Back in the day when I worked in Boston, I used to frequently join my coworkers for a glass of wine after work. For anyone familiar with the Boston area, we would walk across the street to Sidney's in Cambridge. I always ordered a glass of Trinity Oaks Chardonnay. It was inexpensive and reliable, and always served iced cold. It wasn't long before I decided to buy a bottle of it from my local wine store. It was around $8 back then. I was excited to get my husband's opinion. I was so firmly ingrained in the Burgundy camp that cheap, yet very drinkable chardonnay, seemed too good to be true. He took one sip and and politely said no thank you. What?! No thank you?! This wine seemed like a no-brainer. It was cheap, smooth, reasonably well balanced, and completely unoffensive. And to me, it tasted subtly of butter. I am southern, so I take my butter seriously! Being slightly stubborn, I refused to accept this turn of events. Over the years we lived in Boston, I periodically brought a bottle home and asked him to try it. The best I got was essentially he was fine with it if it was served cold, like chilled beer glass cold. Unless I am out, I usually drink my whites at room temp (or out of the cellar temperature), so I refused to serve it that way. See, I am stubborn. As a parent, experts will tell you that if you make your kids try a certain food (like broccoli) enough times, they will eventually grow to accept it and maybe even like it. This definitely doesn't hold true with husbands and wine! But lucky for him, when we moved out of Boston, out local wine store (or grocery store) didn't carry Trinity Oaks.
Fast forward about 10 years to me wandering the wine section at Sprout's Market. All of a sudden, I saw a bright light and heard a symphony of triumphant music. That beautiful light and music pointed me right toward my old friend, Trinity Oaks Chardonnay! Okay, so there was no light or music, but I did run across that bottle of wine. I was so excited!! On top of that, it tasted a lot like I remembered. Smooth, slightly of pineapple, and yes BUTTER! If you are unsure which side you fall on in the oak vs unoaked debate, this wine has a little touch of oak, just a touch. So it might be a good compromise if you are unsure what your feelings are on oak. This wine is a blend of chardonnay from two different parts of California, the coastal region and the lodi/delta area. It is definitely different than other California chardonnays and the price tag has stayed very similar. You can find it for between $9-13. A bonus to buying a bottle of Trinity Oaks is their One Bottle, One Tree initiative. For every bottle sold, they plant a tree. For my eco-conscience friends, you get to have some wine, and plant a tree. It's a win-win!
I know you are all on the edge of your seat waiting for me to tell you if my husband tried it. Yes he did, and gave it high praise given their history. I believe his words were 'yeah, its alright.' Woohoo! I am counting that as a win for me and Trinity Oaks.
I would love to hear from you! Are there any wines you prefer to drink iced cold?
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