Purchased at World Market in Los Angeles

Regular Price - $7.99

Sale Price - $5.99

Alcohol - 13.5%

This wine hails from Southern France in a region called the Rhone Valley.  Cotes du Ventoux is an appellation within the Rhone Valley.  Rhone valley red blends are commonly made from 3 grape varietals: Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre.  Also, these blends will sometimes have Cinsault and Carignon grapes added.  Most people know the Syrah varietal, but few know these others and that they can be very interesting.  Another appellation that many wine drinkers have heard of is Chateauneuf du Pape.  These wines have become more expensive as they have gained popularity, but many good deals remain.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Black cherry, BBQ, wood chips, plum

A nice flavor of sweetly tart plum hits my tongue.  This gives way to some smoky flavors.  Then a tart cherry plum flavor attacks and dwindles off after swallowing.  Some tannins are present, but they are not overwhelming.  The wine has some body, but feels a little thin on flavor. 

After an Hour

On the Nose - Charred plums, tar, black cherry

The wine feels a bit rougher.  One could never call this a smooth, graceful wine.  The acid may be slightly searing for many.  The fruit doesn't adequately balance the acid and the sweetness, although this wine is on the drier side. 

Summary - 84 points

To sum it up, the acid is unbalanced and the wine is simply lacking enough flavor.  It tastes a little washed out.  It’s still drinkable and serviceable, but not something I would recommend seeking out.



Purchased at Target in Los Angeles

Price - $10.99

Alcohol - 13%

I've had a couple of these boxed wines from Target before and they had usually been decent, so I thought there may be many of you who've seen them and considered them.  These are made for Target by Trinchero Winery, which is a notable winery from Napa Valley and one can find the Trinchero labeled wines at BevMo and some grocery store chains.  The cool thing about this boxed wine is the value.  The box itself is the volume of two bottles of wine, so really this is costing $5.50 a bottle and on top of that, it can last 2-4 weeks once you pop the seal.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Smoky, char, blackberry, hint of vanilla

This wine is somewhat tasty.  I like the barbeque flavors mixed with the blackberries.  It is definitely a bit on the thin side, though.  There is not much of a front attack nor is there much of a finish.  The main flavors hit in the center of the palate with some semi-sweet berries and a charred, smoky, tar-like flavor.  This charred berry flavor leaves a small lasting impression on the palate, but it's hard to call it a real finish (or to be more fair, this wine has no encore).  This wine is designed to be ready to drink, so don't expect it to improve in the glass.  The tannins in this wine are pretty light and hardly noticeable until one drinks half a glass.

Summary - 85 points

I think this is still a decent value, although Target's Cabernet/Shiraz may be a bit better (we'll see in the near future).  I think these boxed wines are perfect for when you just want that single glass by yourself.  You call this wine simply good enough to enjoy during the week.  One thing to note: make sure you check the date on the bottom of the box.  I noticed a few of the boxes had a drink by date that was going to expire this month, so make sure the date is roughly about 3-6 months into the future.



Purchased at World Market in Los AngelesThis was a hard label to photograph well.

Regular Price - $4.97

Sale Price - $3.97

Alcohol - 13%

This would be regularly priced at 4 dollars if it weren't for the sorry state of our dollar.  I'm interested to see what Spain offers for under 5 dollars.  The wine label is calling this a Mediterranean style red wine, but who knows exactly what that means.  Juicy, fruity, soft...hopefully all three.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Port, vanilla, blackberry

This is pretty weird.  On the nose, it smells exactly like a ruby port (Port is basically sweetened brandy that has only 20% alcohol).  The wine is actually pretty thin though, both in body and flavor.  It tastes to me as if this was a port and it was literally just watered down.  No flavor at the front of my mouth and no finish either.  The only flavor is on the midpalate and it is like a combination of ruby port and Juicy Juice. 

After an Hour

On the Nose - Alcohol, blackberry, vanilla

This seems even less flavorful than it was.  It tastes a bit hot now.

Summary - 72 points

I can't see anything redeeming in this wine.  There is nothing pleasing about this wine.  It tastes like bad juice with some alcohol thrown into the mix. 

I'm surprised they used a real cork for a cheap bottle like this, but they do produce the corks in Spain or Portugal I think, so it may be cheaper to produce them there.

