Decoy In a Can in the Sierra

Stop giving Grandma White Zin! For this summery Wine Pairing Weekend event, we’re talking about canned wine paired with picnics. There’s a lot of canned wines out there these days, and they are super convenient as well as ecological. Cans are much lighter than bottles and aluminum recycles very easily back into a container for more wine! While we have a few samples of canned wines around, we decided to go a slightly different route, and focus on Decoy’s Seltzer as well as a bottle of their Decoy Merlot.

Decoy is made by Duckhorn, and we’ve written about their Merlot many times, for example.

• Duckhorn Merlot vertical for Merlot Day 
• Duckhorn Merlot paired with duck
• Duckhorn Merlot compared with La Jota 

So we were curious about trying their entry into the seltzer arena. Since they sent me four cans of three flavors, Sue and I tasted one together, then she took one home and I took the other two on a camping trip to the Mammoth Lakes area of the Sierra. We agreed that these seltzers are great for hanging around the park or the campground and for appetizers, and they could certainly work with lighter picnic fare.

I loved being able to bring the small lightweight can of Decoy seltzer on a hike at 11,053 at the top of Mammoth Mountain! It was just what I wanted with my ham sandwich.

However, as much as we enjoyed the Decoy Seltzer, I was really happy to have the Decoy Merlot when it came time for the rack of lamb for dinner! 

• Chardonnay with Lemon & Ginger,
• Sauvignon Blanc with Vibrant Lime,
• Chardonnay with Clementine Orange, and
• Rosé with Black Cherry.

The Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Rosé wines in the premium seltzers come from prime vineyard sources throughout California and these gluten free beverages only contain 80 calories with 2-3 grams of carbohydrates per serving, 5.5% alcohol by volume.

Decoy Premium Seltzer Lime

• Color: Pale
• Aroma: Lime is very evident, Sue finds the lime scent fresh, vey much like lime essence the rind, the oils, grapefruit, hint of gooseberry, sulphur/chemicals 
• Palate: Limey, pleasant, refreshing, lime water with bubbles, bottled water, mineral water, minerals, super refreshing by the pool, 
• Pair with fish tacos. chips and salsa, ceviche,

Decoy Premium Seltzer Clementine

• Color: Pale, platinum  
• Aroma:   Tangerine, sweet fruit, orange soda splash of tangerine, spa water with little alcohol, 
• Palate: tangerine spa water, does not taste like wine, does not taste artificial
• Sue drinks a lot of seltzer; this could sneak up on you – so light in flavor  

Decoy Lemon with Ginger 

• Color: chiffon lemon, platinum
• Aroma: smell ginger, lemon, hint of sulphur, very pleasant, ginger ale 
• Palate: you ge the lemon you get the ginger light and refreshing
• Pair with sushi and asian 

Decoy Premium Seltzer – Rose with Black Cherry

Decoy Premium Seltzer – Rose with Black Cherry – 5.5% alcohol

• Color: Very pretty pink, 
• Nose: So very fruity on the nose, strawberry, cherry, It smells really great
• Palate: Strawberry is very evident on the palate. Wild strawberry, and black cherry, Light fun and fizzy. This is not sweet, very light and refreshing. 
• Pairing: Try it with salads.

Decoy Merlot

2018 – Decoy – Merlot – 13.9% alcohol

Moderate mellow Merlot. Might we suggest they do this with a twist off cap for ease when camping or at the beach?

• Color: Ruby, fushia rim, seems youthful, fresh, medium density
• Nose: Cherries, eucalyptus, fresh fruit, fresh leaves, a bit of alcohol, as the wine opens in the glass, richer plum fruit becomes evident, Dr. Pepper, Cherry Cola,
• Palate: All about the cherries on the palate, cherry fruit, cherry snuff, as we usually experience with Decoy wines, they are very smooth and easy to drink. Oak is not over the top. It is well done and integrated bringing on a warm homey feeling. Nice fine grained tannins, the finish is layered and lengthy,
• Pairing: Rack of lamb, burgers 

What other canned wines went with picnics for the Wine Pairing Weekend crew of wine writers? 

• A Portable Orange Chardonnay Seltzer Perfect for a Picnic by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Canned Bubbles and Hot Dogs – A Taste of Summer by Avvinare
• Canned Wines from Argentina – Convenience and Flavor for a Backyard Picnic by Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Decoy In a Can in the Sierra by Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley
• (Easily) Portable Wine for Summer Picnicking by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Picnicking with Le Petit Verre Canned Bubbly Rosé by Our Good Life
• Yes, ‘She Can’ picnic with McBride Sisters canned Rosé by My Full Wine Glass

You’re invited to join our twitter chat! Discussion Questions for the #WinePW Canned Wine event on June 11, 2022 at 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern:

• 11:00 – Q1 Welcome to the #WinePW chat for June 2022! From where are you tweeting? Introduce yourself and share a link to your blog. Use the #WinePW hashtag during our chat and, if you’re joining in live this morning, share a selfie if you like!
• 11:10 – Q2 For this #WinePW event, we’re talking about canned wine and picnics. Was it difficult to decide on your wine? Was it hard to find canned wine? Have you ever had a canned wine before?
• 11:15 – Q3 Tell us about the wine that you opened and poured for today. Is there anything noteworthy about its creation? If you have never tried a canned wine before, what did you think? Share a link to your tasting notes and photos, if you like. #WinePW
• 11:20 – Q4 What foods did you pair with your wine? What are some of your favorite picnic dishes? Share a link to your recipe and photos, if you like. #WinePW
• 11:30 – Q5 Did you think the pairing was successful? Why or why not? If not, what would you pair with the wine a second time around? #WinePW
• 11:35 – Q6 Let’s go back to talking about picnics a bit. How do you define a picnic? Is it anything outside? And do you have a favorite picnic spot? #WinePW
• 11:40 – Q7 And one more question about the wine you picked for the event: Have you had wine from the same producer before, but in bottles? If so, how did it compare?
• 11:45 – Just a shoutout of appreciation to some of the #WinePW bloggers who participated today:                      . Thank you!
• 11:50 – Q8 Did you find any of the pairings inspiring today? If so, in what way? Will you try to track down any of the canned wines mentioned? Or try any of the dishes? Why or why not? #WinePW
• 11:55 – Q8 Any last comments/questions? Share a thought, comment, or question! #WinePW
• 12:00 p.m. Thanks for joining us for the #WinePW chat today! Next month we’ll be back talking about Summer Sippers and Tasty Bites to include light, not too complex wines to pair with outdoor finger foods. @linda_lbwcsw leads the charge. Stay tuned.