$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 Rex-Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon California Stater Bros.

This wine label boasts a Giant 47 pound rooster on it which according to them, is a testament to their full-bodied, hearty wines. Let's see about that.

The color is nicely purplish and as I swirl it around, the legs are rather syrupy. It smells a bit generic with a strong essence of cinnamon on a fermented berry/cherry base. The first sip yields tight fruits with a nicely balanced acidity. The tannins provide a nice, dry finish. There are hints of berry pie, nutmeg and blue sweet-tarts. Overall, it is a nice, drinkable wine, and I would buy it again.

I give this wine a 4 out of 5 stars.

$2 Charles Shaw Pinot Grigio California Trader Joes

I am a fairly big Pinot Grigio fan and was elated when Charles Shaw came out with their own Pinot Grigio. Previously the only white wines they offered were Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. It has a decent nose, fruity, melon-y with a touch of green apple. The first few sips are a bit astringent with very little of the promised fruit. After a few more sips, my palate adjusted, and the wine became more enjoyable. I still prefer the Sauvignon Blanc, but this is a decent runner-up.

I give this wine a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

$3 Crane Lake 2009 Pinot Grigio California Henry's Market

I'm just gonna lay it out for you- avoid this one at all costs. I usually enjoy Crane Lake, so I was stoked to try this one. It smelled kind of "off" but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The first sip went from good to bad in about two seconds. For a moment, there was a nice fruitiness but then it was quickly followed by a strong, rancid honey flavor. I tried a few more sips to see if it would iron itself out, but no luck. I let it chill overnight and the next evening, I poured it through a wine aerator... still no luck. That horrible rancid honey taste was overbearing and it was just way to sweet for a Pinot Grigio. As a last ditch effort I chopped up some strawberries and let them soak in the glass for a while which made the wine taste like a bottle of Frutezia.

I give this wine 1 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.

Round Hill $5 White Zinfandel 2009 California Online

White Zinfandel has gotten a bad reputation for several reasons... it lacks complexity, it can be too syrupy and it's a favorite among middle-aged women earning it the affectionate nickname "cougar-juice." But before you pass judgement on the pink stuff, it might be time to revisit White Zinfandel.

I love what is on this bottle, "committed to sustainability" and the label includes all kind of "green" info about the winery and wine. But I guess what's in the bottle is more important.

This particular one doesn't have much in the way of a nose, maybe a light fruitiness, but that's about it. Surprisingly the taste is very fruity and a bit more crisp than a typical White Zin. It also has some floral notes and tropical fruit punch flavors. I would say the sweetness level is a little sweeter than a Reisling, but not too much. This would be perfect served with a fruit salad or a cheesecake. It's sweet and fruity, yet drinkable. Now I remember why White Zin is a great starter wine for those that don't normally drink wine.

I give this a 3.5 out of 5 stars for a White Zinfandel.

Dirt Cheap Wine- Top Picks of 2010

These wines are the ones I found myself re-buying often because they were easy to find, super-affordable and consistently good. Try them out and leave a comment!

#1
Archeo, Nero d'Avola 2007 found at Trader Joes for $4
At first is smells of smoky, woodsy notes, more specifically, pine. But after letting it breathe after a hefty swirl, subtle cherry notes came through. The first sip is quite delicious, a bit read more...

#2
Crane Lake, Pinot Noir 2009 found at Henry's Market for $3
Oh my, does this one smell good! Super-berry aromas with plenty of cherry notes, yum. Smells like something I might taste at a fancy-schmancy winery. But did it deliver? Why yes, it did. This Pinot Noir is very nice, I am impressed. It is full of read more...

#3
Douglass Hill, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 found at Stater Bros. for $2
This one was one of my go-too wines when I wanted something I new would be good. And for the price, you couldn't go wrong. It is very consistent from glass to glass and read more...

#4
Diablo Creek, Pinot Grigio 2009 found at Vons/Safeway for $4
Light and crisp, a bit of citrus and some mango. The first sip is pretty decent, with some green apple and more citrus in the way of lemons and grapefruit. It has a consistently long finish, sip after sip and it seems like it's ...read more

Vinas Chilenas $3 Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Chile Trader Joes

Delightful nose of grapefruit, mango and bursting with bananas. I thought I might need to add an umbrella to my glass. The first couple sips were a bit on the harsh side, very acidic and overly floral. After it had time to be swirled around a bit and mellowed out, it became very likable. The mango and bananas really stand out after you get past the strong bitter floral notes. Drinkable, but not stellar.

