“Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever,” Aristophanes, c. 450-385 B.C.
Over the past few months, I’ve passed bulging special bins and fetchingly festooned cases of wine in sundry stores. In these unique economic times, it occurred to me that a brief highlight of some of today’s discount goodies would be in order.
In my humble view, a worldwide oversupply of wine in curious conjunction with a murderously mushy economy has resulted in tremendous market-wide bargains. Ever-sharp (or, in some cases, desperate) producers have had to join with retailers in choosing discounting as a mandatory survival tool. Two producers, Franzia and Gallo, both present here, have made an ongoing profitable living in the lower-priced arena, and the latter now boasts a number of successful labels in its portfolio.
During the past week, I went on a mission to Piggly Wiggly in Thiensville, Sendik’s in Mequon and Trader Joe’s in Bay Shore in an attempt to ferret out some likely candidates to review. Every wine had to cost fewer than $6 to qualify for this Bargain Basement Slug Fest. My thanks, as always, go to neighbor Ralph Lewis, whose unbridled enthusiasm and creatively discerning palate have made my sessions both bearable and amusing. And now, on to the tasting, again using my highly subjective “A”-“F” scoring scale:
1. Sutter Home Merlot 2008, Piggly Wiggly and various stores, $5.99/four pack and $9.99/1.5 liter bottle: Brick ruby color, with medium body and medium-intense berry notes with hints of strawberry. Lightly fruity with medium depth that improved with time. Somewhat acidic finish with a whisper of astringency. B
2. Tisdale Merlot, California, available at Piggly Wiggly and Sendik’s for $2.99: For years, my Mom’s favorite, even though it’s made by Gallo: This entry had a light ruby color with medium-heavy body. Its deeply fruity and brooding nose strutted its stuff with notes of cherries and blackberries. With medium fruit and light intensity, it finished with only slight notes of bitterness. C
3. Charles Shaw Merlot, 2008, California, $2.99 at Trader Joe’s at Bay Shore: This “Three Buck Chuck,” part of an extensive line of wines from Franzia, has made a huge mark at T.J.’s. It had a dark ruby color robed with medium body and a deep, fruity nose redolent of cherries and blackberries. With medium fruit and light intensity, it finished lightly with a trace of bitterness. C
4. Villa Cerrina Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, 2008, $4.99 at Trader Joe’s: Boasting a dark ruby color and rich, deep nose with notes of spicy plum, this hefty Italian beauty had a fetching middle with some richness and a short finish. Chemically right for pizza! B+
5. Crane Lake Malbec, 2007, $3.99 at Sendik’s: Fred Franzia’s stablemate to Three Buck Chuck, this entry had a light ruby color with medium body and a lightly closed-in nose. I found little fruit in the middle of this wine, as it seemed to be in a sword fight with acid. With its somewhat harsh finish, I don’t think it quite held a candle to its worthy Argentinean counterparts and certainly not to the cheaper Three Buck Chuck. C-
Today’s clearly alluring winner was the Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. For price/value, the Sutter Home was the better of class.
On that note, what’s your favorite bargain wine? Share your picks in comments. To value!
