Yellow + Blue makes some of the finest cheap wine in the world, and I’ve waxed poetic about almost every one of the company’s releases. The torrontes ($13 for a 1-liter box, purchased, available at Whole Foods) is no exception.
Yet it’s not as popular as it should be. That’s because retailers still haven’t figured out a way to successfully sell wine, like Yellow + Blue, that comes in a 1-liter box. Most store shelves and racks are made to take standard-sized wine bottles, so anything that isn’t a standard-sized bottle gets stuffed in a corner. And if a product is stuffed in a corner, it won’t sell as well as a product that’s prominently displayed, regardless of quality. After all, when’s the last time you got on your hands and knees to look for wine?
Hence retailers are wary of carrying something that they know they’ll have trouble selling. Which means the Yellow + Blue wines are harder to find than they should be. Which is too bad, because they’re well worth the effort – hands and knees even, which is almost what I had to do for this one.
Torrontes is a white Argentine grape that has been made so badly for so long – sweet and sticky – that I’m surprised there’s still a market for it. The Yellow + Blue, though, shows just enough sweetness to be torrontes, but is in no way cloying. Look for peach fruit and even a tiny bit of lime zest as well as a very pleasant floral aroma and a peach pit finish.
Serve chilled as summer comes to an end, and pair it with the usual summer and spicy fare. Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2013 $10 Hall of Fame (since 1 liter is about one-third more than a standard bottle, making the price about $10 a bottle).