The Good, The Bad And the Ugly — Trader Joe’s Under $10 Reds

The question: Can you find a decent bottle of red wine at Trader Joe’s for less than ten bucks?

Since Laurie Cavanaugh asked about good, cheap reds, I thought I’d see if I could provide the answer. So off to my local TJ’s I went, in search of likely candidates. I came home with nine bottles, ranging from $4.99 to $9.99. Two Cotes du Rhones, two Cabernets, one Merlot, three Zinfandels, and one Petite Sirah.

With the exception of the Petite Sirah, all of these wines came from a specific place. None were generic Californians, they all were grown in well-known wine regions, with good track records for producing great examples of each wine. OK, the Russian River Valley really isn’t known for great Merlot, but it makes great wines, so I took a shot. Shit, it was only $6.99.

All of the chosen ones were lower alcohol versions of their types. Why, because that’s what I like, and no way do I sniff, sip, swirl and spit my way through nine wines I know I won’t like. And yes, I did spit each taste out, some more happily than others. In between slurps I also noshed on bits of nice La Brea bread.

I tasted each on Saturday, corked them up (without gas) overnight, and tasted them again on Sunday. This was to find out how the wines changed with a good breath of air. I did this because most of them were young wines, and needed a bit of air.

Each wine was judged on its color, nose, taste and finish. Then I rated them on the whole with 0 to 5 stars, and added over all thoughts on each wine. All that said, here’s how the corks fell. Some excelled, some failed, some just laid there. But there were definitely a few I can recommend. Have a look & see what you think.

The Wines

Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Petite Sirah CA 2010 — 13% Alc $4.99

COLOR — Deep purple red, with very slight fading to pink on the edges.

NOSE — Plums, black cherry with a touch of orange peel

TASTE — Black & tart cherry, a touch of plums with bright acid & Med body. A bit light for a Petit Sirah (they’re usually teeth-staining monsters), but very nice.

FINISH — Tart cherry with a touch of orange zest on the juicy, medium length finish. No real tannins.

RATE —  3.5 Stars. Great sip for $4.99 Try it. A good way to discover Petite Sirah.

Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone 2009 — 13% Alc $9.99

COLOR — Purple red of med depth

NOSE — Plums black cherry, with a touch of soy sauce, lavender and pepper

TASTE — Deep red cherry & plums with a touch of soy sauce, brush and stones

FINISH — Juicy red cherry, with slight tannins medium weight and length

RATE — 4 Stars Buy it. There are better Cotes du Rhone out there, but for the money, this is a great way to learn about the wine.

Valréas Cuvée Prestige Cotes du Rhone Villages 2009 — 14% Alc $5.99

COLOR — Purple red with slight fading to pink on the edge, medium depth

NOSE — Red cherries, Mission Figs, a bit of lavender crushed black pepper

TASTE — Tart red cherry with a touch of plums, ginger & soy. Medium body

FINISH — Bright and juicy cherry, mouth-watering medium length some tannins

RATE — 3 Stars. Pretty good for $5.99 Try It. A good way to try a Cotes du Rhone

Three Knights Russian River Valley Merlot 2007 — 13.1% Alc $6.99

COLOR — Deep garnet red all the way to the edges

NOSE — Dusty red cherry with a touch of sage and a little vanilla from oak (oak faded with air, and that’s a good sign).

TASTE —Big dusty sweet cherries with a touch of mocha and vanilla, mouth filling (opened overnight, so give this some breath time before drinking).

FINISH — Bright and juicy, very light tannins, cherry/vanilla is the last taste, medium. length Will improve with about two years, but doesn’t need time.

RATE — 4 stars. Buy it. This is silly good for $6.99 I might think it was from Napa. What Merlot should be.

Spiral Wines Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 — 13% Alc $4.99

COLOR — Clear garnet, medium-light depth

NOSE — Vegetal red cherry with a bit of funk. Maybe slightly corked?

TASTE — Vanilla red cherry simple not deep. Nothing to make you think Napa

FINISH — Tart cherry fades quickly with nothing extra. .Some tannins, some bright juiciness

RATE — 1.5 Stars Skip it. Goes to show you can’t get good Napa Cab for $4.99

Trader Joe’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 — 13.7% Alc $9.99

COLOR — Med deep garnet all the way to the edges

NOSE — Dusty, deep currents and red cherries with a bit of sage.

TASTE —Currents and black cherries a hint of vanilla and brush, with a touch of  velvety tannins. Smooth, deep and dark.