Purchased at World Market in Los Angeles

Regular Price - $9.99

Sale Price - $6.99

Alcohol - 13.5%

Torrontes is becoming a rather popular white wine varietal.  It tends to be quite affordable with many of the bottles being produced in an expert fashion (a good combination).  This grape is basically native to Argentina, although some people think the grapes may have come over with Spanish colonists.  Regardless, it has become Argentina's signature white wine grape.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Smoke, rubber, apple, cane sugar, honey

Wow, this is pretty darn good.  The nose is very fragrant and I think I may have missed a scent or two, but the smokiness and the rubbery scent are so fragrant, it makes it a little difficult to ascertain.  This wine has some really really nice acid that just delicately rips away the center of my tongue.  The smoky apple flavor is still lingering in my mouth as I type.  It has a great full-bodied mouth feel, as if I was drinking heavy cream.  So far, it's impressive for such a reasonably priced wine.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Rubber, smoke, apple, honey

This is definitely less attractive than it was an hour ago.  It still has the nice acid, but it is lacking enough fruit.  It feels a little hollow; the smoky apple flavor is nice at first, but it leaves the middle and the finish practically empty.  I still like the body and the acid, but it's kind of like licking an apple, but not actually getting to bite and eat it.  It's missing fruit and complexity throughout.

Summary - 86 points

That was a bit of a rollercoaster review.  It's just surprising how such a full-bodied wine can have such a hollow flavor on the backend.  If you want to try it, I recommend drinking it rather chilled and rather quickly from the bottle.  This wine does have some nice quirks that make it interesting and drinking it chilly will make it seem quite refreshing.

Hmm. kinda of a boring cork and these new synthetic corks are very hard to pull out...

Purchased at World Market in Los Angeles

Price - $5.99

Alcohol - 12.5%

This is a non vintage wine from France, which means more than 25% of the grapes used were from different growing seasons.  At the bottom of the label it reads: Vin de Pays de L'ile de Beaute.  This translates to "The Wine Country of the Isle of Beauty."  I found out through Wikipedia the "Isle of Beauty" is Corsica and is also the island where Napoleon was born.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Cherry cola, light berry scent, light floral scent

The nose is very tight, meaning I smell very little in the wine.  This wine is very subtle.  The main gist consists of tart berry flavors.  I taste a few hints of the oak that this wine was barreled in, but not much else.  It is somewhat smooth and definitely on the drier side of things.  I taste a little bit of dried fruit on the finish, maybe similar to dried apricots.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Cherry cola candy, tomato paste, some berries, some flowers

The nose is still pretty tight.  I'm actually surprised that there is some tannic structure in this wine.  There are some nice chewy tannins present.  I can taste a bit more of the cola flavors in this wine with the cherry and red berry flavors as well as a kiss of the flowery notes. 

Summary - 86 points

I think this is a decent wine.  I think it could pair well with light, meaty dishes.  I also think leaving the bottle open for at least thirty minutes will help a bit.  You could try a full hour as well.  You don't have to break out the decanter for this one, if you have one, but it would help.  Just remember, this is quite the subtle wine; don't expect a lot of pizzazz.

Quite a basic cap

Purchased at World Market in Los Angeles

Regular Price - $8.99

Sale Price - $6.99

Alcohol - 14%

For the next couple weeks, you're going to see some cheaper priced wines here.  I hope this will be interesting for you, being able to get to know some very affordable everyday wine (everyday meaning a wine priced so reasonable, you can afford to drink it every day).  The prices will range from four dollars up to seven dollars.  The main reason for this is because money has become a little tight, so you'll have to bear with us.

Also, for those that haven't seen, here is the link to the Temecula barrel tasting event my wife and I attended.  For those that have, the photos have been fixed now ;)

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Smokiness, raspberry, gamey, cranberry sauce

A very nice lightly-sweetened raspberry and cranberry flavor hits the tip of my tongue.  It is quite the light-bodied wine, but this works out to its benefit.  It makes the wine easy to drink and unpretentious.  It has a smoky, slightly bitter finish with the red berries still kicking around underneath.  It is just a little bit tart, enough to make your salivary glands kick in a little. 

After an Hour

On the Nose - Smoky charred oak, raspberry, cranberry sauce

I really like these tart and sweet berry flavors mixed with the smokiness.  It's purely delicious and simple.  There is a silkiness to this wine that is very nice.  The tannins are very soft and this wine is ready to drink.

Summary - 88 points

I think this is an excellent deal for seven dollars.  Even at regular price, unlike many other nine dollar wines that can be total crap, this one stands out a fair bit.  I recommend seeking this out.  The smokiness lends the berries a slight bitterness, but I personally like that.  Bitterness is something I have personally grown more and more fond of, hence all beer I drink has considerable hops (IPA's :P).  This is not very bitter though; think of eating a handful of berries and just a couple aren't ripe yet and they give you some tart-bitter flavors.

 No corks on 4 of these bottles I just bought!

