Sutter Home, White Zinfandel, 2000 Review

Sutter Home winery gets knocked by some for being an inexpensive, grocery store wine. However, in the world of white Zins, there is really only a small spread in quality and, despite an inexpensive price tag, this wine has been a regular award winner at wine tasting competitions. A few years ago, this Sutter Home wine was the most popular "premium wine" in the United States, selling as many as 3 million cases.

This past weekend was jam-packed full of graduation parties. Every single open house/large gathering I have gone to I always find Sutter Home White Zinfandel and this time around was no exception. What's a girl to do but sample with Viewpoints in mind?

Inexpensive and Simple
Appearance was a very pale pink and a quick swirl and sniff (in my plastic cup! ;-) ) yielded strawberry and a very faint something else that I still can't put my finger on.  A sip gave me just what I expected - straight strawberry flavor with a sweet ending.  Served well-chilled, it was welcome relief on an unseasonably HOT afternoon. I noted that alcohol content is low, only 8.5% by volume.

Cost and Availability
Inexpensive; from $1.49 - $4.49 for a 750 ml bottle at local groceries. This wine is in wide release and it would be more of a challenge not to find it.

The Bottom Line
This is a popular wine for wedding receptions and large group gatherings. I personally, am not a fan, preferring something a bit more complicated. However, if I were challenged to buy a large amount of wine, inexpensively, for a large gathering, I would consider this one. Why? (1) Large numbers seem to enjoy this type of wine and (2) Despite my opinion, it regularly wins awards in competitions.  3 stars - not my style but not awful either.