Top 5 Dirt Cheap Wine picks for Valentines Day

As I discussed on my Red Radio segment, here are my top picks for February 14th. These wines selections have been consistently good over the years and affordable. So whether you're buying a bottle for a romantic Valentine dinner or you're trying to drink away the blues on "Single Awareness Day" you can't go wrong with one of these picks.

Sutter Home Moscato
(ultra-sweet white wine)
Moscato is growing in popularity, especially among people who don't consider themselves wine-drinkers. Moscato is made from a very sweet grape and the wine is super-sweet, almost syrupy. It is considered a "dessert wine" because it pairs well with sweet desserts (or Valentine candy) and can also be sipped as a dessert in itself.

Sutter Home Gewurstraminer
(sweet white wine)
This is a nice sweet, white wine that is very fruity with loads of pears, apples and white grapes. It has a very slight effervescence to it and it goes well with lightly sweet desserts as well as light chicken and fish dishes.

Beringer Pinot Grigio
(slightly sweet white wine)
This is a great all-around people pleaser. Even non-wine drinkers can get on board with this one. And it's still drinkable, even if you don't care for overly sweet wines. This wine goes great with fish, chicken and anything with barbecue sauce on it. Think "summertime-in-a-bottle."

Barefoot Zinfandel
(fruity red wine)
This is a favorite red wine of mine. It is slightly "jammy" which means it has loads of fruit flavors. Expect to taste cherries, blackberries and a rich grape flavor. This wine would be excellent paired with dark chocolate.

Black Swan Merlot
(slightly dry red wine)
This is on the dry side and a very drinkable red. It's got a young, grassiness to it, along with cinnamon and nutmeg which gives it a bit of warmth. I even pick up a touch of dried apricot on the finish. This wine would be great paired with a rich Italian red sauce, or a juicy rib-eye.

Bonus Champagne Selection!
Barefoot Pinot Grigio Sparkling Wine
Now technically they can't call it "Champagne" unless it's made in the Champagne region of France... so we have sparkling wine instead. Barefoot has several selections in their new line of sparkling wine, but the best all-around is the Sparkling Pinot Grigio. It's slightly sweet, without being too syrupy, yet it's not too dry. Now I like a good dry sparkling wine, and if you do too, then go with the Barefoot Brut. But if you don't really know what to pick, go with the Pinot Grigio, it's always tasty. Oh, and sparkling wine goes well with a kiss!

Happy Valentines Day! ♥

P.S. In case you decide to gamble on a different choice, you might also want to check out my tips for "fixing a bad bottle of wine."

$2 Hayden- Harlow Merlot California Stater Bros.

Now that Stater's $1.99 Douglass Hill has gone up a bit in price, I was interested to see the latest edition to the selection of dirt cheap wine. The new $1.99 Hayden~Harlow vineyards collection. I snapped up a bottle of the Merlot to test the waters. I like the concept of the eco-friendly bottle too. Now onto the tasting.

It has a rich, cocoa aroma with some cherries and coke. It is light-bodied and vaguely fruity on the palate with a long and spicy finish. I am a bit disappointed that the overall flavors seem very watered down but the nice finish somewhat makes up for the lack of fruit. Drinkable for sure, but not 100% satisfied.

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

$5 Black Swan Merlot 2009 California Stater Bros.

I am a huge fan of the Black Swan Cabernet Sauvignon so I am hoping the Merlot is nicely done as well. The nose is somewhat bland, very little fruit. The first sip is rather nice though... slightly fruity, with a nice grassiness about it. After a few sips I begin to pick up some nice jammy berry flavors with a touch of cinnamon and dried apricot. It certainly lived up to my expectations. I would definitely buy another bottle.

I give this Merlot a 5 out of 5 stars.

3 Blind Moose $5 2007 Merlot California CVS

This wine is a nice translucent shade of purple-red. They should make a crayola color for it. Cherries are popping out of the glass while I'm pouring it... yum! It is rich and jammy on the nose with some espresso undertones.

The first sip is a bit on the bland side. Very generically fruity and light bodied. The finish is very dry but it's lacking the fruitiness that I look for in a Merlot. definitely not great right off the bat. Towards the end of the glass I started picking up some eucalyptus and some green peppers, but it never really came around.

I give this wine a 3 out of 5 stars.

$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.

$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

$2 Oak Leaf Vineyards Merlot California Walmart

The year isn't even listed on the bottle which makes me wonder about the quality right off the bat. Once poured it had a light red color and virtually no legs. The nose was more promising. It promised me some ripe cherries, peaches and blueberries in fact. I went in for a taste and wow, it was very unexpected. Big, ripe fruits with a bold, medium finish. Upon a few more sips, the boldness mellowed out but the fruitiness was maintained. The fruit flavors are somewhat over-ripe for a Merlot but not bad at all for a two dollar bottle of wine! I found it was even better after being chilled for 5 minutes.

I give this wine a 4 out of 5 stars

$4 Forestville Merlot 2008 California Stater Bros.

I was very excited to try this wine, as the 2005-2007 vintages were pretty darn good. But unfortunately, the 2008 fell flat. It had a promising start... the nose on this dark burgundy wine is rich and hearty. Very earthy aromas with a bit of ripe plum. Upon tasting I get a quick bite of fruit which quicky mellowed into a watery, tinny earthiness. And just like that, it was gone. No lingering finish, just a wham, bam, thank you ma'am. It sadly is lacking all that Merlot has to offer. I tried it through my wine aerator which made a very slight improvement. I tried it with some of my favorite aged cheddar which always perks up an unfortunate bottle, but alas, I'm afraid there is not much help for it.

I give this wine a 2 out of 5 stars.

$5 Merlot Black Swan Australia Albertons

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}

$5 Merlot Little Boomey South Eastern Australia 2005 Albertsons

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}

$4 Merlot Redwood Creek California 2005 Albertsons

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}

$5 Merlot The Little Penguin South Eastern Australia Albertsons

This wine has a nice, mellow, fruity nose with a bit of green pepper. The first sip is smooth and a bit sweet. Not very dry at all with some raisins, fig and apricot flavors. This is a good table wine but nothing to write home about. I also had a piece of that wax-wrapped Babybel cheese with it about half-way through the glass, and it made the cheese taste moldy. It might be a good wine to make a sangria with!

I give this wine 3 out of 5 stars.


_{Chelsie's Tastings Home Page}

$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.

$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.

_{Chelsie's Tastings Home Page}

$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.