Wine

Oct 28 2014

La Finca 2013 Tempranillo

Trader Joe’s strikes with this big, bold red.

Here’s one of those times where I’m almost certain I’ve had something before – and I had to search my own site to find out whether or not that’s true. (Answer: False; I have not had this wine before.) La Finca 2013 Tempranillo has everything you want in a Spanish Tempranillo.

Except it’s from Argentina.

La Finca 2013 Tempranillo Review

Had a long chat with my local Trader Joe’s wine guy and I have no doubt that their wine buyers know what they’re doing. (And you can expect a few more reviews on this site thanks to their recommendations.)

Taste

Fruit: plum, blackberry. Solid, everyday-drinking red wine.

Profile

13% Alcohol. “Oak Aged.”

Value

Under $5 if memory serves.

Metasip Grade: B+

So this falls into the “everyday” category – but it’s also a “tweener.” You could spend more and get something that drinks a lot more expensively. You could spend less and get something just as good – in fact, some of the Charles Shaw stuff (see our recent review) is probably a better value in the grand scheme.

Why spend $5 when you can spend $3 on the same thing? Or, why spend $5 when you can spend $8 and have something three times as good?

It’s a conundrum – and this wine probably gets left off our “buy it again” list.

Oct 24 2014

Charles Shaw 2013 Shiraz

Inevitable Trader Joe’s Tasting…

You knew this day was coming, right? The famous – or infamous – “Three Buck Chuck.” (I don’t think ANYWHERE sells it for $2.00, so we’re sticking with that name, not “Two Buck Chuck.”) If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, you’ve seen this brand of wine over along the wall and you’ve likely thought…”Really?” In this case, the Charles Shaw 2013 Shiraz is up for review, and, well…”Really?”

A few things before we get to the review itself: yes, we think in terms of overall score – Taste, Profile, Value – when coming up with our grades. No, we don’t grade on a curve. Yes, you might take issue with what appears to be a relatively low grade for this wine (at least in comparison to other similarly inexpensive vinos, e.g. Oak Leaf Merlot from Walmart).

Watch the video above, or read the review below. And let us know what you think in the comments.

Charles Shaw 2013 Shiraz Review

This likely falls into the “expectations” category for me – in that my expectations clouded my review. I was expecting cheap wine. And I got, well, cheap wine.

Taste

It did not taste bad – earthy, peppery, fruit-forward. But it did not taste expensive.

Profile

Shiraz from California, it says “Napa & Sonoma” on the bottle. 2013. ABV of 12.5%.

Value

$2.97. A fine everyday table wine, but not sure that it’s worth much more than that.

Metasip Grade: B

This didn’t ace any one category – you could do a lot worse in the $3 category. But you can also do a lot better – see Walmart – and thus we can only grant Chuck a grade of B.

Oct 22 2014

San Zenone 2013 Montepulciano D’Abruzzo

Another wine from Aldi?

Yes. We went there, again, with a wine from Aldi that, again, is worth every penny. In this case, the San Zenone 2013 Montepulciano D’Abruzzo – that’s a mouthful and we even neglected to identify whose Montepulciano it was in the video below – is worth all 499 pennies.

Here’s a shot of the bottle – which we altered because we like playing around with the photo settings, and also because it’s really tough to see the words “San Zenone” on the top of the bottle.

As is the case with this burgeoning video review industry of ours, you can either read up on what we thought below, or just watch the video. Hardcore fans – the ones following us on Twitter – should do both.

San Zenone Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Review

First up, it’s Italian – this scores points with us. Secondly, it has the “DOC” recognition (though not the cute little sticker, for some reason). Third, it’s from Aldi – so, since we trust the wine buyers there, it’s worth a shot. Right?

Taste

This smells, swishes, and eventually tastes like Italian wine. Big and bold. I’m thinking pasta already. I want to go to Italy right now, people.

But I can’t, so I’ll settle for the fruit and spice in this bad boy Montepulciano.

