easy to drink $9 bottle of red to get drunk on, you could do worse.
This wine is everywhere. Winex brought in the 2010 and gave it a write up. That is a bit of an endorsement that it is at least drinkable.
Jason
It is a huge seller in these parts. I think they did a poor job choosing a name because many people who seem to buy it regularly cannot remember the name, but we always know when they want when they ask for “Apothecary”, something that isn’t actually a word starting with “Ap”, or start to stutter with the first syllable or two.
Down here “on the Bayou” it’s in every retailer…some devoting the end aisle displays to this plonk. Folks must love it and buy it up. It’s the million dollar question I cannot seem to ascertain. We (LA , NOLA) have some of the best cuisine (either being prepared at home or in restaurants) in the US and this type of wine is being consumed en masse here. It makes my heart ache.
Wrong villain. Unless I’m mistaken, NOLA has plenty of fast food options. Equating this wine with fine dining is to completely misunderstand the purpose of a wine like this. The real villains are similar blends with similar flavor profiles that cost $30 and up retail, or $75 and up on a restaurant list and are consumed by the bottle or by the glass by culinary prisoners who don’t know any better.