Green light for Green Box

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

Chardonnay Showdown!! Battle of the Boxes!!

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.

Embrace the Box!!

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

You say you want a RedVolution?

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

Hey... Look what I found!!

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

Revisiting Zinfandel... Guest blogger: My mom!!

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

Calling All White Winos...

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!!

Pinot Meh

Vintjs Pinot Gris (2010)
$5.99@Trader Joe's

Brian sez: I love Pinot Gris. But not this one. This grape comes from the Willamette Valley, an area known for some great Pinots, but this one just fails to show up. To me, Pinot Gris should be Pinot Grigio's cowboy American cousin but the Vintjs doesn't bring any of the mineral or smoke that I love in a Pinot Gris. Oh well.

Julia sez: Eh. Bland.

Binary rating: 0

Make me sangria...

New Age Torrontes/Sauvignon Blanc  (NV)
$5.99@Woodman's

Brian sez: I needed a wine to make a white sangria. This was cheap and mostly Torrontes, a favorite of mine. Little did I know it was also slightly effervescent. Take 6 tbsp hot water, mix in 1/2 cup sugar and some mint leaves (I used a combination of mint and peppermint) and muddle. Add half a cup of brandy and two bottles of New Age. Chill. Enjoy.

Julia sez: Makes a delicious white sangria.

Binary rating: 1

Green Fin Redux

2009 Green Fin Cabernet Sauvignon
$3.99@Trader Joe's

Brian sez: Utterly unremarkable yet not in any way offensive.  I wouldn't have told you this was a cab, but after reading it on the label, I guess it does have some spice and vague oakiness. A little red fruit as well. If this were any more than $4 I would be disappointed, but this is a perfectly adequate Tuesday night wine.

Julia sez: Tastes great after a couple beers. I bought it for the label and the price. I like cab. Flat bottom.

Binary scale rating: 1

Green light for Green Fin...

2009 Green Fin Table White
$3.99@Trader Joe's

Brian sez: Huh. This is quite good. I wasn't expecting much for the price, but this is a great little summertime bottle of white. Properly chilled, it's refreshing with tart crispness. Kinda tastes like green pears. A little acid and mineral rounds it out.

Julia sez: Perfect for a 40 degree Wisconsin Spring night. Pairs well with tonight's artichoke appetizer.

Binary score: 1

Lucky Number Seven

Seven Red Table Wine (NV)
$15.99 (3L) @ Copp's Grocery Store

Brian sez: Bodegas Osborne (pronounced os-BOR-nay by Iberians), long-famous for producing sherry, is also responsible for placing the iconic bull silhouette billboards that dot the Spanish landscape. However, since the Spanish government banned advertising alcohol on billboards some years back, Osborne was forced to remove their company name from them, leaving most tourists to assume they are simply decoration.

Seven is made by Octavin (possibly rhymes with "octagon"?)-- you might already be familiar with some of their other grocery store wine offerings, e.g. Pinot Evil, Big House and others. Between having had decent experiences with Octavin products in the past and knowing Osborne's reputation for producing a solid product, I figured I'd give Seven a shot.

A blend of seven different grapes (I see what you did there, Osborne...), Seven is reminiscent of a young, red-fruit-forward Crianza that you could pick up for a couple Euros in any Spanish taps bar.

At this price point, it's no surprise that it doesn't have much complexity on either end and as we found out last night it doesn't hold up to chili, but it makes a perfectly adequate Triscuits and cheddar accompaniment and I wouldn't turn down a second (or third) glass if you served it to me at your holiday party.

Julia sez: It's okay.

Binary scale rating: 7. I mean 1.

Pinot Noir? Pi-YES Noir...

2010 Yellowtail Pinot Noir
$5.89@ Copp's Supermarket

Brian sez: Okay, maybe not Pi-yes, more like Pi-sure. It doesn't really even *taste* much like Pinot, but it's got some round red fruit and an easy finish. I bought it to make boeuf bourguignon since it was the cheapest (semi-) respectable Pinot the store had, and was pleased to discover it's actually drinkable.

Julia sez: I want more.

Binary score: 1

Score!!

The CWC staff visited its favorite local chain grocery store tonight (Copp's on Fish Hatchery Rd.) for an epic food procurement session and spied a mad deal on Black Box: $9.99 for 3L in a couple different varieties. Usually it goes for around $20 or a little more, so after checking the CWC archives (binary rating of 1!!), I threw it in the cart, even though I suspected it was a mismark (it was away from the beer/wine section on a special display with some Ravenswood Zinfandel at the same price-- a much more logical offering).

When I got up to the checkout, I made sure to watch the price when the cashier scanned it. When it came up $22.99, I told her I was pretty sure it was marked as $9.99, but wasn't going to make a big deal out of it and asked her to just take it off the bill. A manager had to come over to delete it (buying alcohol after 9pm somehow necessitates this extra step) and she sent a bagger to check the price in the wine/beer section just to be sure... He returned and reported that the price was listed as $22.99 there, but at that point another shopper in line behind me spoke up and said they saw the $9.99 display on the other side of the store, too. Without another word, the manager deleted $13.00 from the bill... Nice!!