FINISH —Black cherries & currents and a kiss of vanilla, a touch of dusty tannins at the end, medium body & longer velvety finish

RATE — 4.5 Stars Buy it! Stupid value. An amazing Alex Cab for $9.99! Almost Silver Oak Alex (big, world-famous cab), and I used to collect that wine, at $32+ a bottle! (I quit after`95 because the price jumped & the quality dropped, IMHO) Wine of the First Night. Drank it with dinner.

Hamilton Steven’s Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2009 — 14.5% Alc $8.99

COLOR — Deep red/purple all the way to the edges

NOSE — Vegetal & green, funky a hint of red fruit. This is a Zin?

TASTE — Better than it smells. Vanilla dominates some red cherries. Lots of oak on this, with just a hint of pepper

FINISH — Vanilla & wood from the oak and something green

RATE — 1.5 Stars Skip it. Especially for $9.99 A disappointment.

Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Paso Robles Zinfandel 2010 — 13.5% Alc $4.99

COLOR — Purple medium depth, no fading

NOSE — Crushed red berries, candied cherries and bit of brush

TASTE — Fruity red berries with a bit of vanilla from oak. Simple but nice. Fills the mouth

FINISH — Bright berries and vanilla. Slight tannins. Medium length

RATE — 1.5 Stars Eh. A decent drink for $4.99. Cheerful but nothing special.

Stonehedge Reserve Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2008 — 14.5% Alc $9.99

COLOR — Deep purple/red All the way to the edges

NOSE — Minty red cherries, odd for a Zin then green veg

TASTE — Plumy with a bit of red cherries, then lots of vanilla/oak

FINISH — Green and not nice

RATE —0 Stars Skip it Worst wine of the lot. Dumped it out!

Forget speed, heat kills wine.

Odds are I don’t have to tell you it’s Summer. But here’s a little tid-bit you may not be clued into — HEAT KILLS WINE! And it don’t take long to do it, either. Temps of 80F can “cook” wine in as little as ten minutes. What does a “cooked” wine taste like? It’s not pretty, unless you really like stewed prunes. And if it doesn’t cook it right away, that kind of heat can really cripple a wine for aging. This is why those bottles you’ve kept in a rack over the fridge for a couple of years don’t taste very good when you get around to opening them.

But forget about the rack over the fridge, the most dangerous place for wine in summer is your car. Let’s say you find a favorite bottle in a store, one August afternoon. You throw it in the car, but on the way home you stop to get dog food. You’ve just started that vino’s Death Clock. I actually know someone who boiled a very fine bottle of Zin while transporting it, on a hot day, in the cab of her truck. By the time she got it to my apartment, it was dead as the proverbial doornail.

Don’t sweat it, getting around this is fairly easy, once you know about it. I live in HELL (otherwise known as Las Vegas), and when God’s convection oven is running full blast, I throw a cooler with ice packs in the trunk. I toss my winey purchases into the chill-chest, and they’re safe as can be. Note, I use ice packs, and not loose ice, so I don’t soak the labels. But then I’m a geek about that sort of thing.

While I’m on the subject of vinous-destructous, there’s another wine killer out there — The Sun. Direct sunlight will do a number on your wine, essentially “skunking” it like it does beer. You’ve seen those Sam Adams TV spots, right? So keep your wine away from your sunny windows, and nobody gets hurt.

Now, here’s a little shopping tip that combines both of these facts. If you’re in a store where the wine is exposed to the sun, or if the temp is 80F or higher, give it a miss. Especially any bottles that look like they’ve been there a while. You’ll save yourself cash and disappointment. Look for a store that’s pleasantly air conditioned, where the wine isn’t in the sun.

In case you’re wondering, “ideal” storage temp is 57F. But in all honesty anything in the mid 60s will do, unless you plan on aging the bottles for the long term.

Cheers!

Low-Buck Reds, Part 1 — Old Standbys.

As a self-proclaimed Wine Geek, I’m often asked, “Hey, what’s a good red for under $10?” It’s always $10 bucks, by the way. Never $11.95, or something. But so what? I’m more than happy help someone find a nice wine they can enjoy without worrying about the price. Thing is reds I can enthusiastically recommend under $10 are a tough get. Whites, no problem! There’s a slew of nice New Zealand Savignon Blancs, and decent French and CA whites I can name, just like that. But the reds, that’s another matter.

