Merlocola - A Fun Twist On Classic Red

I'd say that I'm a pretty casual drinker, as I often prefer a glass of ice water over a martini. But after a busy day, I must admit that a crisp glass of wine starts to sound good once 6pm rolls around.

I was recently introduced to Merlocola which is a new red wine available at the LCBO just in time for the heat of summer.

Mixing red wine and Coca-Cola over ice has actually been around in Spain since the 70s, and is often given to the youngsters to get them into wine.

This particular bottle is a French Merlot wine with flavours of Cola. Merlocola contains 70% of a light, fruity French Merlot, with the remaining 30% being a combination of flavouring from the cola plant, along with some natural sugar. This wine contains 7.9% alcohol.

Merlot+Cola names around the world:

Spain: Calimocho

Eastern Europe: Bambus

Romania: Motorină

Chile: Jote

South Africa: Catemba

Germany: Korea

Merlocola is the perfect summer's eve party drink as it tastes delicious when chilled, and paired with your favourite BBQ'ed snacks. The flavour is very close to sangria, with aromas of cherry, plum and cinnamon spices. It is rich and sweet with a body of vanilla, lemon and orange. Even though it has cola in the name, this beverage is not carbonated.

The best part? It's on sale for $8.80 right now at your local LCBO. Try it out for yourself, I'm sure it'll be a real crowd pleaser.

Party on, and sip responsibly ;)

xx