Red Bicyclette Syrah, 2004
France
$9
From its yellow label, to the Frenchman with beret and baguette riding his bicycle with his dog yipping along behind, to the substitution of "Syrah" for "Shiraz," Red Bicyclette wine oozes expatriate, hipster sensibilities. The pitch, the product of extensive marketing research, is aimed at scamming young Americans into overpaying for crappy French jug wine. And hey, they got us. While picking up this little French number might signal to the outer-world that you are either a) pussy-whipped or b) an English major, it may just be the kick in the pants you need when you invite that short emo girl with the nipple piercings over to watch Audrey Tautou's latest. As for the taste, we'll let the back label speak for itself: "a field of flowers, a hillside of lavender, the scents and flavors of the countryside captured in the bottle." Sounds appetizing? Sounds weird and somehow scary? Don't worry: get halfway through the bottle and you won't even taste it.
