2024 Christina Kühlbar | Chillable red

Trader JoesTJ TuesdayRed Wines
Written By Catherine Courtney

2024 Christina Kühlbar | Chillable Red

GRAPES: 100% Zweigelt

VINTAGE: 2024

REGION: Austria

ALCOHOL PERCENTAGE: 13.5%

PRICE: $22.00

If you have been following me for any amount of time, you know the premise of my “wine features” has always been about accessibility. Wines that you can find on a random Wednesday, at a price that doesn’t require consideration or a conversation. I am not abandoning that, but I am making an exception, and it comes in a bottle with a beautiful label- all the way from Austria.

Don’t get me wrong, Trader Joe’s has a great selection of wine, but I’ve really grown fond of wines that simply aren’t available at Trader Joe’s in Nashville. They get in the occasional orange wine or pet-nat from time to time, but those wines have really been speaking to my soul as of late. While I was at one of the local markets in Germantown, I picked up a bottle of Christina Kühlbar, a chillable red wine that has been perfect for battling the heat.

After pouring the first glass, I absolutely fell head over heels in love and knew I wanted to share it with you.

The Christina Kühlbar is made from 100% Zweigelt grapes, a varietal I had not heard of. So, of course, I had to do my research. Zweigelt is Austria’s most beloved red grape as it’s a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent varietals. It runs lighter in style with fresh cherry and plum fruit and the kind of acidity that makes you reach for the bottle again and again. One might even say that is Austria’s answer to Pinot Noir, with a little more edge.

Behind this incredible bottle, which I will be purchasing again very soon, is Christina Netzl, who fell in love with winemaking as a girl on her family's farm in Carnuntum, Austria’s easternmost wine region. The grapes are hand-picked, the wine made with minimal intervention, and this particular bottle is designed to be served cold, which, if you know me, is already the right answer.

If you are interested in learning more about this incredible winemaker, read more here.

Before I give all the details away, let’s jump into the tasting details, shall we?

Tasting Notes:

  • Bright and bold ruby-garnet hue

  • Notes of red cherry and a hint of raspberries, maybe even the slightest bit of watermelon

  • Vibrant acidity

  • Mild- light minerality throughout

  • Light-bodied and overall well-balanced

Verdict:

This is the second bottle of Christina wine that I have enjoyed in the last month. To say that I am quite the fan is an understatement. The 2024 Christina Kühlbar is one that I will be purchasing on repeat - if I can get my hands on it.

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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2024 James Chardonnay