I’m new to the whole “chillable red wine” thing. That whole easy drinking red wine vibe that all of the cool (wine) kids keep talking about. But, now that I’ve discovered them, these refreshing red wines are something I can’t live without!
That brings me back to the 2020 Las Jaras Glou Glou. It has more acid and fruit than Jimmy Hendrix at the Monterey Farmers Market, and you know what? I dig it.
And that carbonic maceration thing it has going on? That little pop and fizz? That puts this bottle at the top of my list of light red wines.
What is Las Jaras Wines?
Las Jaras is a natural wine brand that was founded by winemaker Joel Burt and actor-comedian Eric Wareheim 2014. The way Joel tells it, when he met Eric, he was so over being part of “Big Wine” and making the mass-produced stuff for Domaine Chandon. He wanted more experimentation, and to create glou glou wines that were more inline with the “New California Wine” style. The kind of wine that folks like Pax Mahle, Jolie-Laide, and Ted Lemon embrace.
Eric, for his part, is a huge food and wine lover. Check-out his stint on Master of None to see how much this guy appreciates the food scene.
Some keywords to help you remember what this brand is about:
- Vibrant, poppy, crunchy flavors
- Acid-driven with lots of bright fruit
- Fun, funky labels
- Unique grape varieties
- Chuggable, porch-pounding wines
- Food-friendly, low-intervention
- Those guys from the “Sweet Berry Wine” video on YouTube
The Blend: what it tastes like
The blend for this imprint changes year, but the 2020 bottling was a mix of:
Varieties
35% Zinfandel, 50% Carignan, 9% Petite Sirah, 6% Pinot Noir
Vineyards
81% Gary Venturi Vineyard: Dry Farmed Organic, Calpella
10% Larry Venturi Vineyard: Dry Farmed Certified Organic, Calpella
6% Mariah Vineyard: Organic, Point Arena, Mendocino Ridge
3% Testa Vineyards: Dry Farmed Certified Organic, Calpella
I was so excited to try this ridiculously refreshing red wine, that I forgot to take a proper photo for the blog. What did I do instead of carefully staging a photo? I poured a glass and let that bright fruit take me on a magic carpet ride.
Fellow Wine Nerds, Get Ready for Cool Grape Varieties
One of the things I love about this brand is that they’re adventurous with their grape varieties. Case in point: they are one of the only labels that makes a Trousseau Gris wine. If you’ve skimmed this blog, you know I’m a huge fan of Pax Wines Trousseau Gris. I mean, how can you not be?!
They also produce a Charbano that was aged in amphora. I haven’t gotten my hands on this one yet, but if I see it while I’m out and about, you know I will be buying it.
What to serve this chillable red wine with
This light-bodied style of red wine is great with all kinds of food, but you will really enjoy it when the grill is fired up, the weather is warm, and those achingly long summer days encourage sipping on something supremely quaffable.
Natural wines aren’t all light, fizzy, funky fluff; they pair well with so many types of food. This wine will stand up to your favorite red sauce pizza, savory smash burgers, and any BBQ or picnic food.
Where is Las Jaras from ?
Las Jaras Wines is based in Sebastopol, California, which is part of Sonoma County. The fruit they use is sourced from across cool-climate sites in Mendocino and Sonoma, with a smidgen of fruit coming from warmer sites in Napa, Madera County, and a few others.
It’s also worth mentioning that although the brand is not certified vegan, Joel and Eric consider themselves a vegan wine brand because no animal products are used. They just have opted to not go through the rigmarole of the third-party certification process.
Should you serve Glou-Glou chilled?
You should absolutely serve this wine with a chill. The strong acid and crushable fruit benefit from a white wine-like temperature. If you use a wine fridge to store your wine, don’t be afraid to stick this bottle in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour for some extra cold chill.
Where can I buy it?
Purchase these wines on company’s website store, or via this list of purveyors.
You can also join their wine club… which I admit, I did!