Browsed by
Category: Red Wines

Concha y Toro Gran Reserva Carmeneré – 2012

Concha y Toro Gran Reserva Carmeneré – 2012

Comments 3 comments

What the heck is Carmeneré?!? That’s a great question. Glad you asked.  And yes, you should drink it. It is a lost Bordeaux grape that migrated to Chile in the 1800s—likely during all of the phyloxera bru-ha-ha in Europe. It likely came over with Merlot and got mixed up and for years was believed to be Merlot. Apparently, the vines and grapes look very similar. There are some distinct differences, however, which make it strange that folks closer to the…

Read More Read More

Kirkland Signature Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon – 2014

Kirkland Signature Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon – 2014

Comments 0 Comment

We all know that Costco is The Cheap Wino’s dear friend. They have done it again! This Merlot-Cab blend from Washington State is a great way to step into the big, oaked, Bordeaux-style blends of Washington State for a fraction of the price.  Thank you Costco! I have a confession. I am not a big fan of Merlot. However, I prefer right-bank Bordeauxs that blend more merlot with cabernet sauvignon and I like oaked Washington State Merlot-Cabernet blends. Go figure….

Read More Read More

Shooting Star Blue Franc – 2012

Shooting Star Blue Franc – 2012

Comments 1 comment

You’ve probably already figured out that my pretentions were dropped immediately at the use of the adjective “cheap” in the name of this blog.   So keep that in mind as I insert my cheap wino ways into a very upscale Dallas restaurant, Fearing’s. A good friend of mine was in town from NYC and he loves the restaurant Fearing’s (www.fearingsrestaurant.com) when he comes to Dallas. I get it. Dean Fearing does a masterful job of blending old standards with new…

Read More Read More

I Giganti Buoni – 2009

I Giganti Buoni – 2009

Comments 0 Comment

The Gentle Giants, as it translates to English, is just that. While this wine is from Tuscany and it tastes very Italian, it is interesting that it is comprised of zero sangiovese grapes. It is actually a Cab-Merlot blend with thirty percent Alicante Bouschet mixed in. What is that? Well, it is a grape that is a cross of Petit Bouschet and Grenache. 1  The Alicante Bouschet lends a deep red hardiness to the blend. In a similar fashion to…

Read More Read More

Chateau Ste. Michelle Red Blend – 2012

Chateau Ste. Michelle Red Blend – 2012

Comments 6 comments

I love big Washington State red wines! I get that they oak the hell out of them. At the same time, these talented wine makers craft sophisticated blends that even in the $30-50 price range rival well renowned wines from Napa, Australia and even Bordeaux that cost 2 and 3 times more. In fact, many of them have Bordeaux-style blends. Chateau Ste Michelle is ground zero for the Washington State wine biz. While most of the Chateau Ste Michelle wines…

Read More Read More

Revelation Cabernet-Merlot – 2014

Revelation Cabernet-Merlot – 2014

Comments 7 comments

God bless Trader Joe’s! This wine is the best wine you can buy for $5.99 a bottle! In fact, this would be a really solid wine at $15.99 a bottle. I honestly don’t know how they make this for what you can buy it at TJ’s but this is the go-to house-wine for our place. I like just drinking this by itself at 65-68˚F, but is also pairs very well with stews, duck, steak and hard cheeses. The biggest contributor…

Read More Read More

Vina Eguia Reserva – 2010

Vina Eguia Reserva – 2010

Comments 1 comment

We all know that Costco blesses oenophiles with great values at any price point. While The Cheap Wino is focused on value wines at $20 and below, I’ve been to a Costco selling each of the 5 first growths from Bordeaux – Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild.   Amazing! But still waaaaayyyyy beyond The Cheap Wino’s budget. For this remarkable wine, we are migrating south to Spain to Rioja, a very proud wine growing region…

Read More Read More