Move Over, Mint Juleps, We’re Drinking Wine for the Kentucky Derby!

If you know much about the Kentucky Derby (or actually just the Kentucky Derby parties), then you probably already know that the classic Derby drink is the bourbon-based mint julep. And that’s all good and well, but we think wine is the right drink for any occasion. So if you’re having a Derby Watch Party next weekend, we wanted to give you wine options to consider!

What wine goes with the Kentucky Derby? Well, it only seems right to honor Kentucky and drink bourbon barrel-aged wines. For those of you wondering, "what on Earth are bourbon barrel wines?”, these are wines that are aged in oak barrels that previously held bourbon. Bourbon is aged in new oak barrels that are charred inside to some degree. But to follow the rules when making bourbon, you can only put bourbon in those barrels once. Bourbon has to age in a new barrel. The barrels are typically then sold off to other people to use for other alcohols, and some winemakers will then use those barrels to age wine. With the char and the bourbon that has seeped into the wood to some degree, using these barrels with wine really kicks the flavors up a notch. In our experience, most bourbon barrel wines are bigger and oakier than most wines you’ll drink. The oak flavorings are those vanilla, caramel, dill, and coconut notes you pick up.

Disclaimer: If you like big California red wines with those oak notes, you should absolutely try these bourbon barrel wines. If you DON’T like oaky wines, these may not be the wines for you.

If you’re still not sure what we mean by oak flavors in wine, try one of these, because the oak flavors will hit you in the face.

We headed on over to Jacob Liquor, where they hooked us up with a selection of bourbon barrel-aged red wines. Cheers, Kentucky.

Bart’s wife, Melissa, joined us as a guest-taster for this one, as she is a big fan of the bourbon barrel wines, and we wanted her opinions as well!

First up: 1000 Stories Bourbon Barrel-Aged Zinfandel, 2021, from California. This one had a light aroma to it, like blackberries and vanilla, and it even smells a little smoky.

This is a big, rich wine, true to form for bourbon barrel wines. It tastes almost a little sweet, as Zinfandels often do. That’s mainly due to the fruitiness of the Zinfandel, making your brain think it might be just a little sweet. It tastes like ripe blackberries that grew near a big campfire, because you can even taste a little of the smokiness that you smell. Thanks to the bourbon barrel, it also tastes like vanilla beans.

Food pairing idea: BBQ with a sweet BBQ sauce

In a nutshell:

The wine: B

The price: $20 at Jacob Liquor

Would we buy it again? Melissa decreed that she could drink this and enjoy it. It wasn’t her favorite, though…

…this next one was!

The winner of this tasting for our three-person tasting panel was the Cooper & Thief Red Wine Blend, Cellarmaster Select, 2019 from California. Now this is a BIG wine. You immediately smell how big it is, and it’s inky dark.

This lovely wine smells and tastes like dark cherries, or more accurately like those brandies cherries that garnish Manhattan cocktails. If you could make jam from brandies cherries, it might be like that. It has smoky notes, as well as notes of vanilla extract and caramel. Melissa and her friends really enjoy drinking this on a Friday afternoon, and she mentioned that drinking it always reminds her of the taste of toasted marshmallows. And you know what? It really DOES taste like toasted marshmallows (the toasted part, not so much the sugary marshmallow)! Who doesn’t love everything about toasted marshmallows? The words that came to us over and over as we were drinking this wine were, “WOW, this is BIG.” Very eloquent and insightful, of course. It’s a little rich for Bart and Katie’s palates to drink more than a glass, but if you are a fan of the oakier wines, you need to go get yourself one of these.

Food pairing idea: a cookout on the grill, like steaks or ribs

In a nutshell:

The wine: A-

The price: $29 at Jacob Liquor

Would we buy it again? Yes (actually, Bart already has several in his wine fridge for Melissa)

We did also try The Federalist Red Blend, aged in bourbon barrels for 6 months, but if you’re a fan of bourbon barrel wines looking for that bourbon barrel taste, we didn’t feel that this one delivered.

To be honest, though, as much as we loved trying the bourbon barrel wines (and you should absolutely get some for your Kentucky Derby watch party), we can’t get away from the fact that the true drink of the Derby is the mint julep. So here’s the recipe for those:

Mint leaves

Simple syrup

Bourbon

• Muddle 6-8 mint leaves in 1/4 oz simple syrup

• Add 2 oz bourbon

• Fill glass with ice

• Garnish with mint sprig, can also garnish with Angostura bitters

Enjoy!!!