Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Harvest Spice Red Blend, review

I buy a lot of wine during the holidays, some of it to serve and some of it to gift to friends at holiday parties. When I’m shopping for wine for a party, I like to buy versatile wines that I think will appeal to every guest, whether they’re a wine enthusiast or just a party enthusiast! I also appreciate it if that wine isn’t too overly expensive, because I know that it is easy to go through more than a couple of bottles when you are hosting a large holiday gathering. This year, I was intrigued by the new Harvest Spiced Red Blend from Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi. I’m drawn to any food that promises to incorporate harvest spices, but I usually expect to see them in desserts that use pumpkin, rather than in wine!

The Harvest Spiced Red Blend does not, however, have any pumpkin spice added to it. The wine is blended to highlight warm spices that are naturally occurring in the grapes that go into it and you can pick out aromatic clove and peppery nutmeg alongside sweet-tart red berry flavors. It is easy to drink and has just enough of that spice to make it feel like an excellent choice for a cold winter evening. In fact, you can serve this wine warm if you really want to heat things up! I also recommend it as a base for my Spiced Cranberry Sangria, another party-perfect holiday beverage.

If you are buying wine for a gift and are looking for an easy-to-drink holiday option, this wine could be a great choice. But if you are buying it as a gift, you might want to consider getting a gift set. The Woodbridge Harvest Spiced Wine Gift Set includes not only a bottle of wine, but a cute apron-and-potholder set, along with a matching fabric wine gift bag. The set allows you to make two gifts, because all the proceeds from the sales of the set will be donated to AmpleHarvest.org, a wonderful organization which supplies fresh produce to food pantries across the country. Or, you could gift the set to yourself, drink some wine, support a good cause and keep the adorable apron to wear in the kitchen while you’re preparing all your holiday treats.