Budget Vino

Another winner from Cellar No. 8- Cabernet Sauvignon

I haven't had a decent Cabernet Sauvignon in months. For awhile, I thought that it was just me and my changing tastes...and then I tried the Cellar No. 8 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Over Thanksgiving, I went to Palm Desert (a few miles from Palm Springs, CA) to celebrate with some of my closest friends and their family. My family lives everywhere but San Francisco, so Thanksgiving used to be a non-event for me. That was until my buddy Ivan invited me to spend the holiday with his now wife and family. It started an amazing tradition that I look forward too every November.

This year, Alison (Ivan's wife) asked me to pick up some wine at the local Vons. I scoured the aisles for at least 10 minutes until I spotted a Cellar No. 8 label. (If you read this site regularly, you'll know that Cellar No. 8 Merlot is one of my all time budget favorites.) I picked up the bottle and quickly realized that this was not the Merlot, but rather it was the company's Cabernet Sauvignon offering. Remembering how much I love the Merlot, I decided to give this wine a chance. It was a brilliant choice.

This wine exceeded any expectations I could have had. It was so good. Everyone loved it- so much so that Alison asked us to return to the store the next day to buy a case. The wine was smooth, went beautifully with every dish that was served, and left no heavy aftertaste.

If you've taken my previous advice and tried the Cellar No. 8 Merlot, I encourage you to give this one a shot. If you haven't, this is a great intro to the world of budget wines.

Recommendation: Definitely buy it (a top choice)

Beaujolais nouveau is coming- Read this post to find out why you should care

If you've never had Beaujolais nouveau but you enjoy wine, then please read on. Until last year, I had never even heard of the wine, let alone wondered why I should care about it. Then I had my first Beaujolais nouveau experience.

As accurately written on Wikipedia, "Beaujolais nouveau is a red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France. It is the most popular vin de primeur, fermented for just a few weeks then officially released for sale on the third Thursday of November." The wine is only available this one time a year, and given the limited quantities, it sells out fast. Last year, I bought the last two bottles at the local Beverages and More, and that was only 4 days after the wine was released.

I am typically not a Beaujolais wine drinker, but this one time a year I definitely make an exception. The wine is just fun to drink. It is not complex, it has limited structure, but it is very drinkable and has a festive taste to it. I can't really think of the words to explain how a wine is "festive", so I encourage you to buy a bottle to understand what I mean. Definitely note that due to its short fermentation period (3 weeks), the wine has to be drunk really quickly, which for me has never been a problem.

To read more about the Beaujolais nouveau, check out the Wikipedia page. If you've read enough and want to give this wine a try, don't fret, the 3rd Thursday of November is almost here!

This gold rush isn't even worth walking too- Gold Rush Sierra Foothills Red Wine

I returned from the UK on Friday, October 26th, and the 8 hour time difference hit me hard. I'm already a bad sleeper, but throw in a big time zone change and I'm a certified insomniac.  The first nights back my sleep was miserable, and by the time Wednesday the 31st came around, I was a total crazy person. I could hardly string together a sentence, and I looked exhausted and weathered. Fundamentally, I just needed a good nights sleep!

I wracked my brain for hours thinking of potential solutions to my sleep deprivation, and after some careful deliberation, I hatched what I determined to be a fool proof plan. I was going to get myself a little drunk off a bottle of budget red wine. If I couldn't fall asleep naturally, well then wine would be my "Ambien" (a US prescription sleep aid for those not familiar).

I went to the store and bought a bottle of the first wine I saw- Gold Rush Sierra Foothills Red Table Wine. I got home, opened the bottle, poured myself a glass, and took my first sip.

Initial thoughts- totally awful.

Second sip- terrible.

Basically, this wine is just plain bad. I'd expand on why I came to this conclusion, but I wouldn't want to waste your time.

After 3 sips of this wine, I poured out the rest of my glass (which I pretty much never do), tossed the bottle, and came to grips with the fact that my "fool proof" plan had been foiled. Unless something truly magical happened, It was going to be another restless night.

Recommendation: Don't buy it

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Dorian