CheapoWino

Wine: Beauzeau / Bozo

Type: Blend / Red Wine

Origin: California

Year: 2005

Cost: $10.99

Rating: 7/10

Value: 6/10

Alcohol: 12.5%

Our opinion:

We had just finished installing our new wall-mount wine rack and decided to load’er up.  Suddenly wine started dripping down the wall… Oh no!! One of the bottles we put in there was a screw cap, and the motion of twisting the bottle securely into place in the rack apparently twisted the lid right off!   What happened next was an…

!!! !!! EMERGENCY CONSUMPTION OF OPEN WINE !!! !!!

At first we were wary that maybe the bottle wasn’t securely closed, and started thinking bad thoughts.  After a quick zip through the aerator, we decided the wine was actually quite good! It wasn’t the #1 smoothest wine ever, it still had a little tang to it, but overall was very tasty.  Bozo would make a great table wine, and the funny juggling guy on the cover is good for a laugh.  The Juggler signifies the way this blend is somehow balancing 8 different grape varietals in one bottle!  A nice blend, at a decent price.

Winemaker’s notes:

Juggling too many balls these days? We know just how you feel. Life shouldn’t always be so serious and neither should your wine, so we set out to make a blend just for the fun of it. Eight different varietals are included in our 2005 Beauzeaux Red Wine ? mostly Zinfandel and Syrah, with small amounts of Petite Sirah, Charbono and others. Show off to your wine geek friends when you tell them it also contains 2% Lagrein, a red grape variety mentioned in the 17th century records of a Benedictine monastery.

This is the wine to reach for when friends show up for pizza. Ripe red and black berry characters with jammy pie flavors and some black pepper to boot make it rich and hearty enough to stand up to your best baby back ribs. And the capper? Nothing but a screwcap would do.

Others Say:

From Wine.com

“My wife and I enjoyed this unique red blend. It’s a good value for an everyday table wine, but offers a bit more spice than the more common cab and merlot dominant red blends.”

“My fiancee and love this wine. We bought a case a few months ago and just bought two more. It’s our house wine. We’ll serve something nicer with a meal we go to a lot of trouble over, but for the price it can’t be beat.”

Wine: Castello Banfi

Type:Chianti Classico Riserva

Origin: Italy

Year: 2004

Cost: $14.99

Rating: 7/10

Value: 4/10

Alcohol: 13%

Our opinion:

BOOOOORRRRINGGGGGG.

So after our glass of Tin Shed Shiraz, which as amazing, we selected a Chianti Classico off a wine list at the Antrim 1844 (www.antrim1844.com) to go with our dinner. We were prepared to lay down $45 for this 2001 Riserva, but they pulled the “ol switcheroo” on us, and brought this 2004 out on us.

I don’t know if this had anything to do with the fact that the previous glass of wine was so perfect, but this wine just did nothing for us. We tried to convince ourselves it was good, due to the fact that we were paying quite a bit for it, but neither of us were really falling for it.

It was easy to drink, light, lacked flavor, lacked a nose, and the taste (what little of one there was) fell off sharply as soon as it hit your palate. Maybe we had a bad bottle, because other reviewers seem to think it’s a nice buy. But in our opinion, don’t bore yourself. Not for $14. And certainly not for the $42 we paid for it!!

Bah.

Winemaker’s notes:

Grape Varieties: Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon

“Chianti may well be the single best-known wine in the world - historically celebrated, universally revered and enjoyed over centuries. Produced from select grapes grown in the “Classico” region of Chianti between Siena and Florence, this aristocratic Tuscan wine has reached new heights in Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva. After aging two years in Slavonian oak casks, this elegant, well-balanced wine has flavors of vanilla, cocoa and spice.

An honored red wine, Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva is a fine gourmet accompaniment to red roasts, pastas and cheese.”

Others Say:

“Another award winning wine from the Banfi Vinyard. Smooth but yet tasteful, not too tanic, well blended. Great choice to compliment your dinner with a light red wine.”

“Round, subtle and elegant, typical of a full-bodied Chianti Classico. Ruby-red in color with an intense vanilla and licorice bouquet.”

Wine: Tin Shed “Melting Pot”

Type: Shiraz

Origin: Australia

Year: 2005 (????)

Cost: $35.99 ??