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

Douglass Hill $2 2009 Syrah California Stater Bros.

Most Douglass Hill wines are quite drinkable, but nothing to write home about, so I my expectations weren't incredibly high when opening this bottle. The color was really pretty, a bright ruby tone and it smelled of cranberries and cherries. The sip was mild, lacking complexity and lightly fruity. It has a medium finish with notes of dark chocolate. Nothing spectacular, but very consistent from the first glass to the third.

I give this wine a 31/2 stars out of 5

Il Valore $4 2009 Sangiovese Italy Trader Joes

I just love a good Sangiovese and I was excited to try this one- so affordable! The nose was absolutely yummy with the richness of figs, the fruitiness of black currants and hint of dark chocolate and black pepper. But on the first sip, the disappointment set in. It tasted nothing like it smelled... there was an intense bitterness right off the bat, totally lacking fruit and a medium finish of more bitterness. Yikes, this was really bad. Before dumping it, I popped on my wine soiree (aerator) and poured a bit through it. It softened the bitterness quite a bit, but it still overwhelmed the wine. I was ready to give this wine a 2 out of 5 stars, but then I forgot about it on the counter for four days. I figured I would give it one more shot before the drain, and poured a bit in a glass. And you know what, it wasn't half bad. It still wasn't great, but definitely drinkable. So the moral of this story is that if you get a bottle of this, plan ahead to decant and aerate the heck out of it before attempting to drink it.

I give this wine 3 out of 5 stars

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

It's a bit over-aged on the nose with a light undertone of dark berries. I was not terribly thrilled with what I was smelling, but I am giving it the benefit of the doubt... I have liked Cellar Selections in the past.

The first sip yields barely-there fruits and a mild green pepper finish. After a few sips I began to pick up subtle cherry notes but overall it's lacking complexity of any kind. About half way through the glass I had some grilled meat, and that did bring out a slight jamminess, but it was too little, too late and I probably would not buy it again.

I give this wine a 3 out of 5 stars.

Dirt Cheap Wine- Interviewed for "South Florida Wine and Food"

From South Florida Food and Wine:

"This past year I've interviewed some great bloggers with even better names, Fat Kids Club, Burger Beast, WorstPizza, The Chowfather, The French Fry Fairy, it’s all in the name and that is what piqued my interest about this week’s blogger in the spotlight, Dirt Cheap Wine. I could only imagine what this blog was about when I first started following her on Twitter. So here’s the thing if you’re going to pitch Dirt Cheap Wine it definitely needs to be done in a very straight forward way because it either works or it doesn’t; there’s no fluff, no blah, blah, blah, no terroir pontificating and Dirt Cheap Wine does just that she gets to the point and tells you it works or it doesn’t. This a great resource site about budget wines and mind you I had no idea there were so many cheap wines on the market. Dirt Cheap Wine has done a great job of finding inexpensive wines and has post after post of $4 and $5 wines, just reading them gives me the “sulfite strain.”

I have to say I’ve passed this site on to people who are into value wine and Dirt Cheap Wine has yet to miss the mark. Many of her recommendations have made economical wine sippers very happy. So for some pretty spot-on cheap wine reviews and overall entertaining reading, our Blogger in the Spotlight this week, Dirt Cheap Wine is bringing it home."
CLICK HERE FOR THE INTERVIEW

$5 Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc California Vons/Safeway

This light colored wine smells of crisp pears and honeydew melons, a perfect blend for a warm spring day. It tastes light and fruity just like it smells and it even has a touch of effervescence that tingles on the palate. Classic, clean and crisp. I would definitely keep this on hand.

I give this wine a 4 out of 5 stars

$5 Barefoot Pinot Noir California Stater Bros.

It has a nice purple-red tone, but a closed, tight nose. If I really have to dig, it's slightly jammy with a berry. Not any particular berry, just a generic single berry note.

And the taste doesn't vary to much from the smell. A bit of nearly imperceptible fruit, followed by a bitter tobacco flavor. Even though it is lacking flavor, it's still a bold, in-your-face wine but with an immature arrogance. It stutters with the faint taste of green chiles and unripe plums and ends with a long, tart finish. Overall, it is somewhat drinkable but I would not buy it again. Try the Barefoot Zinfandel, which is much better.

I give this wine a 3 out of 5 stars