Sunday, March 20, 2005

Cheap Wine Review

A few months ago, Sarah and I decided to slum it a bit and drink only "extreme value" wine. With Two-Buck Chuck being such a great value (most of the time), we started wondering about the other sub-five-dollar wines offered at Trader Joes.

So, below is our "'04 Cheap Wine Review." (Stay tuned for the '05 version...)

TypeBrandPriceRatingTasting Notes
Whites
ChardonnaySan Andre's$ 2.99 4.0 Solid
ChardonnayJW Morris$ 2.99 4.0 Good, but not great
ChardonnayBlue Fin$ 2.99 4.0 Kinda harsh; solid flavor
ChardonnayBear's Lair$ 3.99 4.0 Very buttery, good with food
GewurtzJW Morris$ 2.99 1.0 So freaking sweet - yuck!
Sav BlancCallaway$ 4.99 3.5 Crisp, clean, fruity and sweet; not much flavor
Sav BlancSan Andre's$ 2.99 3.0 Pucker! Not very flavorful
Sav BlancBarefoot$ 3.99 4.0 Crisp, good
Reds
CabSanta Ema$ 3.99 3.0 Fruity, almost sweet
CabBear's Lair$ 3.99 3.0 Alcohol, tannins, not much flavor
CabTula Vista$ 3.99 4.0 Dry but fruity; good flavor, hot
Cab/MerlotSan Andre's$ 2.99 2.5 Smells like f&%$
MerlotJW Morris$ 2.99 4.5 Fruity, dry on front; solid, not too hot
Pinot NoirPepperwood Grove$ 4.99 4.5 Dry, full bodied
Pinot NoirJW Morris$ 2.99 4.5 Tasty; too fruity/sweet
ZinJW Morris$ 2.99 3.0 Earthy, strawberries, pucker
Rating Methodology
Blech!Yuck! We had to pour it out.
BadNot good at all, and not even worth the few dollars it cost.
EhDrinkable, but not worth buying again.
GoodTasty and easy to drink. Good for an everyday or party wine.
FantasticGreat all around and a value at twice the price. Worthy of the cellar.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

More Wine Blogs

I'm definitely hooked on the blogs and the podcasts! Here are a few more that I've come across:

Vinography: a wine blog -
Wine and food adventures in San Francisco and around the world. Not bad, but much focus on European wines.

Spitton.biz - A fun blogger from the UK. He started "Wine Blogging Wednesdays," where he picks a date and a theme, and bloggers the world over post and link their reviews. The next is March 9th, and the theme is "
Obscure Red Grape Varieties."

FERMENTATIONS: The Daily Wine Blog - a wine PR guy who focuses on the biz side of things.

Oh, I almost forgot! You have to check out the cool business at CrushPad. They source the grapes, then you make about 30 decisions about the creation of the wine, from barrel wood to aging time to bottle and label design. Really cool! Prices start at about $4,000 per barrel, which yields about 25 cases. They can even facilitate the selling of your wine.

In other news, it's a beautiful day today in San Francisco. Blue skies and probably in the 70s! I can't wait for summer!