This entry will not be as exciting as the title makes it sound.

There will be no snow, no young kids self-propelling, with the aid of gravity, down some slope on some stick of wood of some sort.

Two things: Magnums are big bottles of wine that hold the equivalent of two bottles of wine (1.5 liters).

InterWined recently had two Magnums. The idea is that magnums, which look cool and work great for dinner parties, mature at a much different rate. Wine matures quickly in a big vat, not as quick in a smaller barrel and even slower in a tinier standard bottle of wine. Think of a magnum as between a bottle and barrel.

The 2003 Bodegas Olvena Magnum from Somontano, Spain, was purchased after some hard bargaining between InterWined and the fabulous wine shop, Planet of the Grapes. One of the owners, Matt, said, “Hey, InterWined, buy that bottle for 20 quid and stick it on your blog”.

It was an offer InterWined couldn’t refuse.

(Two bottles’ worth for £20 equals £10 per ‘bottle’, the far end of the InterWined.com budget-per-bottle.)

As expected, the magnum was smoother and more elegant that it’s single bottle counterpart. The black cherry was also expected, but no less enjoyed. There was a hint of tarty flint, which would be more pronounced, and likely less enjoyable, in a single bottle offering. Delicious: 8.7.

The 2003 Magnum of Vendange California Cabernet is an example of a big American wine in a big American bottle.

InterWined sees visions of drivers in hybrid cars, humming through the highways of Los Angeles, driving around with long, silly-slurp straws poking out the top of a magnum of Vendange. Ready to drink on a Friday night – this one – and the new oak abounds with black berry. Simple and effective. Let breath for two hours to one day: 8.5.

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