$4 Purple Moon 2008 Shiraz California Trader Joes

I was so excited to try this Purple Moon Shiraz as the last vintage I tasted, Purple Moon 2004, was stellar. This one is kind of a dull, deep red and smells very grassy. It is slightly bitter, but mellows out after a few sips. It tastes of nutmeg and half-ripe cherries. I decided it was in need of some aeration, so the next glass I poured through my Wine Soiree to clean it up a bit. The aeration helped it quite a lot and it helped bring out some of the subtle cinnamon, blackberry and black cherry notes. It is definitely bold, and complex but it needs the aeration to really open it up. It doesn't live up to the 2004, but is still intriguing.

I give this a 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
But, I give this a 4 out of 5 stars when aerated

Check out my friends thoughts on the same wine at ZinbytheSea

$5 Tuscan Moon 2008 Sangiovese California Trader Joes

This is a pretty pinkish purple and very transparent. It smells of berries, spice and grass. I took a sip and it's not bad at all! It's full of fresh, ripe fruit but it has a nice balance of tannins and acidity that all work very well together. (Basically, the fruit balances the dryness.) There is even some residual smokiness on the finish. It is a lighter bodied red, with a medium finish.

I give it 4 stars out of 5

$4 Rendez-Vous 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau France Trader Joes

This wine is a lovely jewel tone of reddish purple and is quite rich looking. It smells of subtle plums and cherries. The first few sips yield layers of black currant, black cherry and blackberry. It is also very peppery with heavy spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. This Beaujolais is medium-bodied with a very long, spicy finish. It is very nice indeed... I would definitely keep a bottle of this on hand.

I give this wine 4 out of 5 stars

$4 Green Fin 2009 White Table Wine California Trader Joes

This cute 'lil bottle was practically clamoring to get into my cart. So I brought a bottle of "table wine" home. But on the plus side- it's made with organic grapes. The first sniff smells a bit of syrupy Moscato followed by crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Interesting so far. The first sip yields definite sweetness followed by... well, nothing. There is nothing to pick out, it's just a generic white wine... I guess the label was correct.

I give this wine a 3 out of 5 stars.

(I had to throw on an extra star because it's organic.)

$5 Herding Cats 2008 Merlot/ Pinotage South Africa Stater Bros.

This opaque, deep purple wine smells of grass and damp earth. The first sip is quiet bold with nuances of black pepper. It has a meaty quality to it, I almost want to chew it up like a good steak. The savory Pinotage has completely overtaken the Merlot and there is very little fruit to speak of. Even though the blend missed the mark slightly, this is a very drinkable wine. It is definitely on the heavy side, so I would suggest serving it with an equally heavy dish- lasagne perhaps?

I give this wine a 4 out of 5 stars.

$5 Redwood Creek 2009 Chardonnay California Stater Bros.

This one has a nice melon fragrance... but the taste gives way to extreme creaminess, bordering on buttery. Tons of pears, gala apples, bananas and maybe a touch of pineapple upside down cake. Very rich, fruity and creamy. If you like a succulent Chardonnay, this one's for you!

I give this wine a 4 out of 5 stars

$5 Now and Zen 2008 Alsace White France Trader Joes

Melon and citrus on the nose, with a bit of papaya. Upon sipping, it is a very well-rounded blend. There is a bit of just about everything in there... fruit, crisp flavor with a touch of sweetness. There is a bit of a Moscato-ish flavor with some flavors of Pinot Grigio too. This would be a great table wine, when you are serving a lot of different people with different tastes.

I give this wine a 4 out of 5 stars

For a more in-depth review of this wine, check out Jason's review at Jason's Wine Blog

$4 Albero White Sparkling Wine Spain Trader Joes

First off, it gets a big thumbs up for being organic. Even though it's sparkling wine, it looks to be just an ordinary white wine, except for the slightly bulbous cork. The nose is somewhat sweet and flowery. And then.... what a let down. It is completely flat. Maybe a slight fizz on the tongue but on the whole, more like a stale champagne than a sparkling wine. The flavor is a bit on the sweet side and tastes more like a Gewurstraminer.

I give this wine a 1 out of 5 stars

$4 Callaway Cellar Selections 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon California Stater Bros.

This one has a bright purple-red color with thick, slow legs. It smells of ripened cherries, allspice and freshly mowed grass. I took a sip and it has a bit of a bite, but still nicely fruity and spicy. After a couple of sips, berries and cinnamon became the key players followed by nuances of green peppers, and earth. Not a bad Cabernet for the price, not a terribly complex wine, but decent enough.

I give this wine a 4 out of 5 stars

$5 Black Swan 2009 Shiraz Australia Stater Bros.

