Pepperwood Grove Cabernet Sauvignon: $18 at Copp's
Brian sez: Nothing sophisticated about this Cabernet, but it fills the "basic glass of red wine" requirement in our household quite nicely.
Julia sez: Loved it. Tastes like Cabernet.
Binary scale rating: 1
The Main Event: Bota Box 2010 vs. Black Box 2011
$4.99 ea. @ Miller's Grocery Store
Brian sez: The Black Box is everything I don't like about cheap Chardonnay: sloppy oak, vague butter. The Bota Box tastes like white wine-flavored water. Definitely cleaner than the Black Box, but nothing really interesting as far as flavor is concerned. I'm not going to lie to you: if I had to pick a winner between these two, I'd probably opt for a beer.
Julia sez: Black Box tastes like what you expect cheap Chardonnay to taste like. Not much flavor in the Bota Box. Somehow, though, we managed to finish both of them.
Binary rating: 0 and 0. No knockouts here, but the judges give the Black Box the win by decision for actually tasting like something.
Bota Box 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
$18.99 @ Copp's
Brian sez: Good stuff. Second only in my eyes to their Old Vines Zinfandel, Bota Box does not disappoint. Bright red fruit, no oak. Thin on the finish, but at less than $5 a bottle, I can live with that. Absolutely no complexity, finish, or any of that. Let's be honest, it doesn't even taste like a Cab, but it is eminently drinkable if you're looking for a good time wine.
Julia sez: I embraced it!!
Guest commentator Greg sez: I thought it was good.
Binary rating: 1
Bota Box 2010 California Table Red
$18.99 @ Copp's
Brian sez: I really like the Bota Box Old Vines Zinfandel. CWC bought a box for a camping trip last summer and the results were quite pleasing, so when I saw their newest offering "RedVolution", I figured I'd give it a shot. Let's just say this is one revolution that needs to be put down. There's some fruit up front, but no finish to speak of. It reminds me of my least favorite varietal: Cheapo Pinot. Not the worst thing I've ever tasted, bit there are far better ways to spend your Cheap Wine dollar.
Julia sez: It's not my favorite.
Binary rating: 0
2010 Found Object Carmenere
$5.99 @ Traders Joe's
Brian sez: This was Julia's pick. We had it just the other night with a cassoulet. It was great!! Black fruit and spice. Well balanced.
Julia sez: I found it!!
Binary scale rating: 1
Old Moon 2010 Old Vines Zinfandel
$5.99@Trader Joe's
Brian sez: I used to drink a bunch of Zinfandel about ten or twelve years ago. I found it to be a good grape for convincing non-wine drinkers or non-red wine drinkers that they liked red wine. I got away from it before too long because a lot of the Zinfandel I was finding in grocery stores were uninteresting to say the least and serious wine shops didn't stock much of it.
Fast forward a decade or so and there I am in Trader Joe's picking up a bottle of Old Moon Zinfandel. Fast forward a couple more nights and I'm grilling some skirt steak, corn, potatoes and squash-- the Zinfandel seemed like a logical choice.
It's nice and wide open with plenty of spice and dark fruit but not a lot of complexity. It fades out quickly but cleanly. This is a fine crowd-pleaser Zin that reminds me of why I loved this grape back in the day.
Julia sez: Pairs well with grilled food.
My mom sez: It was light and smooth. Subtle.
Binary rating: 1
As all six of our devoted followers know, we are getting married this Fall. Since we are lovers of cheap wine, we have arranged for the reception venue to serve some of our favorite cheap wines with dinner. We have the reds all set, but are still struggling to come up with a couple of white offerings. Wanna help? : )
The ideal cheap white wine should:
1. Cost between $5-10
2. Be a crowd pleaser
3. Pair well with food
4. Be widely available (or at least easily procured in Madison and/or St. Louis)
And since we here at CWC love a good contest, if we select your suggestion, we'll reward you by having you over for dinner and serve your suggested wine...
Any and all input is welcome... Thanks!!