Purchased at BevMo in Los AngelesMy photos are back and hopefully to stay (I have an slightly easier system now)

Regular Price - $7.99

Sale Price - $5.99

Alcohol - 13.5%

We're back with a fresh review after a great vacation in Temecula wine country (more can be read about that here).  This cabernet, Challis Lane, is promised by Wilfred Wong to be a 90 point wine for the sale price of 6 dollars.  This is a very, very high review for such an affordable wine.  I attend to give this wine my full attention ;)

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Beef jerky, plum, cassis (aka currant), a little bit of yeast and soy sauce

It's not a 90 pointer, but there is something tasty about this wine.  It has some sweet, yet tart flavors that make me want to take another sip.  The beef jerky/steak fragrance is so appealing and very apparent on the nose.  There is less of it in the mouth, but I can taste it a little along with some tart plums and some slightly bitter raspberries.  The wine is pretty light for a cabernet, but not too much so.  It is pretty smooth with no apparent tannins.  This could be mistaken for a merlot any day, I think.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Beef steak/jerky, raspberry, plum, spice

The same tart flavors of plum and raspberries linger.  There is a fair bit of oak in this wine, which is why it is so sweet as well as being tart.  I would say this wine is actually a little too sweet, for my palate at least.  But, the spicy berry flavors are nice, even though they're a bit simple.

Summary - 87 points

I think this is a pretty decent Cabernet for the price.  Many people will like this for the sweetness, but the acid will allow it to pair very well with pizza and barbeque.  The meatiness on the nose is very nice and will allow the wine to pair very well with, say, a sirloin.  A great everyday wine.

Kind of a generic cork, but a nice design still

Purchased at BevMo in Los Angeles

Regular Price - $14.99

Sale Price - $12.99

Alcohol - 13.9%

Currently in the wine market, Malbecs are quite popular, with many people purchasing large quantities of them and seeking them out in restaurants.  As such, there are many wine aficionados (read: snobs) who shun Malbec as a beginner's wine or a simple wine.  This is simply not true.  Malbec is popular for many reasons and none of them because the grape is simple.  Hopefully we will see some of those reasons in this one.  If not, I think you may find some more Malbecs here to see if we can find some good ones.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Blackberry, pepper, grape candy, floral

Well, maybe this wine isn't the best example.  This has a big candy flavor, kind of like grape Nerds.  Blackberry flavors are there as well and that's about it.  A little bit of green flavors, like bitter stems of a plant, maybe bitter broccoli mixed with some flower petals.  I really hate wine that tastes like candy, though.  If I wanted candy, I'd buy wine coolers or Mike's Hard Lemonade.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Blackberry, pepper, alcohol, meatiness, floral

This wine tastes less like candy and is more rough and hard to drink.  I can taste some alcohol and it has become a bit bitter.  There is nothing redeeming about this wine. 

Summary - 79 points

Hot and fake wine.  It makes me mad.  At least you know which Malbec not to buy.  There is no finish on this wine.  It really doesn't even taste very good in my mouth.



Purchased at BevMo in Los AngelesFrom the Winemaker's Site.

Sale Price - $9.99

Regular - $14.99

Alcohol - 14%

Here is some more information about this wine if anyone is interested.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Red currant, raspberry, plastic toy, green plant stems, blackberry

I did find out this wine producer has already released the 2008 vintage and these types of wines are ready to drink, so this wine may not fare as well.  The description on the back is really not close to the current tasting notes.  No blueberry for me, nor plum.  I get a lot of blackberry.  In fact, this is mostly what I taste, including maybe some unripened or "green" blackberries.  Also, this plastic flavor is in my mouth and I don't like it, similar to a plastic toy or one of those rafts you blow up for the swimming pool.  The wine does have a bit of spice going for it, but not the black pepper one usually gets from a Shiraz, more mellow and ambiguous.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Alcohol, blackberry, oak

This is falling apart (similar to Tuesday's wine), even though it shows no signs of aging.  Red wine that tends to have faults gets worse as the wine warms up from cellar temperature to actual room temperature because the chill can hide some of the faults.  This wine is hot and unpleasant.  I could have easily gotten this for five dollars, or even four as we saw from the Quail Creek collection at Whole Foods.  All I taste is some blackberries and some of the alcohol.

Summary - 84 points

These last few wines bring up a really good point: wine reviews are not always correct, true, or equal.  These last few wines were all rated 90 points and up my BevMo's Wilfred Wong, yet they sure didn't agree with me and I would think they wouldn't for many people, especially for the discerning wine drinker.  Whether the bottle was mishandled, the wine changed in the bottle over time, or the wine reviewer was paid for the review, it shows that reviews shouldn't be solely relied upon when picking out wine.  I recommend going to tastings and buying the wines you personally tried and liked, especially when purchasing several bottles at a time or when purchasing wines that cost 20 dollars or more.