Liberating the redheaded maiden

The redheaded maiden is back. Yes, back to the proper supermarket shelf. She’s now among friends with similar taste, style and price. This is where she started 13 years ago. Her development, which many said was too rushed, caused her to be exiled to those bottom shelves of the wine wall. And there she sat, a damsel in distress. For a long time. And then came the Wine Hooligans.

In 2005, Cycles Gladiator wines were a great value coming from Central Coast grapes by award-winning winemaker Adam LaZarre in a provocative package – a naked redheaded siren holding on to a bicycle. To this day, I’m not sure how the label got approval, but I loved the wine and the price. I wrote about Alabama banning the sale of Cycles Gladiator and how sales went through the roof. Corporate strategy ramped up production to increase sales, but the winemaker left and wise wine consumers noted the change. So the maiden slipped slowly to the bottom shelf.

In 2013, Dennis Carroll – who had just acquired Cycles under his Wine Hooligans artisan brand – called LaZarre and asked him to rescue the woman on the bike. He agreed without a moment’s hesitation. Carroll needed to reunite the redheaded maiden and LaZarre to resurrect Cycles Gladiator. The wine is back to its iconic roots and a new stamp on the back label guarantees the wine’s vineyard-to-table sourcing with LaZarre guiding the entire process. The result is five expressive Central Coast wines; petite sirah, chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot and Cabernet sauvignon. The wines are readily available and a great value at well under $15. Thank you, Cycles Gladiator and to the lovely redheaded maiden, welcome home. Cheers!

What’s On Our Table

The 2015 Central Coast Cycles Gladiator is a blueberry lover’s delight with a touch of cinnamon and cedar. It’s definitely a teeth stainer, medium bodied with layers of black fruit, soft tannins and a touch of milk chocolate. It is 100 percent petite sirrah and retail priced at $11.99. A great value. I should have bought more.

14th annual Lodi ZinFest Wine Festival

Celebrate a weekend full of fabulous Lodi wines, food and entertainment from May 18-20 at Lodi Lake with 40-plus wineries pouring. Go to www.zinfest.com for tickets and information.

This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 9:01 AM with the headline "Liberating the redheaded maiden."