$4 Shiraz Purple Moon 2004 California Trader Joes

This shiraz is fabulously fruity and dry, a great combination. It is extrememly smooth and vibrant with a lot of blackberry and raspberry flavors. There was a even a subtle buttery undertone to it that sealed the deal for me. I will definitley be buying more of this wine and highly recommend it.

I give this fabulous wine a 5 out of 5 stars.


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How to "Taste" wine

Being able to really "taste" a wine and pick up on all the other flavors takes time. Think of it like coffee. If you don't drink it very often, it all pretty much tastes the same. You might be able to tell if it's a dark roast... but not much else. If you are a passionate coffee drinker, you will be able to tell what the roast is, how it was brewed, where the beans came from and how they were processed. Same thing thing with wine. Your palate will quit tasting the obvious "wine" taste and start to pick up on the other subtle flavors. So if you can't taste anything other than "wine" on the first try... that's okay. Just keep trying on a regular basis. Eventually you'll start picking up on all the different flavors. And after you've figured it out, it's like riding a bike... you'll be able to pick it right back up again even if you have taken a break.

So let's get to tasting!!!

First, open the bottle and pour enough to fill the glass about an inch or two.

The "Legs"
Swirl the wine up the glass and note how the wine drips back down the inside of the glass. The lines that the drips leave are called legs. Some think the legs are very important in that if they are thicker, it generally means a higher sugar content. Other winos don't think it makes a difference whether you pay attention to them.

The "Nose"
Then stick your nose as far into the glass as you can and take a nice long whiff. See if you can pick out any aromas besides the alcohol smell. Sometimes it will be fruity, sometimes grassy, sometimes peppery. Then after you've had some time to think about it, take another whiff and see if you come up with anything different. Keep sniffing it until you have smelled everything there is to smell. The first few times, you may only smell alcohol, but don't give up!

The "Body"
Now for the tasting part! Take a small sip and swish it around your mouth making sure to cover every part of your tongue. At this point some tasters will spit it out (If they are going to be tasting a lot and don't want to get drunk) but the rest of us that paid $$ for it will swallow it. While you're swishing it around, note the first flavors that come through. Some words to describe them could be earthy, smoky, coffee, vanilla, grassy, green peppers, berries, melon, pear, raisin, meaty or caramel. After the first flavors come through, you may notice other flavors that come through that may similar too, or totally different than the initial flavors. Finally notice the last flavors... the ones that kind of linger in your mouth after you swallow it. Also pay attention to the "finish." Does the wine flavor really stay in your mouth or does it go away quickly? Is the finish sharp or smooth?

After you have thoroughly tasted the wine, go back for a second sip and see if you come up with the same flavors, or different ones. A "complex" wine will have many different flavors. Sometimes the last sip tastes totally different than the first. Other wines are simple and are consistent throughout the bottle.


Tips

Chew it
If you are having trouble extracting flavor from the wine other than the grapes... try chewing it. With the wine in your mouth make chewing motions for a moment or two. That can bring out more flavor.

Glasses
Try the same wine in 2-3 different shaped wine glasses... a short thick one, a large bulbous one, a tall narrow one. You'll soon see that reds do better in a large bulbous glass and white's in smaller, heavier glasses.

Wine Log
Keep track of your wine tasting! Write down the grape, the year, the brand and then take notes about the legs, the nose and the body. Then you can give it a rating. It can be as simple as a like/didn't like to a more complex rating system. Make sure to jot down the price and where/when you purchased it in case you want to get more later.

Variety
When you begin wine tasting, really branch out and buy as many different grape types as possible... (sangiovese, malbec, barrolo, pinot noir, pinot grigio, viognere etc.) You'll start to notice a pattern in your palette of what you prefer... such as I prefer Shiraz from Australia and Sangiovese from California....or I prefer a $5 Cab over a $20 Chard. It will take tasting about 20 bottles before a pattern emerges.

Food
Try different food and wine pairings to see how that changes the flavors. Take a bite of apple before a sip of Moscato... or a bite of dry cheese before a sip of Sangiovese. You'll taste the food and the wine in a whole different light.

$5 Pinot Noir Pepperwood Grove South East Australia 2006 Albertsons

This wine had a particularly brownish tone to it upon pouring. It had an astringent berry fragrance to it and thin, spindly legs. I was expecting an earthy taste because the color was so rich, but it actually had a light and fruity flavor. It is very smooth with a strong melon flavor which is quite nice for a red. There were also greenish flavors to it like green grapes, grass and tomatillos. This was a great wine for a great price!

