Posts Tagged ‘cheap wine review’

Sterling Vintners Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Central Coast 2006 Review

The Frugal Wino gives this a Two Thumbs Up & A Do Buy! About $12.

Read the full review at our main site here > Sterling Vintners Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Review

The full review has tasting notes & what we paired it with. It went well with a dip in the pool on the second day

Around the web:

Great, affordable wine. surprisingly smooth. best after breathing

Dark fruit begining with a strong ending. Full, just enough bitterness. Great with our steak.

The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon nails it, admits winemaker Joe Kidd. It embodies everythingthat we’re striving for with the Sterling Vintner’s Collection. Not only does it show greatvarietal expression with a depth of rich cherry, dark fruit and vanilla toast – but it is full, fleshy and fun to drink – a classic Cabernet to be enjoyed with all occasions. Pair with rich foods such as roast lamb, steak au poivre, or potatoes au gratin. from Wine.com

The last glass

Enjoy,

The Frugal Wino

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Charles Shaw – 2 Buck Chuck – wines just sold the 400 millionth bottle of the $1.99 wine.

Sounds like a Frugal Wine to me.

Their one high speed line can bottle twice the amount of the entire Napa Valley.

Picture below is a case of the most Frugal Wine you can get. A $1.99 a bottle of 2 Buck Chuck Merlot. It’s actually ok (sorta)  if you get a good case. At some locations it is up to $3.99 per bottle.

However the “Cellared and Bottled by Charles Shaw Winery, Napa CA” leads many to believe it’s Napa Valley wine when actually that’s just where it’s cellared and bottled. The case/bottles we viewed did not have the Napa name on them. Seems this was resolved in a court case that went all the way to the Supreme Court.

Not all the grapes are from Napa. California law requires that any wine labeled with the Napa Appelation have at least 75% Napa grapes in them.

These Charles shaw two Buck Chuck wines come in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. They are labeled as blends with no info on the source of the grapes or the percentage of what grapes are using in the blends.

Two Buck Chuck reviewed.

Not going to report tasting notes on these 2 Buck Chuck wines – blends. I will just say they are drinkable and can serve as an inexpensive table wine for daily use for those on a budget. Typically unremarkable.

That said…

The press has given many of them good reviews, they have won some awards and they have definitely developed a cult following.

Right now I’m sipping Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot Columbia Valley 2004 Washington State at $11 on sale, usually $13. Is it 5 to 6 times better than the Charles Shaw Merlot? No. Is it better? Yes but not $9 better.

and that’s where I think the Two Buck Chuck brand shines in value.

Still if you try different brands you can easily get a good bottle of Merlot like Alterra or 3 Blind Moose for $9.99 that is 6 times better than the Two Buck Chuck Merlot. Also better than the Chateau Ste Michelle. You just have to try different apellations, brands and shop around.

You may get lucky and get a very good case of Charles Shaw. From looking at reviews and heated forum debates it seems consitency or lack of plays a large part.

Hate it or love it the Charles Shaw brand sold exclusively at Trader Joes grocery stores has shook up the wine world.

This article about it all is an excellent readCharles Shaw The Two Buck Truck controversy.

Finally Gary Vaynerchuck Reviews Them All as Only he can do!

The Frugal Wino

Frugal Wine Review

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Ahhhh Old Vine Zinfandel’s. We really like these.

We have already reviewed our poll winner Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel and we loved it. The review will be posted soon.

This Old Vine Zinfandel was so good we decided to do a shoot out between three popular “Frugal” Old Vine Zins all paired with a favorite BBQ Rib recipe.

The Old Vine Zin Shootout…

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel vs Bogle Old Vine vs 7 Deadly Zins Old Vine.

We have had BBQ Ribs two nights in a row now, but we love ribs as you can see in the pictures below.

If we can get the technical (legal gobble dee gook) in order we will run a contest to win an Apple ipod for who can guess the winner, second place and third place.

Look for more info soon

The Frugal Wino

Frugal Wine Review

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Tonight we had the pleasure of breaking bread over two new wines with a light Mediterranean dinner.

A few family members, two new Merlot’s to taste  along with some tasty fare always makes for a memorable evening and engaging conversation.

Despite the decline of the popular Merlot’s after the movie Sideways where the character Miles in a rant exclaims “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any f***ng Merlot!”, Merlot is making a comeback. It is a very accessible wine and generally a crowd pleaser in the under $12 range.

On the table:

One bottle of Alterra Napa Valley Merlot 2006 & one of Cupcake Central Coast Merlot California 2006.
With this pairing at least the Alterra was the clear winner. Everyone liked the Cupcake Merlot but two comments of “I like the other one better” (Alterra) sealed the deal.

Reviews for both will follow. We are fans of Cupcake vineyards and gave their 2005 Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon a best deal rating in this review Cupcake Vineyards 2005 Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon Review

As always our tasters are wine drinkers not over the top connoisseurs. They like what they like and it is what it is. Whether a $40 of Sterling or a $9 bottle of Alterra. They liked the Alterra and made a note of it.

This may not be the ideal pairing for a Merlot but it was a hit and considered a success. After all our eclectic group of rouge taster have paired a $70 bottle of Chardonnay with Lays classic potato chips and french onion dip (heaven).

Here is what the wines were paired with which went over well, pairing nicely.

Don’t be afraid to stray from the suggestions in the wine snob rags, you will be missing out on some excellent taste sensations.

Alterra & Cupcake Merlot Pairing

• Fresh Baked Sourdough Bread (stick)
• Fresh Baked French Bread w/poppy seeds (stick)
• Aged Cheddar Cheese (Cracker Barrell)
• Aged Vermont Sharp Cheddar (Cracker Barrell)
• Fresh Strawberries Organic Cane Sugar for dipping.
• Fresh White & Red Grapes
• Carapelli Florence Olive oil 100% Italian First Cold Pressing Extra virgin – This is a hearty olive oil best for flavoring and dipping bread
• Bread Dip Seasonings (JM Exotic Foods Inc) Sicily Blend/Parmesan Blend/Tuscany Blend/Garlic Rosemary Blend in order of popularity.
• Fresh steamed local shrimp with old bay seasonings
• Antipasto– baby artichoke hearts, pine nut stuffed Greek olives, black olives, roasted red peppers, Greek pepperoncini, kalamti olives,
• Napa Valley Bistro Mediterranean Olive Antipasto marinated with herbs and Napa Valley Merlot, kalamata, Spanish, fresh garlic, peppers, red bell peppers
• Prosciutto wrapped mozzarella
• Thin sliced salami.

A nice inexpensive dinner with wine that serves 6. Rack of lamb not needed

Good company, good wine, good food = good times.

wine.com has some excellent prices if you like to order online.

Cheers,

The Frugal Wino

Frugal Wine Review

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