Profile

12.5% ABV. Imported from Italy. DOC designation.

Value

$4.99 and I’m thinking that Aldi is carving out a tremendous little niche for itself as the value wine people near me. There’s a reason they advertised this last week, getting us ready for the Wednesday arrival; as a result, it was almost gone when I made a return trip. Good thing I bought two.

Metasip Grade: A-

We are a broken record – but it’s tough to beat the Aldi scores when they’re like this one.

Oct 20 2014

Oak Leaf Merlot

Prepare to be shocked.

I must admit that, when I picked up the Oak Leaf Merlot, I didn’t immediately make a plan for it.

When I grab other wines, there’s almost always a plan. I’ll get a bottle of Cabernet to go with a pasta meal, or a Malbec if I’m having something spicy (underrated combo: Malbec with flank steak). Or, I’ll pick up something with the idea of a glass at night by itself – sometimes in the late fall, a Sauvignon Blanc will actually do the trick for this. (Try it.) With this Oak Leaf Merlot, though, I had no plan.

Spoiler Alert: We’ll tell you where it’s from below. You might be shocked. (If you watch the video, you’ll hear us about 2 minutes in tell you where this wine is from.)

We picked this up in a pair – there was a Cabernet, too, and the price was right – at least for an experiment.

Anyway, let’s get to the review…

Oak Leaf Merlot Review

We warned you that there was a little shock value here – because the wine was from Walmart. And, as you’ll see in the video, it knocked us off our feet.

Taste

Really, this has all the Merlot qualities you’re looking for. Dry, not fruit-forward but there’s some fruit, nose was strong – in that we could sense the alcohol. Mellow is another good word.

Profile

Non-vintage. 12.5% ABV. “American.” So could be somewhere out west, likely California, probably not Arkansas.

Value

Where it’s a real score – this wine was $2.97. If you’re like me, and you like a glass now and then, can’t really have more than a glass on the nights you do drink, this is right up your alley. $3 for a glass, or two, of wine – and it’s better than average? Nice job, Walmart. Nice job.

Metasip Grade: A-

We have to give this a good score, right? Mostly because of the shock value, I think. Unexpected. Go get some.

Oct 17 2014

Jacob Einig 2011 Auslese Review

Our first-ever video review! Watch below, or just read…

Yes, we FINALLY did it – we got the camera set up and we decided to review a wine live. Or, “look live,” as they’d say in TV vernacular. In any event, we’re pretty stoked – not just because we reviewed this wine – and a few more – via video, but because this particular wine is out-flipping-standing. Jacob Einig 2011 Auslese, available at Aldi, is one of those occasions where we have to give something our highest rating.

To the review…

Jacob Einig 2011 Auslese Review

I first fell in love with dessert wines in the mid 1990s. (Yes, I’m that old.) What was cool about these, to me, was that they opened completely different doors than ones I had opened before. Golden, sweet, and not for every kind of food (one reason they’re called “dessert wines,” natch), it was not an everyday-occasion wine. And that’s okay.

But, in all candor, I hadn’t touched one in years.

So when I was at Aldi, where I’m in love with their inexpensive wines, I had to pick this up. Especially for a sub-$10 price.

Taste

Peach, apricot, stone fruit. Sweet as heck. But oh so satisfying – really, this is the type of dessert wine that hooked us long ago. And this is the type of dessert wine that will send us back for more. Just truly an outstanding wine.

Profile

If you don’t want to watch the video, that’s okay. Golden color. 11% ABV.

Value

Under $10 – we don’t quite remember the price, though, because we bought it earlier this summer, they don’t have it in our local Aldi anymore, and, well, we didn’t keep copious notes. Sorry. We just know it was under $10.

Metasip Grade: A

We can’t NOT give this our highest mark. It has everything we’re looking for – taste, profile, and value – and these sorts of triple-threat wines don’t come around all the time. Get some if you can find it.