Review: Franzia Vintner Select White Zinfandel

White Zinfandel is one of the best-selling grape varietals in the United States in recent days. It is a mild, lightly-sweet wine, characterized by its "blush" color. It is made in vast quantities from California grapes by a quick pressing of red zinfandel grapes. It is typically an inexpensive wine, with the better varieties offering a combination of sugar and acid to add some interest to the sip.

Franzia Vineyards are part of The Wine Group, a company formed in the late 1800's through purchase of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of New York. Today, along with Franzia, The Wine Group includes such brands as Concannon and Corbett Canyon.

The Franzia Vintner Select White Zinfandel is one of the top 10 best-selling restaurant wines in the world, according to Restaurant Wine magazine.

Franzia is known for its wine-in-a-box packaging, wherein 5 litres of wine are packaged in a plastic pouch inside a cardboard box. Something called a Smart-Tap spigot is used to deliver wine from the pouch into your decanter or glass. The arrangement actually makes some sense for a wine designed to be consumed young. The plastic pouch collapses as the wine is poured, keeping left-over wine away from oxygen. This reduces oxidation and means you can store the pouch for a considerably longer time than you could an opened bottle.

Well, with history, technology and business discussions aside, let's see what the wine itself delivers. In the glass, Franzia Vintner Select White Zinfandel shows as transparent with a hint of pint.

On the nose, it has a peculiar aroma of burnt marshmallows. In fact, it is just like the marshmallows I would pull flaming out of the campfire as a kid, hoping I could give to someone else to eat. Very unusual and odd. Distinctive, but disturbing.

On the palate, the Franzia shows a full-on s'mores taste, consistent with the marshmallow aroma. A sweetness in the mid-palate is the first sensation, along with the charcoal-broiled marshmallow. No other flavors or layers are notable. The wine finishes rapidly and clean.

This white zin only rates one star out of five on the Spirit of Wine scale, with a plus for the fact that it does become palatable when well-chilled.

In a comparable price-range, I would lean towards the Sutter Home White Zinfandel over the Franzia as a first choice. It shows a wider depth and range of flavours along with a more alluring aroma.