Happy summer, readers! And Happy World Cup Season! ⚽ It’s a beautiful season for the “beautiful game,” and I’m looking forward to relaxed days and delicious wines. 😎

Wow. My last post was April Fool’s Day, and boy was I the fool in thinking I could still post a bunch during a very busy sports season for the kids (ever the optimist am I). 🤪

This post almost didn’t happen. Not because I didn’t want it to, but because this wine had been unavailable for a while, and while it’s fun for me to write about wine, I doubt it’s fun for you to hear about a great wine and then not be able to get your hands on it (although, sadly, that’s just one of the realistic hazards of the wine blogging trade).

I had my tasting notes jotted down in my notebook, my photo stored on my computer, and then I learned that this wine was no longer available. So for several years, this information sat idly in the background, twiddling its thumbs, until I learned that Evoke Winery had released a new vintage of this wine. Jubilation and confetti! 🎉

I have enjoyed and reviewed several of Evoke Winery’s wines over the years (links at bottom of post), and I love both their fun-loving and sassy vibe and their very delicious, high quality wines. The Tifosi Red Wine is, perhaps, one of my top favorites of theirs.

(What on earth does tifosi mean, you ask? It is Italian for “superfans.”)

This wine is absolutely of the moment, and is the perfect gift for the soccer fans/tifosi in your life (and is anyone NOT a soccer fan right now?), or for anyone who loves the Italian grape varieties Sangiovese and Barbera. Putting these two grapes together is a brilliant and practical combination that works incredibly well – teamwork makes the dream work. Sangiovese and Barbera are rarely, if ever, blended together in Italy, as they are each prominent grapes that fly solo or are blended with other traditional grapes in their respective regions. But in America? Anything goes!

Super wine for super fans!

Evoke Winery Tifosi Red Wine
Columbia Valley 2018 (vintage I originally had)

• 50% Barbera | 50% Sangiovese
• 14.5% ABV
• $48/bottle
• Medium garnet color
• Deft and lovely aromatics: dark cherry, currant, plum, rose, baking spices, cured meats and red pepper hunkering in the background
• Powerful, center stage acidity
• Touch of fruit/sweetness to let you know this is from the Columbia Valley, not Italy
• Buff tannins, but not too coarse
• Mouthwatering, elongated finish
• Proud partner of tomato-sauced dishes
• From the tasting notes: “evokes notes of blackberry, cherry cola, and next level fans members.”

This is such a lovely wine. It keeps coming up with new things to say with every sip.

Try Evoke Winery’s Tifosi Red Wine, and be sure to grab extra bottles before it runs out! Or you may very well have to wait another four years for the next vintage. 😭

Show of hands: who’s had this wine? What are you drinking during the World Cup? Comment below!

See my reviews of other Evoke Winery wines (also known previously as Naked Winery):
Blush wine: At First Blush: Evoke Winery Heralds First Day of Spring
Barbera: Oh! Baby: A Sexy Valentine Vino
Chardonnay: Ode to An Old Soul: Vintage Tastes in Vino