90+ Cellars Wine Tasting at The Wine Store

Last night was the monthly wine tasting at The Wine Store and James Morrison invited Frank Rego to pour and discuss the 90+ Cellars wines. We began with a Riesling from Mosel. I found it to be surprisingly delicious. Surprising because I had seen the 90+ label on our jaunts to wine purveyors but I probably would never have picked up a bottle if James didn't have this wine tasting. We also tasted a New Zealand Sauvignon blanc, Sonoma Pinot noir and Carneros Pinot noir, and an Italian Tuscan wine (80% Sangiovese, Cabernet sauvignon and Merlot blend).
It is as the 90+ Cellars website will tell you, a wine that has been rated at 90+ with the original brand remaining a secret. The website's story mentions that they began in 2009 when wines that were "...priced more than $20 a bottle took a hard fall, and inventories were piling up. Rather than discount their wine and erode the value of their brand, wineries were willing to part with it for less. We paid them promptly and promised complete anonymity, of course." The wineries bottle the exact same wine but switch the label to the 90+ Cellars label. Frank said that sometimes, the bottlers forget to switch the corks and you can tell where the wine came from. The color of the label is a clue to it's price: orange is entry level for white wine, black is entry level for red wine and then the white labels are for wines that are a bit more expensive. The website also will say what the price was for the sourced wine and what 90+ Cellars is selling the wine for. So, if you are in the market for a good quaffable wine do check out 90+ Cellars.