Rating: 10/10

Value: 8/10

Alcohol: ??%

Our opinion:

This wine probably shouldn’t be on a cheapo wino blog, but every now and then you have to treat yourself, to see what you’re missing. We went to the Antrim 1844 for a dinner the other evening and each had a ($15) glass (!!) of this wine before we ate. It was amazing! Honestly I cannot remember a Shiraz this delicious and balanced and perfect tasting. Nothing was too strong, nothing was weak, it wasn’t too heavy or light or spicy or fruity or sweet or dry. Everything just seemed right. Every sip was delicious and exciting. If you want to splurge, you need to know what on. We were told that there were no more of these bottles available for purchase anywhere; the Antrim had bought them all out. However, I see it on both Corridor and Total Wine & More websites. Corridor in Laurel seems to carry it, but if anyone goes there and looks for it, let us know if they have it in stock!

We unfortunately don’t know the year, but all the years have great reviews and > 90 points for their ratings, so my guess is you can’t go wrong.

Merchant Reviews:

Barossa Valley, Australia- The Melting Pot Shiraz offers wonderful aromas of cassis, black pepper and licorice. This rich and full-bodied Shiraz encompasses remarkable flavor intensity and a lengthy finish. {Intense, Licorice, Currant, Full-bodied}”

Others Say:

Bright and aromatic with lovely fruit characters. The palate is smooth with spice and fruits.

“A stunning offering, the 2005 Shiraz Melting Pot reveals flamboyant aromas of cassis, black pepper, licorice, and espresso roast. This medium to full-bodied, pure, rich Shiraz offers another example of the seamlessness of this vintage.”
- Wine Advocate (#167, Oct 2006), 91-94 pts

Wine: Pacific Peak

Type: Cabernet Sauvignon

Origin: California, USA

Year: cannot find a year on this bottle! 1814??

Cost: $2.99

Rating: 5/10

Value: 6/10

Alcohol: 12.5%

Our opinion:

We bought this a while ago and thought it was a great value for the price, so we bought more. The next few bottles were pretty difficult to choke down. I don’t know what happened….

So today when we had an opportunity to try our Vinturi Wine Aerator, we decided to revisit our last bottle of this confusing wine. You want to love it, because it’s so cheap. Well at least we want to love it for that reason. After opening the bottle we poured a little directly into one glass with one of these nifty items which prevents drips and red ring-shaped stains on your table:

The other we poured through our new aerator:

Let me just say that Bernoulli’s law never mentioned anything about a swooshing sound. But it’s kind of cool to hear as you pour your wine through this little bubble into your glass.

Then came a taste-test. On the first sip neither tasted that great. In fact we were both initially disappointed at how bad the pacific peak was tasting. A few more sips and we decided that you could tell that one was a bit better than the other, though I admitted that in a blind taste test I’d be somewhat stumped. It was just very acidic and ..well.. cheap-tasting. Then again I’m not a big Cabernet Sauvignon fan, so that probably didn’t help.

I had an idea.. if the aerator improves the taste by a factor of X, then wouldn’t pouring the wine back through the aerator N times increase the drinkability of the wine by NX? I know what you’re thinking, you can’t do it too many times or you’ll be aerating INXS. We wouldn’t want that. So I just did it 2 times. Better!

Actually by the end of dinner, it was palatable and decent. On the second glass, I admit I did N = 3 aerations on poor pacific peak. Even better. I don’t want to wear it out, I mean we just got it… but, it’s doing its job!

I suppose in summary, if you want to drink this cheap wine, you better get the aerator, because it certainly does it make it taste better! I don’t know how to describe it, but I guess I would say it went from being heavy and tart to a bit lighter (hence the aeration???) and sweeter. Less tang. Or you could cook with this wine, because it’s cheap enough you won’t feel guilty not drinking it.

One last point I want to make. Or maybe a question… Where is the date on this wine?!? Why would they hide it?? What else are they trying to hide….

