Could there finally be an easy answer to rescuing that liquid trash in a bottle?
I drank a fair dose of mediocre and terrible wine to find out.
Although I was apprehensivegrape soda is nastyI could see the benefits.
Many terrible red wines feature the same problems: Theyre one note, acerbic, and watery.
(Who doesnt love a bubbly drink?)
Plus, adding ice gives the drink a summer cocktail vibe.
I decided to conduct a few tests.
A wine and artificially flavored soda concoction is best served in my favorite obnoxious NYC wine glass.
I ended up trying the reds twice to see if the cherry or grape would make a difference.
Its important to note that all of these sodas were very cheap, and oh, so artificial.
I dont drink sweet soda normally, but I appreciate what a pour can do to elevate a cocktail.
Going into tasting, I tried to switch my view and think of these more as cocktails than wine.
Lets start with the good news.
The mediocre rose with the cheap, sweet watermelon soda was actually better.
I would offer this drink to friends as a fun summer wine cocktail.
The okay pinot noir with the cherry soda was not bad either.
Sadly, then the artificial flavor of the soda would start to mask the wines flavor.
Since the pinot was okay on its own, masking its flavor gave me sadness.
The grape soda was not good.
Not in a good way.
There was no saving the Yellow Tail cabernet.
Should you pour soda into wine?
A splash of soda can make for an improved wine cocktail as long as the flavors are complementary.
Check out the flavor notes on the wines label and pick up a soda that reflects one.
Try rose with watermelon, peach, strawberry, or citrus soda.
Red wines could pair with regular coke, cherry, vanilla, or Dr. Pepper.
White wines will be lovely and bright with grapefruit, lemon, peach, or pear soda.
I cant quite get behind grape soda.
Even though wine is made from grapes, I dont think grape soda is.
The flavor simply takes over too quickly for me, but try it and see how you feel.
Be cautious when adding the soda component as it can easily overpower the wine.
Add more soda if needed.
If theres a wine Id drink on its own, then I wouldnt use it in a soda cocktail.
Id rather just drink the wine.
As for terrible wines: Im sorry, but soda can not save truly terrible wine.
