Today’s wine was made by Scheid Vineyards, in collaboration with Kathie Lee Gifford. This Gifft 2012 Monterey County Red Blend is a delicious, wallet-friendly wine that delivers a surprisingly serious drinking experience.

Gifft wine is no mere celebrity endorsement, though. (We all know how those wines usually turn out!) This is, instead, a partnership between Kathie Lee Gifford and the famous Scheid Vineyards, with Scheid’s winemaker Dave Nagengast in full command of the winemaking process. Dave consults with many wineries, including Scheid, as well as heading up his own Nagengast Estate Vineyard and Cinquain Cellars.

Heady and full on the nose with layered aromas of black cherry, smoky plum, blackberry, cassis, spice, cedar, smoked meats and a subtle hint of savory herbs.

On the palate, the wine is dark and initially fruit-driven, with sweet black cherry, cassis and plum out in front. As the wine settles onto the palate, additional flavors appear, including grilled fig, soft spice, smoked meat, dried leaves and a hint of black pepper.

We’ve been Giffted with access to quite a few cases of this surprisingly delicious wine, but still, don’t expect it to last the day. This wine comes highly recommended.

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Here’s what the Wine Enthusiast has to say:

“Kathie Lee Gifford teams with Monterey County’s Scheid Vineyards for this wine, which features 42% Merlot, 25% Petite Sirah, 12% Syrah and 10% Petit Verdot. There’s a mix of iron, coffee and crushed, dried violet on the Old World-leaning nose. The herbal elegance continues on the palate, with dried oregano seasoning the dark black and blue fruit elements.” - 91 points - Wine Enthusiast