Apr 16 2013

Lil Koala Shiraz

In the interest of (1) causing a stir, (2) going out on a limb and (3) getting mondo traffic to this site from the Aldi Shopper/Value Hunter/Inexpensive Imbiber crowd, I would like to make the following statement:

Lil Koala Shiraz is the best value in wine today. Better than Charles Shaw. Better than any other house brand. You should check it out. Seriously.

Hyperbole aside, this is darn good. I could ask for a couple things – like a year, and maybe a bottle that doesn’t look like – and remind me of – Yellow Tail.

Other than that, let’s break it down. To the review, mate!

Lil Koala Shiraz Review

Taste

Plum, blackberry, black cherry on the nose. Fruit forward. Maybe a little black pepper, too – so there’s a kick and it’s not overly fruity. (Bottle identifies it as “semi-dry” and that’s a fair assessment.)

We had it with Mediterranean Chicken, and it complemented the meal extremely well. I can’t get over it – it could be that my expectations were low because, again, I was reminded of Yellow Tail. Oh, and the price – see more on that below.

But this is a “can I have another glass?” wine.

Profile

100% Shiraz, though undated. 14.1% ABV. Semi-dry and “Full-bodied” (according to the bottle’s little slider meter thingy).

Value

By the beard of Zeus – we got this for $2.98!

Okay, so it’s not going to drink like it’s $20 a bottle – but, and I welcome your comments here – this wine stands up to $12-$15 Shirazes.

(Plus, with what seems like a dearth of Australian wine at places like Costco, as we didn’t find ANY on a recent trip, this is worth snatching up.)

Metasip Grade: B+

We just gave a $3 bottle of wine from Aldi a B+. Yes, yes we did.

Note that on a recent Aldi trip, this wine had gone up in price to $4.79. Still, people – at $5, if it drinks like $15, can you see why we think this is the best wine value out there now?

Apr 12 2013

New Belgium Trippel Ale

Imagine a world where you fall in love with a beer all over again. Isn’t it romantic? Isn’t it glorious? It’s like everything old is new again. And all that. And more!

Yeah, good times they are had when you roll with a Trippel – especially one as wicked awesome as this one. It reminds me why in the heck I enjoy beer in the first place. To the review!

New Belgium Trippel Ale Review

Taste

What you want out of a Trippel. Hoppy goodness, a little bitterness, maybe a tinge of fruit or spice – coriander, in this case. Not too gosh darn heavy, though. Crafty is this Trippel.

Profile

7.8% ABV. This means more than one and you had better pace yourself.

Value

We paid about $14 for a 12-pack of a number of New Belgium beers – we’ll review the other ones, too. A bit north of $1 per bottle, but yes, this is entirely worth it.

Metasip Grade: A-

Yeah, this would be a 90-point beer on many a scale. Not perfect, but well worth the cost. Score some, Trippel lovers. Ale lovers. Hey, beer lovers who want to broaden their horizons.

Apr 09 2013

Acronym 2011 Red Blend

I cannot tell a lie: this wine isn’t half-bad. The problem? I really was stumped when it comes to the grapes. What is IN this stuff?

Time to test my palate, then: let’s hazard a guess, THEN go to the Interwebs and find out exactly what’s in this.

My gut tells me it’s Cab, Merlot, Shiraz and Malbec, probably 2/3 of the first two grapes, and 1/3 of the last two. Now…let’s take a break from writing, open another tab, and find out.

PLEASE HOLD…

Okay, I’m not sure if I’m close. I missed the Pinot – and the web page tells me it’s “dominated by Pinot Noir and Syrah.” (Syrah, Shiraz, Tomato, To-mah-to.)

Here’s a link, actually, to their website. See if you can find out what’s really in there.

To the review!

Acronym 2011 Red Blend Review

Taste

Okay, so we missed the Pinot – but that’s okay, as we’re pretty sure that the multitude of grapes gives us a mellow, smooth flavor that is not as sharp as a straight Pinot anyway.

Profile

13.5% ABV. Beyond that, other than Pinot Noir and Syrah, we’re not sure what else is in here and we didn’t get much more info from the website.

Value

According to this press release we found, expect to pay $9 to $15 for a bottle. That’s an okay value, not a head-turning one.

Metasip Grade: B-

We give it that score entirely on value. I’d bump it up a notch or so…IF this were $6-$10, not $9 to $15.

Apr 02 2013

Monte Ducay Reserva 2008 Red Wine

The drill goes SOMETHING like this:

Go to Trader Joe’s on a random Friday.
Find the wine gal (or guy).
See what they have opened.
Try it all.
Pick the best one and buy a bottle.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

That’s sorta how it worked for us on a recent Friday. Maybe it was a little bit about the fact that it was FRIDAY, not another weekday, and the fact that it was lunchtime. After all, we couldn’t really drink, just sip. And we were in a little bit of a rush, so there had to be a wow factor.

This guy wowed us. To the review!

Monte Ducay Reserva 2008 Red Wine Review

Taste

Carignane (Carinena in Spanish, with apologies for failed accent marks) is dominant. My mission continues to be finding those grapes that not everybody is talking about – and start talking about them. So this one is worth talking about – mellow, but fruit-forward, too. Drinks more expensively than you’d think.

Profile

100% Carinena. 13% ABV. Bold yet mellow. Drink everyday. Really really solid.

Value

Around 8 bucks. Put a 1 in front of that number – drank like 18 bucks. Serious value.

Metasip Grade: B+

Yes, we give this a B+. Why wouldn’t we? It was the most memorable of the 4 bottles they had opened – and we would have eschewed a purchase if none of them were valuable. That, as they say, is how we roll.

BUT: how do YOU roll? Or, more accurately, what the heck do YOU think of this wine? Have you had it?

Let us know in the comments. Drink up!

Mar 30 2013

Toca Diamonte 2011 Malbec

One of the problems with Malbec over the past couple years: ubiquity. Read: this stuff is everywhere. And once it’s everywhere, everyone gets into the action, which can be a good and bad thing.

Behold, in all its glory, the Toca Diamonte 2011 Malbec. “En Union Y Libertad” is what it says on the bottle, which, loosely translated, pretty much says “five bucks.”

This wine – available only at Aldi in the US – offers a little from both categories. GOOD: it’s actually a decent value (actually not $5, but $4.99 last we checked). BAD: It does taste like an inexpensive Malbec.

Toca Diamonte 2011 Malbec Review:

Taste

Fruit. A little of that peppery nose you’d expect from a Malbec. Not a “fruit bomb,” though. Again, that’s both good and bad. This can’t really fall into any category other than “table wine.”

Profile

Medium alcohol content – 12.5%. All Malbec. Argentina – where, last we heard, they still have to irrigate.

Value

You will hear people say “for five bucks, how can you go wrong?” Take that for what it’s worth – this is a table wine, could be an okay house wine, but is going to taste like you spent five bucks on it.

Metasip Grade: B-

Have you had the Toca Diamonte 2011 Malbec?

Let us know below if you had this wine – give it a rating of 1 to 5 stars.