Purchase your very own Two Buck Chuck Tote here.
This question was prompted by an email from a reader named Jon with the subject line "Cheap Ass Wine"
"Alpana--I'm going to a party in a couple of weeks and the theme is we're broke but we're still gonna party.' Everyone is to bring a cheap wine and or beer. I was just going to go with a box o' wine and 6 of Lowenbrau but today I found out that there are prizes for best tasting wine and best item under $2.99. Obviously I referred to your 'looking for decent boxed wines?' blog entry from April but I wonder if you have any new suggestions? And any ideas aside from the 2-buck-chuck for under $5?"
I have certainly attended parties where "cheap ass wine" has been served but only a few of these wines would be worthy of a prize. The problem with many inexpensive selections is that the producers tend to focus more on the package (cute animal, the use of a curse word or character stereotype) and less on the juice inside. The result can be wines that taste hollow, acrid, artificial and downright headache inducing. Nonetheless, I have come across some pretty decent wines for less than $5 but certainly not $3.
In order to answer Jon's questions, I headed to the go-to place for dollar wines, *Trader Joe's. They offer a variety of selections for less than $5, many of which are their own labels or exclusive offerings. I purchased 4 versatile wines that totaled less than $21 with tax.
The two that I liked the most were:
Out of the 4 wines that I purchased, I enjoyed this one the best. Tierra Roja is a super ripe blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The fruit forward and jammy profile reminds me of a Zinfandel but with the weight of a Malbec. Could be a great match for ribs, burgers or anything painted with a sweet/well spiced sauce.
The other two were so-so:
2008 Zarafa Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa $4.99
High toned lime flavors, very grassy and vegetal which can be expected from Sauvignon Blanc but the flavors disintergrated mid-sip. It wasn't entirely bad but I wanted less tomato plant flavors and more of a textural finish.
2006 Aquila d'Oro, Tuscan Red, Italy $3.99
Unfortunately, this wine was corked. On my next visit to TJ's, I'll pick up another bottle and update this review.
I also came across a few other blogs that detail inexpensive wine finds. This is a very cool blog by a New Yorker who is blogging about her adventures as she drinks her way through her local Trader Joe's, one bottle at a time. I Don't Drink Wine reviews wines for less than $5 and the Trader Joe's Wine Compendium is another blog devoted entirely to Trader Joe's wine selections.
* All of my wine selections were purchased from the Trader Joe's on Ontario in downtown Chicago.
