Screw Kappa Napa: A Wine Review

Screw Kappa Napa: The clever name of Donald Sebastiani and Sons great cheap bottle of wine.

The first thing you notice about this wine, which can be found at Trader Joe's and other retailers, is the name: Screw Kappa Napa. It draws you in as you try to understand what exactly it means. As you draw closer, you notice that the top of the bottle is not corked with a traditional wine cork, but is instead "screwed." There is an orange screw cap sealing the bottle. This is a great idea and one that seems to be gaining popularity.

The next thing you notice is the picture on the bottle's label. It is a corkscrew with angel's wings and a halo over its head, floating into heaven as it has been rendered dead by the screw cap. The bottle looks good.

The next thing you notice about the wine is the price: a meager $3.99 for a bottle. Because I am lacking in funds and always looking for a good deal on booze, I was compelled to pick up a bottle of the Chardonnay when I found it.

The winemaker for "Three Loose Screws" (as owner Don Sebastiani refers to his company), Richard Bruno, has this to say about the Screw Kappa Napa 2004 Chardonnay: "It is a medium straw color with aromas of passion fruit, guava and mango with a light toast of vanilla from French oak. The sweet pear and tangerine palate is layered with light caramel, ripe Fuji apples, dusted with cinnamon and cloves."

That sounds like a good bottle of wine to me. I do not know much about the classifications or the vocabulary of wine. The only thing I know about a bottle of wine is if it tastes good to me. And that is what really matters about what you drink.