We regularly refer to the “dreaded wall of wine”,  that massive,  and intimidating,

assortment of bottles that stare back at you as you wrestle with your buying decision.

After multiple shopping experiences at “the wall”,  you’ll either:

1. know what you’re getting, meaning wine you’ve tried and liked or

2. know what to avoid, meaning wine you’re tried and loathed. 

“The wall” yields few pleasant surprises. 

But we think we found one.

It’s Wine Thursday, our weekly good-wine-at-a-good-price-that-you-can-

find recommendation,  just in time for your weekend. 

This week’s pick is a blend of no less than five white grape varietals.

By definition, a “conundrum” is a difficult problem. 

But chances are you’ll have no difficulty or problem with this unique blend

of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, sémillon, muscat and viognier. 

It’s fruity, with citrus, apple and apricot flavors, but also gently acidic. 

The evolution of this wine surprised me.

On night one, it was somewhat tart with a slight edge. 

By night two, the edge was gone and the fruit/acid balance was seamless. 

The transformation was quite noticeable and,  for a relatively

inexpensive white, quite unexpected. 

Rather than deteriorate overnight, this one got better. 

One interesting note about distribution:  different stores are carrying different vintages. 

We found the 2016, 2018 as well as the 2019 vintages on retail shelves.

I tried the ’16 and ’19.   They tasted virtually the same.   

We found Conundrum at Costco for $12.99. 

Wine.com has the ’19 vintage for $14.99. 

You can buy it from the winery for $16.00  

https://www.wagnerfamilyofwine.com/fine-wines/conundrum/ 

Fred Meyer has it for $16.49 while Safeway’s price is $16.99.