What is Dirt Cheap Wine?
Since 2007, DCW has been providing you with reviews of wines that are $5 or less per bottle and easily found at your local grocery, drugstore or wine store.
Reviews- Simple, straightforward and written while tasting.
Now onto the wine!
This wine is a pretty standard Merlot. Fruity with berry notes and a slightly mapley finish. A few notes of figs and raisins are noticable after a few sips. This is a pretty decent merlot. I would buy it again.
I give this wine 4 out of 5 stars
Chelsie's Tastings Home Page
Valpolicella is actually not the grape itself but the area in Italy it is grown in. Valpolicella is typically made from three grape varietals: Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara. I've had some delicious Valpolicella and this one unfortunately fell short. It tasted instantly of port followed by what tasted like water with a little bit of wine in it. After half of the glass I headed to the sink to dump it out, but I remembered how good chocolate goes with port. So I ate a couple of nibbles of some dark chocolate and voila! What a difference! It brightened up the flavors and made it drinkable but I had to nibble the chocolate ever other sip.
I give it a 2 out of 5
With chocolate, a 3 out of 5
When a wine is only $3 at Safeway you have to question it. And when I opened it I read the back label which I think is missing a word. Not a good sign. Surprisingly it's not too bad though. It has a decent nose and smells of berries. It's a very simple wine, fairly fruity with a slightly bitter finish. I would be disappointed had I spent $10 on it but it is an excellent wine for the price and accessibility.
I give this value wine a 3 out of 5 stars.
This bright red wine smells sweet with hints of chocolate and cocoa. Upon tasting it, I don't pick up any chocolate, but plums and berries are strong. There is even a bit of citrus flavors that pop out towards the end of the sip. There is definitely a grassy quality to this wine, but it's pretty good overall.
I give this decent wine a 4 out 5 stars
Chelsie's Tastings Home Page
I have yet to find a great Pinot in the value range. This one has some nice peppery aromas with a bit of raspberry buried in there. I was trying to pick up something besides the pepper and I almost inhaled it, so I am now moving on to tasting it. Rich, deep blackberry flavors with that signature pinot peppery-ness greeted my tastebuds followed by a medium finish with a tart bite at the end. This is definitely one of the better affordable Pinots and I would buy it again and probably recommend it.
I give this peppery Pinot a 4 out of 5
Hmmm... I have to be honest I was not impressed with this Reisling at all. After a few sips, the barely-there Reisling flavor was completely overpowered with sour notes and strong Sauvignon Blanc dryness. While German Reislings are known for being dry, this was not dry in a good way. So to sum it up, this one is better left on the shelf. However, I do have to point out that Yellowtail on the whole is a decent brand, but as far as the Reisling goes, it's only going to get a paltry 2 1/2 stars.
Very caramely and mapley on the nose. The first sip tastes of heavy cinnamon flavors... the second sip is more cinnamon with a bit of chocolate. This is not a very fruity Merlot, but a rich, warm Merlot. There are fruit and berries there, but it's under the cover of butterscotch, toffee and cinnamon. Not bad for 4 bucks!
I give this rich Merlot a 4 out of 5
Chelsie's Tastings Home Page
It's becoming apparent that Australia is one of the biggest (and in my opinion- best) Shiraz producers. This one is a deep purpley red and when I swirl the glass, the wine sticks nicely to the sides and doesn't drip much. It smells lovely of peppery notes on top of slightly unripened raspberries and sweet blueberries. So far so good, so I go in for sip. the immediate taste is of espresso and a bit of cocoa. The second taste brings even more strong coffee flavors with a bit of almond and a touch of berries. I take a third sip hoping for a bigger array of flavors, but the coffee flavors are taking over. About half way through the glass the coffee-ness subsides and the berry flavors begin to come through along with some subtle caramel. All in all, it's a good wine for the price and I would recommend it. Especially if you like coffee and caramel!
I give this wine 4 out of 5 stars
***Note- I enjoyed this wine after my husband sprayed grout sealer on our kitchen tile so our house smells like nail polish remover. I did my tasting away from the kitchen, but it may have affected my palate anyway. Chelsie's Tastings Home Page
This wine is a pretty standard Merlot. Fruity with berry notes and a slightly mapley finish. A few notes of figs and raisins are noticable after a few sips. This is a pretty decent merlot. I would buy it again.
Valpolicella is actually not the grape itself but the area in Italy it is grown in. Valpolicella is typically made from three grape varietals: Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara. I've had some delicious Valpolicella and this one unfortunately fell short. It tasted instantly of port followed by what tasted like water with a little bit of wine in it. After half of the glass I headed to the sink to dump it out, but I remembered how good chocolate goes with port. So I ate a couple of nibbles of some dark chocolate and voila! What a difference! It brightened up the flavors and made it drinkable but I had to nibble the chocolate ever other sip.
When a wine is only $3 at Safeway you have to question it. And when I opened it I read the back label which I think is missing a word. Not a good sign. Surprisingly it's not too bad though. It has a decent nose and smells of berries. It's a very simple wine, fairly fruity with a slightly bitter finish. I would be disappointed had I spent $10 on it but it is an excellent wine for the price and accessibility. 
This bright red wine smells sweet with hints of chocolate and cocoa. Upon tasting it, I don't pick up any chocolate, but plums and berries are strong. There is even a bit of citrus flavors that pop out towards the end of the sip. There is definitely a grassy quality to this wine, but it's pretty good overall.
I have yet to find a great Pinot in the value range. This one has some nice peppery aromas with a bit of raspberry buried in there. I was trying to pick up something besides the pepper and I almost inhaled it, so I am now moving on to tasting it. Rich, deep blackberry flavors with that signature pinot peppery-ness greeted my tastebuds followed by a medium finish with a tart bite at the end. This is definitely one of the better affordable Pinots and I would buy it again and probably recommend it. 
Hmmm... I have to be honest I was not impressed with this Reisling at all. After a few sips, the barely-there Reisling flavor was completely overpowered with sour notes and strong Sauvignon Blanc dryness. While German Reislings are known for being dry, this was not dry in a good way. So to sum it up, this one is better left on the shelf. However, I do have to point out that Yellowtail on the whole is a decent brand, but as far as the Reisling goes, it's only going to get a paltry 2 1/2 stars.
Very caramely and mapley on the nose. The first sip tastes of heavy cinnamon flavors... the second sip is more cinnamon with a bit of chocolate. This is not a very fruity Merlot, but a rich, warm Merlot. There are fruit and berries there, but it's under the cover of butterscotch, toffee and cinnamon. Not bad for 4 bucks! 
It's becoming apparent that Australia is one of the biggest (and in my opinion- best) Shiraz producers. This one is a deep purpley red and when I swirl the glass, the wine sticks nicely to the sides and doesn't drip much. It smells lovely of peppery notes on top of slightly unripened raspberries and sweet blueberries. So far so good, so I go in for sip. the immediate taste is of espresso and a bit of cocoa. The second taste brings even more strong coffee flavors with a bit of almond and a touch of berries. I take a third sip hoping for a bigger array of flavors, but the coffee flavors are taking over. About half way through the glass the coffee-ness subsides and the berry flavors begin to come through along with some subtle caramel. All in all, it's a good wine for the price and I would recommend it. Especially if you like coffee and caramel! 
