Wine Review: 2020 McBride Sisters Red Blend – Plot Twist: It’s Not Great

Ah yes, the 2020 McBride Sisters Red Blend from California’s Central Coast. I picked this one up for the low, low price of $3.99 (with a 20% discount, thank you Grocery Outlet sale), and honestly, I should’ve known what I was walking into. But I was seduced—like a fool—by a sleek bottle and a label that reads like the trailer for a feel-good Hallmark movie. Two long-lost sisters finding each other through wine? Adorable. Heartwarming. But maybe save the sentimental reunion story for the Lifetime Channel and give me, I don’t know, literally any information about what I’m putting in my mouth?

So let’s talk about the wine. Right out of the gate, it hits you like it’s trying to make an impression at a job interview it didn’t prepare for. Strong. Bold. Unapologetically there. At 13.9% ABV, it’s clearly not here to make friends, and while I appreciate a wine that doesn’t pull punches, I also enjoy a little nuance. This? This had all the subtlety of a foghorn. It’s dry, which is usually my jam, but the flavor? Not it. Somewhere between “mystery berry extract” and “generic red wine” with a little side of “what even is this blend?”

Spoiler alert: the bottle never tells you what grapes are in it. Not one clue. It’s like trying to guess what’s in a casserole made by someone’s aunt who doesn’t believe in recipes. I kept sipping, hoping something would click, but it never did. Instead, I just got more confused. Is it merlot? Zin? A splash of bitterness and regret? We’ll never know.

In a last-ditch effort to make this work, I paired it with wasabi chips and a chunk of cheese. A chaotic combo, sure, but sometimes desperation leads to innovation. This was not one of those times. The wasabi just made the wine taste angrier, and the cheese sat there, quietly judging me for my life choices. There was no harmony. No magical moment. Just me, chewing spicy snacks and sipping a red blend that kept reminding me it cost less than a latte.

Look, I’m not above a cheap wine. I’ve had $4 bottles that taste like miracles. This was not one of them. It wasn’t undrinkable—I mean, I still drank most of it because, well, I’m me—but it was definitely a “drink it fast and forget it happened” kind of deal. The kind of wine you bring to a party when you secretly hope no one opens it.

Final verdict: great for the price if you’re collecting glass bottles or writing a screenplay about sibling reunions. But if you want flavor, balance, or literally any clue what you’re drinking—hard pass. Onward, wine warriors. We’ll find a better bottle. Probably on the shelf directly above this one.