First off, It’s gotta be something I can stand to drink myself. Second it’s gotta be something a regular person can find. Not some obscure bottle I’ve found in one of the hard-core-wine-geek shops I lurk in. Typically, I point them to something at good ol’ Trader Joe’s. So that’s what I’m gonna do now. Here are three of my JT’s standbys:

1. Il Tarocco Chianti Classico — $8.99 @ TJ’s. If you’ve never had a fine Italian red, this is a good place to start. Strawberry & red cherry fruit, a bit of crushed flowers, spice and earth (in a good way). Plenty of acid to go with most meats & hard cheeses.

2. Rendition Alexander Valley Zinfandel — $8.99 (or maybe $9.99) @ TJ’s. A nice, juicy Zin, with plenty of red & black berry fruit and a hint of Chinese white pepper. Not a bit, alcoholic fruit soup, but plenty ripe for non-Zin Freaks. Great with everything from ribs to cheeseburgers.

3. Perrin et Fils Cotes du Rhone — Around $8.99 @ TJ’s. This one’s French. “Cotes du Rhone” is a kind of wine that uses any combination of three main grapes, Granache, Syrah & Mourvedre. This is the little brother wine of famed wine Chateauneuf du Pape. Very complex red berry, plum and earth flavors. Great will all kinds of meats 7 cheeses.

ONE TO SKIP.

At a diner party this weekend I was poured a glass of Cupcake Red Table Wine. We’ve all seen this one all over the grocery store. It wasn’t terrible, just nothing special. A fruity, easy-drinking, generic red, with no tannins to offend. If that’s what you’re looking for, try it. I just can’t recommend it for the price. I didn't have a second glass.

OK that’s it for now. Not much I know, but I haven’t had time to buy and taste a bunch. Don’t worry, I will. Then I’ll let you know what I think.

Cheers!

Whaddya do with the leftovers?

No doubt this has happened to you, you’ve opened a bottle of wine, but only had a couple of glasses out of it. You stared at it thinking, “What do I do with the rest?” Happens all the time, especially if you open a bottle by yourself — like I do.

One option immediately comes to mind, just stick the cork back in it. Problem with that is the air in the bottle will turn the wine sour pretty quickly. Two days, tops. You can freeze the vino in an ice cube rack, and use it for cooking. But don’t plan on drinking any of it, you won’t like the results.

Wait, don’t pour it down the drain yet because there are better solutions. WARNING, there will be some chemistry mentioned here. First, there’s a little gizmo called a Vac-u-vin. Basically a rubber stopper with a one-way valve that lets you suck the air out of the bottle with a plastic plunger thingy. You’ll never get all of the air out, but you end up with less air to oxidize the wine (that’s why it turns sour). I’ve had wine under a Vac-u-vin last nearly a week. Putting it in the fridge — even if it’s red — helps because the cold slows the oxidation process. (There’s the first bits of chemistry.) The Vac-u-vin thingy is fairly cheep, but it’s not the best solution our there. That would be a seemingly empty spray can that’s actually full of inert gasses, like Argon and Nitrogen (yep, more chemistry). These spray cans come with a little plastic tube that you stick down into the bottle. Then you give the bottle four or five quick squirts of the gas, and stick the cork back into the bottle. The inert gas is heavier than the air, so it sinks to the surface of the vino, sealing it from the air that wants to ruin it. (No more chemistry, I promise.) Wine treated this way can easily last a week without any loss of flavor. Especially if you stick it in the fridge (just let the reds warm up a bit before serving).

Seriously, the gas stuff works! I use it all the time. But the can does run out, whereas the Vac-u-vins last a good long time. Either way, you end up with tastier leftovers than you would without them. Plus, you lose that whole “I can’t open any wine because it’s just me” dilemma.

You can usually find either solution at any decent wine shop, or kitchen goodies store, like Bed, Bath. So go ahead, have a glass — even if it’s just you.

Cheers!

Vino Fino, on the Cheap Part 1.

What’s the biggest problem with wine? It’s too fucking expensive! It’s supposed to be an everyday beverage, enjoyed by all, at every table. Right? Then what the Hell’s with all those damned $100+ Napa Valley “Cult” Cabernets? What are real people supposed to drink? Well, truth is, because of the economy, there are lots of great wines out there for less than $20. Even less than $10! And I’m gonna tell you about a few of them every week.