I give this fruit-foward wine 4 out of 5 stars.

$5 Reisling Black Oak 2005 California Sprouts Farmers Market

This Reisling was very unusual. I didn't neccesarily dislike it, but it had some "off" flavors for a Reisling. The nose was somewhat heavy, not light and crisp like usual. Flavors of Coca-Cola came through which was very odd, but it wasn't so terrible that I could not make it through the glass. It was caramel-y and maple-y in such a way as to not be off-putting, but in a way to cause you to do a double take, to make sure you're actually drinking a Reisling.

I give this unusual Reisling 3 out of 5 stars.

$5 Cabernet Vendange 2005 California Safeway

This beautiful red wine smells of black pepper and a hint of cinnamon. Very spicy. The flavor is of blueberries, grapes and blackberries. There were also notes of lemongrass and caramel. Very good wine for the price, I would definitely recommend this one.

I give this wine 4 ou of 5 stars.

$4 Cabernet Pacific Peak California Sprouts Farmers Market

This Cabernet has a light and fruity nose... a little berry, a little apple. It has a lot of green pepper and green chile flavors with a little bit of blueberry. Very green and earthy. A mild fruity start and a smoky, dry finish. This wine is good, but there is nothing unusual or interesting about it.

I give it 4 out 5 stars.

$4 Shiraz Blue Reef 2004 Australia Sprouts Farmers Market

Let me start off by warning you that this is a screw-top wine. That being said, put your reservations aside because this wine is superb! After I poured a bit, I stuck my nose in and took a big whiff...the first thing that came to mind was the beach. I smelled seawater and a beachy/briney scent. (Interestingly enough it is named "Blue Reef.") I was so intrigued by the first smell, I went in for another and was greeted with the same beachy scent along with garden flowers. I couldn't wait to try it out. The first sip seemed a little metallic, and I wasn't sure where it was going. On the second and third sips I picked up on an earthy, leathery taste and it was very silky. After a few more sips, a caramel note came through that was very thick and mapley. This wine also has a nice mouth-feel which adds to it's character. Definitely a winner.

5 out of 5 stars

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$5 Merlot Fish Eye 2005 California Albertsons

This bargain Merlot has the usual fruity nose, a deep berry hue and average legs. Nothing too surprising upon the first sniff. The first sip revealed a decent ripe-blueberry flavor as well as a very subtle anise note. The second sip tasted of hibiscus, apple juice and spruce trees. It has a nice smooth finish, not too short, not too long. The overall flavor forerunner was the blueberry though. This is a nice medium-bodied wine for $5. It's a bit fruity for my taste, but I would buy it again. I think it would be perfect with tri-tip and caramalized onions.

I give this Merlot 4 out of 5 stars.

$3 Garnacha/Tempranillo Abrazo Del Toro 2005 SpainTrader Joes

This wine is definitely an acquired taste. As soon as the cork popped, the aroma of wet cats and latex was overwhelming. There was some berry flavors hiding in there somewhere, but the intense astringency was more than I could bear. However, after choking down an entire glass... there were some redeeming qualities. The berry flavor became very strong as well as an orange-citrus flavor and extreme tanginess. I still don't think I would buy it again or recommend it.

I give this interestingly tangy wine 2 out of 5 stars

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$3 TempranilloFinca Solano 2003 Spain Trader Joes

This lovely bottle of Temperanillo from Spain features organically grown grapes which I hope is the new trend. Upon pouring I noted it's dark pinkish tone. The first note that hit was brief and tasted of candy. Then an unusual charcoal taste came foward and finally a nice warm finish. It has an overall meaty quality that was kind of odd, but I havent experienced much Temperanillo so maybe that's normal. Overall, a hearty wine with many flavors and textures.

This one may be an acquired taste. I give it 3 stars out of 5. (It gets an extra point for being organically grown.)

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$6 Grenache/Shiraz/Mouvedre Blend "The Contortionist" SideshowAustralia Albertsons

Sideshow wines are perfect party wines when you want to bring a bottle to go with the conversation, not start it. This particular red blend was pretty good. The first taste was quite dark, with a lot of deep chocolate flavors but as I continued, the flavors got a little lighter and a hint of grassiness came through. Normally Sideshow wines are around $9, but I got it on sale...so it still counts as a bargain!