The only downside-- after inspecting the receipt upon arriving home, we found a $3.76 mystery charge for 2 lbs. of yucca root (I never cook Euphorbiaceae after Labor Day!!)... Probably not going to fight that one... : )

¡Viva Montañana!

Marqués de Montañana Viura
$3.99 @ Trader Joe's

Brian sez: Man, this is just a great little treat. Sure, it might be a hair too fruity or sweet for some folks, but there's just enough acid in there to keep it sane. A little floral, a little tropical and sure to be great with the stir fry chicken and bok choy I'm just about to eat.

Julia sez: It's good for cooking.

Binary scale rating: 1

Guenoc, Guenoc... Who's there?

Guenoc 2008 Victorian Claret
$9.99 @ Jenifer Street Market

Brian sez: Some red fruit, maybe just a little tannic, this is a great wine for steak night. Very Bordeaux-y if you're in to that kind if thing.  It's on the high end of the CWC budget, but still very much in the range for a Saturday night wine, I think.

Julia sez: Deep punt.

Binary scale rating: 1

Step One: Get a Box

Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008

Price: $22@Kopps Supermarket

Brian sez: Black Box has a pretty good reputation in the box wine world. Or at least, it was one of the first box wines about which I heard someone say good things. I'd had it once before thanks to friend of Cheap Wine Challenge, Corra, but I figured it was due for an official review.

Cheap Wine Challenge enjoyed this wine over the course of a week or so and it makes for a perfectly adequate-- if not somewhat uninteresting-- answer to the question, "Hey, what would you like to drink with dinner?" Round and relatively balanced, not too tannic with a little bit of black fruit and a little bit of spice.

Bottom line: Although I wasn't sad to see this one go and I won't rush out to buy it again, it's a passable Tuesday night wine.


Binary Scale Rating: 1

Maybe the koalas like it...

Down Under Shiraz, 2008
$3.33 @ Jenifer Street Market

Brian sez: This rounds out the "three for $10" deal I scored last week. Loyal readers (both of you) will remember that while the Crane Lake Pinot Grigio didn't really show well, I thought their White Zin was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the last member of the triumverate did not raise the team score. 

It's not the worst wine I've ever had, but I wouldn't serve it to friends. To be honest, it tastes too much like grape juice. My main complaint, though, is that it just doesn't have any of that big fruit that Australian Shiraz usually has.

Oddly enough, the two reviews I found online were pretty positive about it. Perhaps I got a bad bottle or maybe we here at CWC just have higher standards for our cheap wine... : )

Binary scale rating: 0

Pink is the new Red (Bonus Math Joke Inside!!)

Crane Lake White Zinfandel, 2009
$3.33 @ Jenifer Street Market

Brian sez: Best. Pink wine. Ever.

I bought this bottle as part of a "Three bottles for $10" deal when I dropped in to the Jenifer Street Market early last week. The Pinot Grigio from the same producer was a disappointment, so I wasn't expecting much from this bottle. I could not have been more wrong.

The standard I use to judge all pink wines is Susana Balbo's Rose of Malbec. If you haven't tried it, you owe it to yourself to grab a bottle (it should be pretty easy to find at most respectable wine shops) and enjoy outdoors with a plate of cheese and crackers before we exhaust this year's supply of warm summer nights. Forget what you think you know about pink wine-- this isn't Beringer White Zin...

Well, if Rose of Malbec is the standard, the Crane Lake is the first alternate. It's clean and crisp and tastes like crushed fresh strawberries. Incredibly refreshing without an overwhelming sugary finish. I could drink a bottle of this after mowing the lawn.

Now, I should probably give a caveat here: We took this wine camping this weekend and enjoyed it right out of the cooler, probably at a temperature close to 35 degrees-- not significantly colder than recommended serving temperature for cheap pink wine, but maybe enough to hide some of the sugary-ness. Anyway, for $3.33, I don't know how you'll find a more delicious and refreshing cheap pink wine. As such, Crane Lake White Zinfandel earns an unprecedented ONE FACTORIAL on the binary scale...

Binary scale rating: 1!

Trust the punt... (Reader participation post)

You know that depression in the bottom of a wine bottle?  That's called the "punt".  Did you know that?  I didn't.  I had to ask.  And it's still never been sufficiently explained to me what it's purpose is.  Anyway, one time Julia claimed that she could judge a bottle of wine solely on the depth of its punt.  Since she frequently makes things up, I was reluctant to believe this claim at first, but then I thought there might be some merit to it. 

I mean, ostensibly it costs more to produce a bottle with a deep punt or even any punt at all, right?  Slightly more material involved and I imagine there's an additional step in the production process.  So a producer who is only concerned with getting his cheap wine into a glass container in the most inexpensive fashion is going to choose a shallow-punt or punt-less bottle.  Or whatever.  I'm just hypothesizing here.  

Well, the long and short of it is that Julia's theory seems to hold up.  Seriously, try it.  Over the last year or so, I've tried to take note of the punts on bottles of cheap wine, and it sure seems that the better bottles *do* in fact have a bit of a punt to them, and the bad ones are generally flat as a pancake. 

So here's the reader participation part: next time you're drinking a bottle of cheap wine, channel your inner Wine Bottle Proctologist-- don't be shy.  Give it a little probe and see what you find.  I'd be willing to bet that the deeper the punt, the better the quality of the wine... Report back with your findings...