First up is a whole family of wines from a guy named Cameron Hughes. I’ve never met him, but I love this guy! Because Hughes has been kicking ass with great budget bottles that you can live with every day. See, Hughes is what the French call a Negociant. That’s somebody that doesn’t actually own any vineyards. Instead he buys (or negotiates) grapes, or raw wine, from growers and wineries, finishes and bottles them, under his label. So the guy’s got a lot less overhead than a full-blown winery. And in this economy, Hughes has found lots of grapes and wines at discounted prices because the owners are desperate for cash.

I find Cameron Hughes’s wines at Costco (a great source for wine bargains), but you may find them somewhere else. Plus, the guy’s got a great website — chwine.com —, full of tasting notes and info on his wines, like how much they might have cost if the original owner had sold them.

One of my Summer whites of the moment is the Cameron Hughes Lot 240 2009 Albarino Clarksburg, for just $8.99, at Costso. This is a Spanish white grape, grown in Clarksburg, CA. It’s kind of a cross between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve gone through a case of the stuff already!

I’ve also bought plenty of Cameron Hughes Zinfandels, Chardonnays, Syrahs and Cabernets. Hughes puts a pretty good little bit of info on the back label, so you can get an idea if a bottle might be a wine for you. If you see one, grab a bottle and try it. I’m betting you’ll be a Cameron Hughes fan too. Hey, I wouldn’t tell you about them if they sucked!

Cheers!

Lipstick on a Pig.

OK, here it is, I don’t like lots of new oak flavors in wine. No, make that I freaking hate it when winemakers use lots of new oak barrels to add huge butterscotch & vanilla flavors to their wines — especially Chardonnay! Why? Because it obscures the actual flavors of the fruit, and the vineyard it‘s from. Plus, it makes the wine a terrible match with most food. Also, those huge added butterscotch, vanilla flavors can be used to hide a lot of ills.

For example, let’s say a winery lets its grapes get so ripe that the resulting wine has no acid, and tastes fat, soft and over the top. Or they don’t really have the best vineyards around, and the wines they produce are nothing special on their own. No problem, just age it in lots of new oak, and it becomes a fat butterball, vanilla bomb that really doesn’t taste like fruit at all. Perfect! Now, let’s sell if for $35 or more!

And the ever-popular, “If we use enough new oak, we can buy grapes from all over the place, and make it all taste exactly the same. That way we can sell tanker trucks of the stuff.” And at premium prices, too!

These hypothetical examples happen all the time. You’ve doubtlessly tasted a few of them. Hell, maybe you even liked, no loved them. Doesn’t make you a bad person, it’s your money. But now you’ll know why I bad-mouth (or bad-blog) wines that I think are horribly over oaked. I never said my tastes would match yours.

So does new oak have a place in good winemaking? Sure, when it’s used as a spice, mixed in with older, neutral barrels. The wine estates of France and Italy have used new oak like this for centuries. And there are plenty of New World wineries that do it right, too. Stony Hill, Chateau Montelena, Mayacamas, Ridge, Ravenswood, Clos du Val, Franciscan, St. Suprey, Grgich Hills, Sanford, Joseph Swan and Porter Creek are a few that spring to mind immediately.

How do you avoid these oak bombs? Well, if you’re in a restaurant with a Sommelier or Wine Steward, ask them if the wine “sees a lot of new oak.” If you’re in a wine store, or Trader Joe’s, look for the words “Buttery,” “Vanilla,” “Nutmeg,” “Hazelnut,” “New Wood,” “Sexy Oak,” “Lavish Oak,” etc, on the shelf tags describing the wine. These are wine-speak, buzz words that are dead giveaways. Words that usually signal little to no new oak are, “Zippy,” “Vibrant,” “Fruit Driven,” “Hints of Oak,” etc. If you trust the staff, ask them.

If you love those big oak bombs, fine. Just don’t pour me any. Cheers!

Europeans Think We’re Nuts!

Seriously, from France to Italy, to Spain, back to merry old England, and everywhere in between, they think we’re completely bonkers. No, it has nothing to do with Bachman & Palin, or the fact we elected W twice! (or not). OK, so maybe that has a little to do with it. But the main reason Europe thinks we’re nuts is because out of all the “First World” nations on the planet, we drink the least amount of Champagne and sparkling wine. And, get this, we make some pretty good examples right here in the good old U S of A! Seriously, no one gulps more fizzy sodas, but we are dead last when it comes to bubbly wines. They’re right, we are freaking nuts!

