Las Vegas, Nevada. August, 2018.
I don’t understand why House of Blues feels the need to put their name on a wine label.  It seems…off brand at best. They put so much effort into making a sort of Disneyland version of a dirty rock and roll bar that offering a house labeled red wine seems to counter that.  As labels go, it was graphically appealing and let you know what you were in for, and I appreciated its honesty.
Once opened, the aroma was a blend of stainless steel, grape sno-cone, and bar floor at the end of the night.  I didn’t have to wonder about the alcohol content, because it said 13.6% in print so bold and pronounced it was only missing an exclamation point. I tried to share it with Mark and David, but neither got past their first sip, so it wasn’t a very social drink.
I think the atmosphere of ceaseless slot machines clanging and beeping, the windowless inner world of the casino, and the slow stream of burnt out gamblers passing by, cow eyed and lost, made an honest review of the drink difficult. Â As red wines go, it could not compete with almost any mediocre bottle. The main notes were sugar and whatever Gallo had left over. However, the House of Blues, in a startling act of generosity, gave it to me for our show, so it was free. Â That is worth at least a point. Plus it had alcohol in it, so it gets another point.
Sip score = 2/5