Marques Casa Concha Y Toro Cabernet 2005

This Cabernet comes from the Puente Alto vineyard in Miapo Valley, Chile. The grapes are harvested in April and aged for 18 months in 1 part new French oak and two parts used French oak barrels. It has a great deep red color to it.

On the nose of this wine we got cherry and toasted oak. The wine was very smooth and well balanced. I tasted cherry, smokey oak and a little chocolate. The finish was a little to oaky for me but others didn’t seem to mind it like I did.

Overall I liked this wine a lot and would recommend it to anyone that is a fan of Chile Cabernet Sauvignon.

Price: $17
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Country: Chile
Cheap Wine Rating: 93

Buy it here: Wittys Wine

Kenwood Zinfandel 2005

Thanks to Deboss for another great wine pick.  I first had this wine a couple weeks ago at a friends house and we all liked it so much I went out and bought a bottle of my own.  You can find this wine for around $10 at your local Safeway and Giant.  Wine.com has it for $12.

The Zin is a blend from two different vineyards.  Each was fermented in stainless steel and then aged separately in American and French barrels before being blended together and bottled. The winemaker says that although it is enjoyable now it will age well for another decade.

On the nose of this wine we got cherry, herbs and a little oak.  There was also a litle bit of floral on the nose which I usually pick up in the zinfandels.  The taste was full of more cherry and red fruit with a little bit of herbs and mocha.  It was very smooth and well balanced.

Price: $11
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Zinfandel
Country: USA – CA
Cheap Wine Rating: 94

Buy it here: Wine.com

Anakena Chardonnay 2007

All wines from Chile have been of interest to me lately and this one caught my eye. Maybe it was the nice label with the unique layered look. This chardonnay reminded me why I like to try cheap wines and restored my hope in the cheap chardonnay. For me, this is the perfect cheap chardonnay and is the best chardonnay under $20 that I have tried this year (and its under $10!).

The Anakena Chardonnay was fermented in stainless steel tanks, no oak used here. It has a 13.9% alcohol level.

This wine is crisp and has great fresh fruit. Its very smooth and well balanced with flavors of melon, grapefruit and apricot. The finish has a very slight flavor of butter on it but it is only noticeable when tasted at slightly warmer temperatures. Great wine.

Price: $8
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Chardonnay
Country: Chile
Cheap Wine Rating: 98

Buy it here: 188buywine.com

Cheap Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is not cheap. As a result, this wine review has turned into an article about two relatively cheap Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. Read more

Concannon Pinot Noir 2005

In my quest to find more cheap Pinot Noirs that I really like I purchased this Concannon limited release Pinot from wine.com. The Wine News rated this wine a 88 and from what I read in the tasting notes It seemed like it was worth a shot. Most people that have reviewed this wine like it a lot, but I was disappointed. 2005 was a great year for most California wines and chances are that if you don’t like an 05 from a winery you won’t like many other vintages as well.

On the nose I smelled cherry, burnt oak and cola. In my mouth the wine had a very smooth jello like texture to it but I was disappointed with the way the Pepsi cola like flavor dominated the wine and eventually ruined it for me. The finish was mostly just more of that Pepsi taste which distracted me from noticing much else in the way of red fruit flavors. The wine is drinkable but I’m not a fan. That is just my impression though…

Price: $14
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Country: USA – CA
Cheap Wine Rating:78

Buy it here: Market View Liquor

Pewsey Vale Riesling 2005

Wine Spectator completely missed it on this wine.  I agree with their rating (90) but their tasting notes are off.  I always taste and review a wine Read more

2 Up Shiraz 2006

I opened the 2 Up Shiraz 2006 last night and tried it for the first time.  I wanted to wait until today and try it again before I wrote my review.  Read more

9 reasons why cheap wine is better than expensive wine

Cheap wine really is better than expensive wine. I’m not against expensive wine, not at all. I like to drink a high priced bottle when the occasion is right. But overall, cheap wine is just better. Here is 9 reasons why I think so…

1. Most of us really cannot tell the difference
2. Its easy to find and buy
3. They make wine tasting parties affordable
4. You worry less about the quality and enjoy yourself more
5. There are many great wines under $20 that are highly rated
6. Its easier to pour out a bad bottle instead of forcing yourself to drink it because you paid so much
7. You can give a good cheap wine as a gift without the receipient knowing anything except that it is a good wine
8. You can build a small wine collection much faster and cheaper
9. You can taste wines from all different regions and varietals to help find what you like for much less

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