It’s been way too long (the lament of the part time blogger) since we’ve had a wine tasting, which really means it’s been too long since we’ve had friends over for a meal and the chance to drink wine together. Between travel and work, the timing just never worked out. However, the Saturday after thanksgiving provided the perfect opportunity.
For a long time I have wanted to have a wine tasting of “every day wines”. These would be the kind you drink when you have leftovers for dinner, or when you just want a glass of wine at the end of the day. No special occasions, just a simple glass of wine, kind of like comfort food. In our house we seek wines that sell for less than $10 for this kind of table wine.
When we were young, we used to buy those jugs of Carlo Rossi Hearty Burgundy and think we were being moderately sophisticated. (When we wanted “true” sophistication we bought bottles of B&V, which, having French names, lent a true aura of worldliness to our meals.) Nowadays we often buy either Portuguese Dao wines or Sicilian Nero D’Avola wines, both of which we like and can often be found for less than $10.
Our usual gang of wine tasting friends has been talking about a tasting of cheap wines (“Including box wines? Cool!”). The availability of one couple, a free evening, and holiday leftovers combined for a chance to try out this idea. Normally I set a theme such as a grape, a region, or some such and a price limit, usually less than $20. By tasting the same theme we could learn more about those wines. The theme for this evening was red table wine, less than $10. Dory was making a turkey hash recipe along with roasted beets and turnips, and we still had some leftover pie from Thanksgiving. M & K were free that night, but K was taking antibiotics that precluded him from drinking. He was, however, the perfect designated driver.
There were three bottles under consideration. Normally we knew something about the wines, what grape or style it should be. This time all we had was … three glasses of wine. All met the criteria: they were perfectly fine wines to enjoy, nothing special, but not terrible. Any of them could be a house wine at a restaurant.
One comment we all made was that wines in this price range often taste better the second day. Being opened, then capped for 24 hours (we use the “Vacuvin” system, a suction cup affair that sucks air out of the bottle through a rubber cork) seems to make many wines taste a little softer and better.
What did we discover? Well, I liked all of these wines, and I would certainly buy any of them in the future. I want to try this again, with another couple of wines, including our usual favorite nero d’avola and maybe a merlot. Although we don’t have a Trader Joes nearby, I would certainly throw a “2 Buck Chuck” into the mix and see how it fares. It was fun to try to guess the grapes. I knew 2/3 of the wines beforehand, and I correctly guessed the Dao and guessed cabernet for the Lost Angel, which was a blend. I missed the Pine and Post entirely, guessing pinotage instead of Washington cabernet.
Here are the three wines we tasted, along with our notes:
Cabriz, Dao, (Portugal) 2005, 13%, $7.95. Earthy, tobacco, nice with food. Tied with Pine and Post as favorite of the evening.
Pine and Post, Cabernet Sauvignon, (Washington State) 2004, 13.5%, $7.65. Raisin and raspberry, aroma not pronounced, excellent with food. Tied with Dao.
Lost Angel Mischief, Cabernet Sauvignon/Petite Syrah/Sangiovese, (California) 2006, 13.5%, $7.99. Berry and cherry tastes, some bitterness at first, but interesting aftertaste.
Have fun, and remember to enjoy wine responsibly.
