A new low in Merlot. Low price that is.

October 20th, 2008 by Vinagoth | Posted in California, Cheap and Red, Merlot |

This weekend I had a manly household task to attend to, and declare to Mrs. Barbarian that I have to go to the hardware store to acquire some manly hardware-like items to accomplish my manly task. She, being the most frugal woman on planet Earth, reply that we’ll go in together to save gas, as she has to run to the grocery store for a few things. The two stores are about 6 blocks apart, so she drops me off and I tell her I will walk to the grocery store and meet her when I am done. Being manly, my foray into the hardware store is brief: Walk in, grab what I need, pay, leave. So simple. I amble down to the other end of town to the grocer and note her car still in the lot, so I walk inside. My path to find her has me going past an aisle-end sale rack with a bottle of Merlot there tagged at $3.50. My head snaps. THREE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS? OK, I HAVE to try this. I grab it in my hand just as Mrs. Barbarian rounds the corner pushing a shopping cart. She rolls her eyes as she sees me, bottle in hand. “I thought you were shopping for hardware?” “Already done. Look here a Merlot for $3.50!” I replies. “I bet it’s awful.” She says. “Yeah, but it is ONLY THREE FIFTY!’ I exclaim.

Fearlessly I place the bottle in the cart. She just rolls her eyes some more and continues shopping.

As dinner is being prepared I open the el cheapo Merlot, pour a small taste, and sniff-n-sip…

Not bad.

Mind you, not great. But certainly a great buy at under four bucks! I offer the glass to Mrs. Barbarian to try it. Her face has that look of someone about to be knowingly smacked in the head as she raises the glass. Instead of the 2×4 she was braced for, the flavor hits her like a soft breeze. “This is okay.” she says.

If this is called Merlot I imagine that it has the minimal amount of Merlot grapes allowed. The bottle declares no vintage, and no appellation other than ‘California.’ My guess is this really should have been called a “red wine” … but I’m no expert here. Very light, but nice fruity flavor. While it isn’t amazing (other than amazingly cheap) it is quite drinkable. I’m certain that this is the least expensive wine I have reviewed to date, and unlike a few others costing much more, we actually drank it all.

Not bad.