I was so impressed with the Black Swan Cabernet Sauvignon I was excited to try the Shiraz. The color is a nice, deep burgundy and it smells of toast and jam. The first sip is bold and brazen with slight jamminess to it that quickly gave way to a slightly bitter finish. There is almost a syrupy texture to the wine which makes it seem very fruity, but the tannins overpower it so it is very conflicting, and not in a particularly good way. After a few sips, my palate adjusted and it became quite tasty. But the finish always came across a bit harsh.

I give this wine a 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Vinturi VS. Wine Soiree TASTE-OFF!

As you may or may not know, aeration is the KEY to enjoying cheap wine. Why is that? Because exposing the wine to air can reduce or mellow out any bitterness and funky flavors you might encounter when you take a chance on a $2 bottle of wine. My Vinturi aerator has made an undrinkable bottle of wine drinkable again. It has saved countless bottles of wine from being poured down the drain. But the big drawback to the Vinturi is that it is expensive, it stains, the plastic eventually becomes dull and it becomes something you keep in the drawer instead of displaying on the wine bar where it used to reside. It is also creates a bit of a drippy mess after you pour 2-3 glasses through it. Which requires a break to rinse and dry it before resuming use.

I was so excited to try the Wine Soiree because number one, its affordability. If you drink dirt cheap wine, you want to keep your wine accessories dirt cheap too. And another bonus is that is made of glass, which won't stain or become dull. BUT I was worried that it could never live up to my Vinturi. But at half the price of one Vinturi, if it was even half as good, it would still be a bargain.

The major difference between the two aerators is that you pour the wine into the top of the Vinturi aerator and it comes out the bottom into the glass. When not in use, it rests in a holder. You have to use it per glass which can get kind of drippy. The Wine Soiree pops into the top of the bottle so you can easily pour multiple glasses with ease.

I tested the two on a Black Swan Shiraz, which was on the young and bitter side straight from the bottle. I tasted the Wine Soiree pour and WOW what a difference. It cut the bitterness and mellowed it out into a perfect Shiraz. The Vinturi pour also cut the bitterness... but not as much. I was stunned that the Wine Soiree beat out my beloved Vinturi! I spent thirty minutes between the three glasses and multiple cracker breaks (to cleanse the palate) and the Wine Soiree continued to out perform the Vinturi. Okay I am sold.

Now don't get me wrong, my Vinturi is still destined to make the occasional appearance. Since the Wine Soiree is attached to the bottle, it would make it difficult to aerate the wine a second time if needed (yes, once in a while I pour a wine 2-3 times through the Vinturi to mellow it out) But it will remain in the drawer while the Wine Soiree will sit nicely on the bar.

Check it out at the Wine Soiree site.

Black Swan & Douglass Hill 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon TASTE -OFF!

So how does Douglass Hill, the cheapy blue-collar wine stand up to the poor-man's expensive wine- Black Swan? I conducted a brief side-by-side tasting to see which one is the better choice for this vintage (year) and varietal (grape.) I started with Douglass Hill which was a little over-ripe, but mellowed out into some earthiness and berries. Definitely on the dry side. After a quick palate cleanse, I dug into the Black Swan which was heavy on the fruit punch yet still delivers a bit of boldness. Back to the Douglass Hill which now presents flavors of Coca-Cola and black licorice. And a finish off to the taste-off with the Black Swan, which tastes exactly the same as the first sip.

Final thoughts- The Douglass Hill is still a bargain at $2 even though it is a bit lackluster and fruit-less. The Black Swan rivals some top-notch wines at many wineries I have had the pleasure of visiting. This Black Swan wine is a good example of a cheap wine being as good as some of the expensive ones. In the case of Douglass Hill, it needs a bit more work. (Douglass Hill does make a decent Merlot, so not all is lost!)

I have to give this match to Black Swan hands-down.

$5 Black Swan 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Australia Stater Bros.

Okay, okay, so this one is usually priced at $6.99 (out of my usual $5-or-less budget) but it was on sale this week for $4.99 so I picked it up. It actually goes on sale quite often, so wait for the sale and stock up instead of buying full price. I poured a hefty two ounces and gave it a swirl. It smells of sweet dried cranberries and maraschino cherries. There is a toasty, woody note too. It has a heavy, slightly syrupy mouth feel at first and tastes of blackberries and black cherries. It has a nice contrast of tannins and sweetness with a well-rounded medium finish. I am quite impressed with the complexity of this wine for under $5. I would definitely get another bottle... and soon!

I give this wine a 5 out of 5 stars!

$2 Quail Oak Merlot California Vons/Safeway

Bold and berries on the nose, with a light, yet vivid burgundy color. It is refreshing, bold and fruity on the palate with a medium finish. Not bad for two bucks. I would definitely get this again, however the year is not listed on the bottle... so this review might not pertain to this wine 6 months from now.

4 out of 5 stars