Thirsty Thursday: 2008 14 Hands Hot-To-Trot Red Blend

Thirsty Thursday is the quest to drink good, cheap wine that is $10.00 and under. Want some more recommendations? Check out the past cheap wine posts on Thirsty Thursday.

I started Thirsty Thursday when I started blogging because I love wine and I love being able to share wine with my friends.

There are so many great wines out there for under $10.00 that no one should drink bad wine again.  So, Thirsty Thursday is back.

My first “cheap wine” pick for the new year is the 2008 Hot To Trot from the winery 14 Hands out of Washington State.

This wine is a blend – sometimes known as a table wine.

And like most blends, it takes juice from many different grapes, mixes them together in ways only winemakers know, and out comes a wine that is usually easy to drink with “something going on”. In the case of Hot To Trot, they have mixed Syrah, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Mourvedre juice together.

I like this wine because it has all the fruit forwardness indicative of California and Washington State wines. You can smell ripe berries and plums on the nose, while you taste the fruit with a hint of mocha in the middle and finish off with velvety tannins.

In friendly speak, it tastes fruity, isn’t super sweet, and has a little dusty flavor at the end. And since it has tannins (those are the things that make your mouth feel like sandpaper when you drink wine), it goes really well with food, like a burger, cheesy chicken dish, or dark chocolate.

And at $8.99, it is a wine that you can either drink at home on Tuesday night because it’s cheaper than therapy or open up with friends and toast over the weekend. Either way – it is all good.

Note: This wine should be available at most liquor outlets. Please be responsible when you drink wine – and never drive drunk…seriously, that is just stupid in this day in age.