It seems we have gotten into our heads that bubbly is for the celebration of special occasions only. Weddings, New Years, new jobs, promotions or new births. And that’s it. Crazy. Seriously, isn’t any day you aren’t hit by a bus, laid off from your job, or missed that dog poop while jogging worth celebrating?

Granted, the French stuff can be spendy. In some cases stupid spendy. But there are lots of great bubblies that normal folks can afford. By the way, I do not mean any of that Cooks, Barefoot or Korbel shite! I’m talking lovely CA bubblers like Gloria Ferrer Brut & Blanc de Noirs for under $16, Domain Carneros under $20, Mum Napa or Domain Chandon under $16, Scharffenberger, Shramsburg  Roderer Estate and Iron Horse all under $30.These are wonderful wines that make any day a celebration. And for really special days, there are French wines under $40. I’m talking Champagne, the real McCoy. The stuff that my buddy Paul Giles perfectly described as, “Sunshine dancing on your tongue.” Look for Nicholas Feuillatte, Moet Chandon, Mumm, Tattengier, or Laurent Perrier. There are even more affordable bubblies from Italy & Spain called Prosecco & Cava.

Let me be blunt. Bubbly isn’t just for special occasions! It’s cold, delicious and tickles your nose. Plus it goes great with lots of food. Pop it for any reason at all. It’s my personal policy to have at least two bottles of it chilled in the fridge at all times. You know, just in case I have a day that doesn’t suck. Or one that really blows! Cheers.

OK Alison, this is for you.

A while ago, an old friend made me promise I'd start a blog about wine. And for good, or ill, this is the first post in keeping that promise.

Now, what the hell to write? I suppose I'll start with a bit of background. I've been a wine geek for over 20 years now. I've made so many trips to California's wine country that I don't need a map, and know may of the winemakers by name. (Living in the Bay area for eight years helped.) My home cellar is a 500-bottle, glass-doored, temperature-controlled cabinet that is usually stuffed to the gills. WINE WARNING — if you buy a cabinet of any size, YOU WILL FILL IT! Take it from me, that's just how the sickness goes. If you read any of my posts you'll find I'm an opinionated SOB, sorry that's just how it is. As for my pallet, I prefer OLD SCHOOL wines, not the over ripe, over-the-top fruit soup that many of the criticts give big scores to these days. In fact, I no longer read most of them because they've lost their minds over uber-expensive, over-the-top crap. But enough of that, let's get on to something about wine, shall we.

I happen to live in Las Vegas at the moment, so I'm painfully aware that it's summer. It's about 109F today. For me, summer heat calls for lighter eats, and cold, zippy white wines. By zippy, I mean those with bright citrus, green apple or pit-fruit flavors, and bracing acidity. If they also have some minerality, even better. Oh, by "minerality" I mean you get a flavor or stones, chalk, salt etc. Something that reminds you of what the vine is planted in. Yes, good wines have that, trust me. My favorite kind of summer white is Sauvignon Blanc, either from New Zealand, or the Sancerre region of France. These wines have a great zippy freshness to them. They go great with grilled shrimp, smoked salmon, goat cheese & feta, grilled veggies, shellfish, pesto, chicken, etc. And get this, they aren't expensive. OK, some Sancerres can run upwards of $20, but others are under $15. And good Kiwi Sav Blancs can be found for under $9! For example, Trader Joe's has one called King Shag that's about $7.99 that I'll drink any day of the week. When looking at a shelf full of New Zealand Savs, look for the word Marlborough. And don't fear the screwtop! These wines are made to be drunk young, so you can't open them too early.  Some great names are: Kim Crawford, Nobilo, Cloudy Bay, Villa Maria, Oyster Bay, Starborough, Dog Point, heck even that Monkey Bay doesn't suck! Don't worry about the year, NZ Savs are pretty good, regardless of vintage.

You should be able to find a few Kiwi Savs anywhere you buy wine. If you'd rather grab something from CA, try Kenwood's Sonoma Sav Blanc, or St. Supry's. I can also recommend Geyser Peak's, Ferrari Carrano, Mondavi's Napa Valley Fume Blanc and Grgich Hills. These will probably run you more than the NZ wines. Oh yeah, Fume Blanc is another name used for Sauvignon Blanc. It's a marketing name, made up my Robert Mondavi that put Sav Blanc on the US wine map.

Alright, that's probably more than enough for now. Besides, all this stuff about wine has made me thirsty. Luckiloy, I have a Sancerre in the fridge. Cheers!