California- Deeply colored and full flavored with essence of dark cherries, cassis and blackberry, this wine eliminates thoughts that quality must be sacrificed for value. Strong, firm tannins and explosive fruit flavors make this wine a natural friend of food. {Intense, Dark Cherry, Cassis, Full-bodied}

Wine: Twin Wells

Type: Shiraz

Origin: South Eastern Australia

Year: 2005

Cost: $7.00

Alcohol: 14%

Purchased: Corridor Wine & Spirits, Laurel, MD

Rating: 4/10

Value: 4/10

Our opinion:

Eeengh. That’s about all we have to say on this one. We drank it… but there was a glass left on the table, which means it couldn’t have been that good. Cheap price, cheap wine. Not worth it either way. Move on!

Others Say:

Winemaker Review: “South East, Australia- Fresh fruit and ripe tannins surround this medium-bodied, smooth and spicy Shiraz. Aromas of dark ripe fruit, chocolate and vanilla are supported by a palate of spicy plum, blackberry flavors and a velvety smooth finish. Enjoy with BBQ, hamburgers, or kebobs. {Fresh, Plum, Medium-bodied}”

From Total Wine:

“Undrinkable; had to pour it down the sink. :-(”

“Skip it”

One person liked it though:

“If I had read the previous reviews, I probably would have missed this gem. Unbelievable for $7. Very smooth.”

Wine: Washington Hills

Type: Shiraz

Origin: Columbia Valley, Washington, USA

Year: 2005

Cost: $7.99

Alcohol: 13.5%

Purchased: Corridor Wine & Spirits, Laurel, MD

Rating: 5/10

Value: 5/10

Our opinion:

We enjoyed this bottle of wine before, during, and after a meal of carry out curry dishes from Indian Delight in Catonsville. The wine is fine…drinks easy enough.. but it’s not great. It comes at a lower price tag than others we’ve reviewed, but also lacks any intriguing flavors in our opinion. Next to other cheap wines it’s not bad but we wouldn’t purchase this one again. If it came down to this and a bottle of Vendage or Boordy, I’d go with Washington Hills, but if you have full run of the wine shop, keep looking!

According to other reviewers, it seems that the Washington Hills Cabernet Merlot blend is a great choice. Perhaps we should give that one a try before writing them off, because at 7.99 a bottle, cheapos are happy.
Others Say:

Tasting notes: “Notes of black cherry and hints of smoke fill the nose of this deep red wine. Sweet black cherry flavors continue on the palate finishing with smooth silky tannins.”

Wine: D’Autrefois Alfio Moriconi Selection

Type: Pinot Noir

Origin: France

Year: 2006

Cost: $9.99

Alcohol: 13%

Rating: 7/10

Value: 6/10

Our opinion:

We don’t usually drink Pinot Noir, so maybe our opinion doesn’t count. But here it is anyway: At first we thought the wine to be a bit tangy, but allowing it to sit as little as ten minutes seemed to improve the taste. The result is a light, fruity wine that is beautiful in color and an acceptable red to drink in 100 degree weather in our sweltering apartment. Nothing too exciting, still a little tangy, but not a bad choice for an everyday wine.
Others Say:

From Cellartracker.com :
“Light bodied, medium fruit. Easy to drink- good every day wine.”
“Simple wine with decent fruit flavors. Was given as a cheap gift. ”
“Light fruit, very nice, good value for money. “

From Wineaccess.com :
“Merchant Review: Vin de Pays, France- Fantastic value in a complex Pinot Noir, from a winery with longstanding ties to Burgundy. An alluring bouquet of cherry and berry fruit is framed by subtle vanilla and spice notes. Ripe, crisp finish. A staff favorite! Enjoy with salmon, chicken or pork. {Fresh, Cherry, Raspberry, Medium-bodied}”
“A nice wine to enjoy with a spicy dishes. Mild and fruity in the front with a very subtle peppery feel in the end. A good wine for $10, though it is not what I expected from a French Pinot.”
“ Most Pinot Noirs under $40 are undrinkable–that’s a fact. PN is a tough grape to vinify and most wineries aren’t up to the task. Don’t expect a lot of complexity here, but you do get a nice nose, some varietal flavors, and and a short clean finish. Romanee Conti it ain’t, but $10 you gets you a brief peek at heaven even if it leaves you standing outside the gates”
“ I actually thought this to be a little flat and not really what I expect out of a Pinot Noir. I am much more familiar with California Pinots, and if this is typical of French Pinot, I think I’ll stick with the USA.”

^ Maybe we should try a California Pinot next!