These thoughts are a little late in coming. For Advent 2024 we tried In Good Taste’s 24 Nights of Wine Advent Calendar (granted we mostly enjoyed the wines during the day, but as they say “tomayto, tomahto”…)
The wines In Good Taste Advent Calendar are represented by 7 different brands – Andiamo (Italian), Balance of Power (two reds, one from Argentina and one from Italy), Betise (spicy wines, infused with peppers), Fortune Favors (mostly full bodied reds from all over, but also includes a Gruner Veltliner from California that was pretty solid), La Pluma (whites, mostly from California but one is from Italy), Mr. B (reds, including a Spanish Garnacha and a Grenache from California) and Wild Child (California wines).
Of all the brands, Betise wines were definitely the least orthodox, wines infused with jalapeno and habanero peppers, and you could definitely taste the heat in them, but they were balanced with enough fruit to make them drinkable wines. Some folks may see these pepper-infused wines as a gimmick or novelty as opposed to more “legitimate” offerings. That said, I enjoyed them, they were a fun experience.
The wines came from a pretty diverse set of regions – in addition to California, IGT had wines crafted from wineries in Argentina, Australia, Italy, Sicily and even Spain. I like the international palette, but feel they could use even more representation in that regard – for instance France is the largest wine producing nation in the world but they are notoriously absent in the lineup, which is kind of a shame, I would have loved to see a Provencal Rose, a Loire Valley Vouvray or even a Bordeaux or Cote du Rhone in the mix, some German wines would have been nice too.
Overall I thought the IGT wines were pretty solid. None of the brands stood out to me as superior to the others, they all had some wines that hit the mark well, others were rather common, and didn’t stand out quite as much. A good example was the Mr. B Garnacha vs Grenache – the Garnacha I thought was rather basic while the Grenache had more flavor and “oomph” (yes, that’s a technical term). But I found something to enjoy in each of them.
Would I recommend purchasing this calendar? Yes. The range is not as vast as Costco’s Advent Calendar, but the wines are consistent in quality. There’s also a card with descriptions and tasting notes of the wines. The notes are simple and to the point, which is good. On an interesting sidenote, it looks IGT’s wines are sold in flights and in miniature bottles, I haven’t seen any of IGT’s wines sold outside their website, nor have I seen any 750 ml available. It looks like their specialty is mini flights, which can be great for a tasting get-together with a couple of friends.
While I hope to get a Costco Advent Calendar this year, if they don’t sell them in my area, an IGT Advent Calendar is a fine alternative. Check out their website ingoodtaste.com for info on their Advent Calendar and Flight Packages.
Ed's Wineglass Adventures 