Is The Prisoner wine worth it?
The Prisoner is a rich, crowd-pleasing red, but at about $50 you are paying a lot for the name; if you love its jammy style, Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel gets you most of the way for a quarter of the price.
The Prisoner Red Blend · Red blend (Zinfandel-led, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Syrah) · California · wine shops, Costco and larger grocery stores
- Alcohol
- About 15%
- Sweetness
- Dry, but ripe and plush
- Grapes
- Zinfandel-led, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah and more
- Made by
- The Prisoner Wine Company, owned by Constellation Brands
- From
- California (older bottles say Napa Valley)
- Price
- About $45 to $55
- Calories
- About 130 to 140 in a 5 oz glass
What it tastes like
Very ripe blackberry, cherry jam, chocolate and sweet spice. It is big and velvety, and it ends plush and slightly sweet-tasting.
- Bodylight → big
- Sweetnessdry → sweet
- Zingsoft → zippy
- Gripsmooth → grippy
Is it worth $50?
As a gift or a special-night bottle, it lands well because people recognize it. As an everyday splurge, the value is thin. Costco is usually the cheapest place to buy it.
Who it’s for
For people who like big, lush, fruit-forward reds and want something that feels fancy. If you prefer dry, restrained wines, it will taste overdone.
How to serve it
Open 20 to 30 minutes ahead and serve just below room temperature.
The backstory
The Prisoner was dreamed up by Dave Phinney, the winemaker who founded Orin Swift, with a first release of just 385 cases in 2000. The creepy label is a Francisco Goya etching his parents gave him when he was 12. He sold the brand in 2010 for a reported $40 million, and Constellation Brands bought it in 2016 for $285 million. The blend is big, ripe and high in alcohol, built around jammy Zinfandel, and recent bottles carry a broader California label rather than Napa Valley.
How it compares
- The Prisoner vs Bogle Zinfandel
Bogle Zin gives you the same jammy, peppery Zinfandel vibe, drier and a lot less lush, for about a quarter of the price.
- The Prisoner vs Caymus
Caymus is a plush Napa Cabernet at about double the price; pick The Prisoner if you like jammy blends over Cab.
- The Prisoner vs Decoy Cabernet
Decoy is a smoother, more polished Cab for about half the price; pick The Prisoner when you want bold and showy.
What to eat with it
Questions people ask
- Who makes The Prisoner wine?
- The Prisoner Wine Company, owned by Constellation Brands since 2016. It was created by winemaker Dave Phinney, who also founded Orin Swift.
- Why is The Prisoner wine so expensive?
- Partly the grapes and new oak, partly the name. It was a cult hit in the 2000s, and that famous label means people will happily pay for it as a gift.
- Is The Prisoner wine sweet?
- It's sold as a dry red, but very ripe fruit, lots of oak and about 15% alcohol make it taste rich and a little sweet. Fans call it plush; skeptics call it jammy.
- What kind of wine is The Prisoner?
- A red blend led by Zinfandel, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah and a few other grapes. The exact mix changes a bit every year.
- Where is The Prisoner made?
- The brand is based in Napa Valley. Older bottles were labeled Napa Valley, but recent years say California, meaning the grapes can come from across the state.
- What's on The Prisoner label?
- An etching by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya of a shackled prisoner. Phinney got a print of it from his parents as a kid and never forgot it.
If you like this, try
- CaymusCabernet Sauvignon · about $95It's fine
- Bogle ZinfandelZinfandel · about $12Drink this one
- Decoy CabernetCabernet Sauvignon · about $25Good buy
Where Moxie recommends it
Last checked 2026-10-04. Moxie Vino isn’t affiliated with The Prisoner Wine Company; this is our honest take. Bottle photo: The Prisoner Wine Company.