Underwood — The Bubbles — Oregon — 2018
Price: Between $13-$19
I’ll be honest, I was purposely looking for an Oregon wine that I didn’t think would be great. And as I strolled the aisles of my local favorite wine shop, I was about to settle for Underwood’s “The Bubbles” in a can, this bottle caught my attention. I had to wonder, as I held both in my hand, was this canned wine in a bottle, or bottled wine in a can?
I felt neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed. I just felt whelmed. (Shoutout to Julia Stiles for bringing “10 Things I Hate About You” back into my elder millennial life.)
I was curious why Underwood parent company Union Wine Co. decided to go with a bottle cap instead of a wine cork, to give it more of a fancy feel, but I had to remind myself that I could’ve also tried this wine in a can like a Coors Light and let it go.
The wine was more yellowy gold than other sparkling wines, but these Willamette Valley grape blend consisted of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Pinot Gris usually develops into a darker yellow color than some other white wines. And through the bottle, I could see a good fizz going on inside.
The first scents were a mishmash of peaches, apricots, pear and florals. It was almost overwhelming in scents that it was hard to pinpoint just a few. As it was open a little longer, and gotten a little warmer, the scent mellowed more into ripe pear and rubber.
“The Bubbles” was not as bad as I was kind of expecting it to be. Remember, it can come in a can. The bubbles were fizzy and constant to the last pour, and the flavor stayed in a range of “extra dry” and leaning toward “sec” in champagne terms. It was a good cheap sparkling wine, the kind for small celebrations and delicious mimosas. This is the kind you serve when you’re not trying to impress anyone.
Score: 7/10
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