Budget Vino

Estancia Cabernet '03

I found this wine on sale at the grocery store last night, and given my familiarity with the name "Estancia", I thought I should give it a try. At full cost, this wine does exceed the $10 barrier, but every website i've visited selling the wine lists it on sale for a price that fits it into this blogs demographic.

So there I was, on my way home, excited to drink a nice glass of red wine while packing for my pending trip to a buddy's destination wedding. I opened the bottle and let it breath for about 20 minutes before I poured the first glass. (Even for inexpensive wine I like to let the bottle "breathe" before diving in.) I took my first sip, then took a step back. It was too strong and overpowering. My mouth dried up in a matter of milliseconds, and the aftertaste did nothing to quell the heaviness. All in all, it was just too much. I tried having it with my dinner (spinach and blue cheese salad with chicken), but it did more to detract from the flavor of the meal than to enhance it. 

Our friend Wilford Wong rates this wine pretty high. I definitely disagree with him. As an accompanyment to a night at home- drinking casually while watching TV, reading a book, or working away on some task, for me this wine just doesnt cut it.

Final rating: One Glass Only

What's this all about?

I'm a busy guy in his early 30's. I order-in food each week at least 5 times more than I cook it. I work out, but just to keep some semblance of health. I always feel like my day is missing a few hours. So why am I spending time writing this blog? Why would I go through the trouble of reviewing cheap bottles of wine? Why? Ill tell you why..

I'm doing this because-

• I'm getting tired of only finding wine reviews on the web that use words such as "floral," "delicate," "pristine."

• I don't think Wilford Wong (the 90 pts guy) is the be all and end all of wine.

• I don't think it's a crime to have a glass of red wine with a piece of fish.

• I honestly believe that there are people out there that want reviews of inexpensive wines written by those who have the same or similar tastes- reviews by individuals that haven't been instructed on HOW to enjoy a glass of wine by someone who is a self proclaimed expert, but rather reviews written by those who enjoy wine just because it tastes good.

and most importantly...

• I drink a lot of cheap wine!!

My goals for this blog are pretty damn simple. As the urge presents itself, ill buy a bottle of wine (never more than $10), write a review of the wine (in purely layman's terms), rate it (based on my rating system below), and provide a link to where it can be bought on-line.

My rating system has 4 levels:

1. Keep it Corked (the lowest)
2. One glass only
3. One glass is not enough
4. Finish the bottle (the best possible review of course)

So please read the reviews, send me your thoughts, circulate this blog link, and feel free to suggest wines to review. In the end, this is all about normal people enjoying cheap wine.