Firefly Ridge Red Blend (California)

“A Real Corker”

Price at Purchase: $7.92

Location: Safeway

Pull up a chair, ladies and gents, because we’re about to unpack the mystery that is a red blend. Since each bottle can be totally different than the next, it always reminds me of a turducken--it’s just a smorgasbord of a bunch of different things mixed and we all just hope for the best. As someone who is very “Type A” and organized to a fault, this laissez faire approach gives me so much anxiety.

To complicate things more, this particular bottle is especially vague—there’s no year listed AND there's very little about the winery itself. It took me a solid dive into a Google rabbit-hole to discover that Firefly Ridge is a label solely made to be sold in Safeway and affiliate stores (so like Costco’s Kirkland brand).

It has a gorgeous deep red color that’s so dark that it’s almost black. Which makes me think that there’s definitely some Syrah in here. The scent is a punch to the face of boldness, but it’s absolutely fantastic! So it passes the first test. Now onto the actual taste…

One of my favorite things about this wine is the toasted oak essence to it. This would be the perfect bottle to drink on a raining Sunday evening, or bundled up by a beach bonfire (beanie required, of course). It doesn’t taste heavily of tobacco like some wines, but enough of a “campfire” vibe to make you want to go out and chop some wood. Or, ya know, hire a TaskRabbit to do it…because splinters.

All in all, this is a great blend to hedge your bets on. $8 may be a little steep for a label solely made to be table wine, though, so maybe wait for this sucker to go on sale before stocking up.