I give this blend a 4 out of 5 stars.

$6 Syrah Storyteller 2005 South Africa Albertsons

The label on this wine was what initially attracted me to it. It starts out with a story on the front, and the end of the story is on the back. As for the wine itself, I was really hoping for a nice full-bodied red, but it didn't quite turn out that way. It was very one-dimensional with little flavor other than the basic syrah. The texture was very watery with very little mouth-feel. I might try it again some other time, but for now I can't say I would recommend it.

I give this lackluster wine 2 1/2 out of 5 stars

$4 Reisling Ulrich Langguth 2005 Germany Trader Joes

My first love of wine came from tasting a Reisling, they are very sweet and my husband loves them. Reasonable Reislings are usually in the $8-$10 range, so I was quite surprised to find a $4 bottle. This one in particular I didn't have high hopes for, and I don't really know why- other than it was an affordable Reisling and I'm not a big sweet-wine drinker. This particular brand is made from grapes in the Hessiche Bergtrasse region in Germany which means nothing to me, but is fun fact for you wine buffs. Upon the first pour, I was intrigued by the unusual initial scent of soap, which gave way to pear. My husband even said "Pear!" when I asked him for some input. It had a very brisk fruit flavor on the first sip. On the second and third sips there was a definite pineapple overtone as well as layers of the usual Reisling players of apple and pear. There was a subtle maple flavor that came through on sips 4 and 5. After that, the flavors all melded together nicely and I was quite impressed. I would definitely recommend it, especially at this bargain price.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars

$2 Shiraz 2006 Charles Shaw California Trader Joes

I know many a wine-buff that snubbed their nose at the mere mention of a cheap "Two-buck Chuck" but I have always loved Charles Shaw for it's good no-frills wine. It may not have 20 layers of flavors... but the flavors are robust and overall astringent. I broke open a Shiraz this evening and I immediately wanted to sit back and relax. I swirled the wine to reveal it's very thick, almost syrupy legs. It smells faintly of black pepper and a hint of cinnamon. The first sip was smooth and earthy. Very mild tannins and smoky grapiness lend themselves to this mellow and affordable wine.

I give this mild-mannered Shiraz 4 stars out of 5

$6 Merlot 47 Pound Rooster California Albertsons

This is not the cheapest bargain in the world, but the label was eye-catching and $6 is still a pretty affordable. I sipped on a glass of this with a spaghetti dinner. It had a wonderful balance between strong tannins and a crisp fruitiness. There were also notes of coffee in there somewhere. I had another small pour later in the evening, and it was almost better than the first try. The immediate bite gave way to a softer flavor. Definitely get a bottle of this affordable Merlot.

I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

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$5 Syrah-Merlot 2005 Sainte Croix France Trader Joes

I opened this bottle at 8pm last night, right after dinner. I poured a glass, but didn't get to it for nearly an hour. The immediate flavors were very raspberry-ish with bold tones of grass and green peppers. This wine is strongly astringent and has a long finish and a slight bitterness to it. It is a strong, bold wine. The Shiraz definitely overpowered the Merlot in this blend, but I could see this Shiraz being too bitter and peppery alone so the grapiness of the Merlot helped to even things out. Overall, a decent wine.

I give it a 3 stars out of 5.

I would buy this wine again and I think it would go better with a rich tomato or chile sauce or a nice roasted lamb.

$4 Shiraz Black Swan Australia 2005 Trader Joes

I wanted to start this lovely blog on a postive note, so I am starting with this Australian Shiraz. On the first taste I was greeted by an immediate sweet grapiness that is uncharacteristic of a standard shiraz. As I drank the glass, the sweetness diminshed and a nice fermented grapiness became the top note. There were some underlying flavors of honeysuckle and chocolate... so overall, not your average shiraz. But soooo good nonetheless.

I enjoyed a second glass of this wine on May 5th and much to my suprise, it was just as delicious as the first.

I give this wine 5 out of 5 stars for it's smoothness and grapey flavors.

Contact Me Here

If you know of a great wine bargain, please let me know by adding a comment here. I review all comments so I will definitely see it. I would love to find a delicious cheap Sangiovese or an affordable Nebbiolo. Thanks for keeping an eye out for those affordable, bargain wines!