So, I’ve been on a rampage lately. I’ve been working hard for all of you to understand this whole price verses quality thing. By working hard, I mean drinking a lot.
What prompted me to do this was a recent opening of a new grocery store near my neighborhood. Well, actually it’s in the bad part of town a little too close to my neighborhood. This grocery specializes in “cheap”. Not exactly poor quality by any means, however, nonetheless, “cheap”.
I have written other scathing articles over the past few months concerning the proprietary wines from 7 – 11, WalMart, Safeway, and Rite Aid. Don’t even get me started on “Two-Buck (actually now Three-Buck) Chuck” at Trader Joes.
On the other hand, I’m just like everyone else out there. I love a good bargain! If I can find a good wine that won’t drain my bank account I’m all for it.
So, I picked up a few bottles of wine from this store. Excitedly, I cooled them all to the respected temperatures and got out the glass and the opener. In the name of scientific research of course.
The first was a 2007 Sylvester Sauvignon Blanc, a winery out of Paso Robles, California. I pulled the cork and was greeted with the expected nose and flavors that come from a 3 year old white white. The wine was pretty good but far from outstanding. Not bad for $2.99. Served with a killer Ceviche, I didn’t mind it at all.
Next, I poured the 2007 Rose’ from Sylvester. The nose was quite nice, with lots of bright fruit. The flavors were…It tasted like last year’s Easter egg shells. Not saying that’s bad if you’re into that sort of thing. Once again $2.99.
My third bottle was a 2003 Waterbrook Primarius Syrah. I figured I was in for a real treat! I love Waterbrook. Their Melange is one of the best under $10 blends on the market. For $2.99 I was tempted to buy a case. Good thing I didn’t. That wine was really “hot” from having too much alcohol in the balance. Dang near tore my head off!
Last, I bought up and purchased a bottle of Vinos Magali 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina. Right away, I noticed the year and knew I needed to breathe this one. At first I was a little scared. The wine was very ruby in appearance and smelled musty. But, as it opened up in my glass it turned out to be a fantastic buy! Dark and rich, with a nice balance of tannin and fruit. Some oxidation, but really not bad for a 2000 production wine. For $5.99 I felt like I hit the jackpot!
Still looking for a few good buys I drove down the highway to Gooseridge winery. They are offering a limited supply of Riesling for $60 a case. This semi dry is rockin’ good for $5 a bottle. Light hints of petrol open up to spiciness, lots of bright fruit, and a nice acidic finish. Awesome with food or by itself.
So, I guess the moral of the story is you can find many good wines for under $10. You just have to look, and know what you’re looking for. Buy a bottle, and if you don’t like it then pour it down the sink. If you love it, go back and buy the whole lot!
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Two Buck Chuck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Two Buck Chuck. Show all posts
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Saturday, November 21, 2009
What Is This World Coming To?
My brother in law sent me a message on facebook the other day asking me about the new Seven Eleven wines that are coming out, and what I thought about the whole concept. Honestly, I thought he was joking until I read an actual AP news release. Then I realized the joke is on us consumers.
It all really started with Charles Shaw and his release of “Two Buck Chuck” a few years ago. The world was shocked that wine could be made, bottled, corked, and delivered to the grocery near you for two dollars retail. Consumers just about broke the doors down on their local Trader Joes stores to buy a few bottles.
Since then we’ve seen this behavior hitting the retail market like the H1N1 virus in a small Midwestern college. Locally, Alberstons has done it with several labels on their shelves, and WalMart hit the shelves with Oak Leaf last year. You won’t hear me writing negative comments normally, but this trend is really starting to “get my goat”.
The honest truth about this is that there are glutted wine markets throughout the world. The industry has outgrown the market, making a mountain of grapes the size of Mount Shasta. The worst culprit is the average California grape grower. They dump the juice on the market at below production prices rather than pulling their vines and planting something else more profitable.
Bulk vintners such as the California Wine Group, owners of Glen Ellen and Corbet Canyon, buy up the cheap juice. They source cheap foreign glass and corks, and serve it to the gullible American public as “good wine”.
What makes me really ticked is that the average Joe consumer out there has no idea what “good” wine is. So, when the marketers tell them that “Two Buck Chuck” is a wonderful wine with hints of blah blah in it, the public believes them. The truth is any wine that is under 5 dollars is probably not worth bottling.
Some more “truths” for you while I’m at it. While the corporate yahoos are out there concocting these schemes, someone actually has to deliver it, put it on the shelves, and bag it for you at the register. Since the entire market is built on profitability per unit, the people who do this are actually providing all of this labor at a loss, putting local jobs at risk.
What’s more, by training the public that cheap wine is good wine, the entire wine industry is dumbing down on quality. If the public believes that “Two Buck Chuck” is good wine, rather than the skunky vinegar that it is, then the market stagnates on price point and eventually good wineries can’t afford to produce a quality product.
I realize now, that I’ve probably ticked off my friend Michael, who owns the Seven Eleven in Hermiston. I’m not out to hurt him. Please, go there and purchase some of his newly released cheap wine when, and if, it comes in. At the same time I urge you to purchase some of the selections that I helped him stock that are good, well priced wines, including several reasonably priced local wines. By purchasing truly quality products from our stores we are supporting ourselves locally, and telling the corporate idiots to taste their own wine.
Enjoy!
It all really started with Charles Shaw and his release of “Two Buck Chuck” a few years ago. The world was shocked that wine could be made, bottled, corked, and delivered to the grocery near you for two dollars retail. Consumers just about broke the doors down on their local Trader Joes stores to buy a few bottles.
Since then we’ve seen this behavior hitting the retail market like the H1N1 virus in a small Midwestern college. Locally, Alberstons has done it with several labels on their shelves, and WalMart hit the shelves with Oak Leaf last year. You won’t hear me writing negative comments normally, but this trend is really starting to “get my goat”.
The honest truth about this is that there are glutted wine markets throughout the world. The industry has outgrown the market, making a mountain of grapes the size of Mount Shasta. The worst culprit is the average California grape grower. They dump the juice on the market at below production prices rather than pulling their vines and planting something else more profitable.
Bulk vintners such as the California Wine Group, owners of Glen Ellen and Corbet Canyon, buy up the cheap juice. They source cheap foreign glass and corks, and serve it to the gullible American public as “good wine”.
What makes me really ticked is that the average Joe consumer out there has no idea what “good” wine is. So, when the marketers tell them that “Two Buck Chuck” is a wonderful wine with hints of blah blah in it, the public believes them. The truth is any wine that is under 5 dollars is probably not worth bottling.
Some more “truths” for you while I’m at it. While the corporate yahoos are out there concocting these schemes, someone actually has to deliver it, put it on the shelves, and bag it for you at the register. Since the entire market is built on profitability per unit, the people who do this are actually providing all of this labor at a loss, putting local jobs at risk.
What’s more, by training the public that cheap wine is good wine, the entire wine industry is dumbing down on quality. If the public believes that “Two Buck Chuck” is good wine, rather than the skunky vinegar that it is, then the market stagnates on price point and eventually good wineries can’t afford to produce a quality product.
I realize now, that I’ve probably ticked off my friend Michael, who owns the Seven Eleven in Hermiston. I’m not out to hurt him. Please, go there and purchase some of his newly released cheap wine when, and if, it comes in. At the same time I urge you to purchase some of the selections that I helped him stock that are good, well priced wines, including several reasonably priced local wines. By purchasing truly quality products from our stores we are supporting ourselves locally, and telling the corporate idiots to taste their own wine.
Enjoy!
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