Mia's Playground Merlot

At a recent visit to my local Safeway wine aisle, I was surprised by all the new animal brands or fun brands with wacky names and catchy labels that you see on display now. One of them got my attention: the 2003 Mia's Playground Merlot Dry Creek Valley.

1. First, you read the label. The beginning is somewhat mystical:

“3's a well balanced number often representing a mystical trinity in which all things are contained in one, and one is present in all.”

But if you read the whole thing, you'll notice that there are three monkeys in a barrel and that the M in Mia's Playground is actually a 3. Three is obviously the magic number here, a reference to the three Sebastiani family members working for the Don Sebastiani & Sons company. Mia's Playground is actually named for Don's daughter, Mia (a three-letter name).

2. Then, you open the bottle. It's easy, the closure is a screw cap, like all the wines bottled by Three Loose Screws.

3. Finally, you taste the wine. “Drink this bottle with 2 other friends, making a party of 3.” says the label but we were only 2 last night. The wine had a dark color and an attractive nose of sweet blackberries. On the palate, it was medium-bodied and soft with a rather short finish.

But if you're looking for a fruit-forward, uncomplicated wine, this one is actually a well-crafted wine.

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