Vola Schiava

Trader JoesTJ TuesdayRed WinesSchiava
Written By Catherine Courtney

Vola Schiava

GRAPES: Schiava

VINTAGE: Non-Vintage

REGION: Vigneti delle Dolomiti, Italy

ALCOHOL PERCENTAGE: 12%

PRICE: $6.99

The best wine discoveries don’t come from a list. They come from a slow weekend, an aimless Trader Joe’s run, and the willingness to take a chance and pick up something that you’ve never heard of. I scan the wine shelves of Trader Joe’s regularly, and after a while, it becomes harder and harder to find new wines until this past weekend. I happened upon a bottle that I almost walked past, and ironically, it ended up being one of the most interesting things I’ve drunk in a while. The grape: Schiava. If you haven’t crossed paths with it yet, consider this your introduction.

Let’s get into it.

Schiava is an ancient red grape from Alto Adige, Italy's northernmost wine region, tucked into the Dolomites along the Austrian border, and if you've never heard of it, you’re not alone. The wines are strikingly pale, low in tannin, and built around flavors of fresh cherry, strawberry, and a signature note that lands somewhere between marzipan and cotton candy, which sounds strange until you taste it, and then it makes complete sense. It's light enough to serve slightly chilled, flexible enough to pair with almost anything, and honestly, would make an excellent patio pounder as the warm weather persists.

Before I take us down a rabbit hole of wishlist wines, let’s jump into the tasting details, shall we?

Tasting Notes:

  • Pale garnet hue with subtle translucentness

  • Light body with minimal tannins

  • Juicy with light acidity

  • Notes of red fruit, including blackberries, strawberries, and fresh red cherry

  • Mild notes of marzipan/sweetness throughout

Verdict:

At the Trader Joe’s price point, this is one of the most interesting bottles I’ve tried in a while. In fact, I’ve grabbed a few more bottles to have on hand as the weather warms up because we all know Trader Joe’s doesn’t keep things around forever. This bottle could easily be your 2026 wine of the summer, aka the patio pounder!

If you grab this bottle, drop your thoughts in the comment below!

Until Next Time!

Disclaimer: All wines mentioned in this post were purchased independently. I am not an agent or representative of Trader Joe’s and cannot assist individuals in sourcing or obtaining wines featured in my posts. All opinions shared are my own and based on personal experience.

Catherine Courtney

Welcome to Blonde Voyage Nashville!

I am so excited to finally see this dream become a reality.  Between the destination restaurants, the copious amount of food photos and insanely crazy travel stories, I have decided to share my journey. 

My name is Catherine Courtney and I am a Nashville native with a penchant for culinary creativity and epic travel adventures. I'll admit... I also have a slight obsession with handbags.

Two years ago, my life changed completely.  Everything that I knew to be was completely turned upside down.  I quickly realized that time is our greatest commodity and it's not to be taken for granted. I couldn't wait for the perfect time, who knew when that would be.  I needed to take the leap and explore the world on my own.  There were so many places I wanted to go, but where would I start. 

France was always one of those places that I had romanticized.  Wandering the streets of Paris and seeing the Eiffel tower were at the top of my list. Without hesitation, I booked a two week trip to the French Rivera and Paris.  It was a journey of a lifetime.  Not only were amazing friendships cultivated, but it was on that trip that i discovered that food and travel are the embers that that keep my soul on fire. 

It wasn't until I arrived back in Nashville with my passport that I realized I had been bit. Wanderlust had completely taken over.  I already started thinking about where I wanted to go next.  It was then that I decided that it was more important to have camera full of photos and a tattered journal full of stories than anything else. My heart was overflowing.

One of my favorite quotes that resonates is from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland:

"Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures...."

Join me as I explore near and far away places, filling my passport full of stamps and satiating my appetite with some of the most amazing cuisine the world has to offer. 

Thanks for reading! 

       

 

 

http://blondevoyagenashville.com
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