It's way past time for another installment of Wine Finds. So I hope the wait hasn't kept you from buying wine.This is when I tell you about a delicious bottle of wine I've found for under $10. I'm not a connoisseur, and I don't use any fancy language, but I HAVE done a lot of research. Over the years. I love wine, and sharing a bottle with friends is one of my favorite activities. It can be one friend, most commonly my husband. Luckily he loves wine almost as much as I do.
I sometimes refer to myself half-jokingly as a wino. My friend Stacey who blogs at My Friend Oprah prefers the term "lush." I think maybe that is a bit more flattering, or at least less unflattering.
I recently bought this bottle of Gnarlyhead Old Vine Zinfandel for 2 reasons. The first is because I love Zinfandel, especially Old Vine Zinfandel. It's a kind of wine they do pretty well here in California. It's a less risky choice than a Pinot Noir. The second reason I'll admit was the super-cool bottle. Again, I apologize for the photo. I had to flip it horizontally and that squished it and made the bottle look stubby. It's actually a normal-sized bottle.
This was a tasty wine. It has the Zinfandel slightly fruity/sweetness, with an undercurrent of earthiness. My husband first thought it was too sweet, but then ended up liking it. Red wines particularly need to "breathe" for at least ten minutes, preferably more, to bring out their flavor. Sorry if that was too much vocabulary for you.
I found this bottle at World Market (what used to be called Cost Plus). Click here to find a store near you. They're all over the place. If you don't have a World Market nearby, you can go to Gnarlyhead's website by clicking here. Please let me know if you try this wine, or fill us in on some of your favorite under $10 wines in the Comments section. And next time I promise I'll write about a white wine.
7 comments:
I also like a good glass of wine.I know nothing about wine except when I have a good glass or a bad one.
Unfortunately I can't really drink more than a glass or I pay for it the next day (or maybe that's fortunate since I might become a lush if I didn't get a hangover)
I did find a wine I really liked at Trader Joes last summer.(We don't have TJ here in Hawaii)
It was a sulfite free organic wine that was so smooth my friend and I polished off the bottle during lunch.Which I never do so that's how good it was.I never felt anything from it the next day.For me I think it might be the sulfites that cause the hangover.
Anyway it was really good and under $10 a bottle...but I don't remember the name!
Sadly, all locations of World Market have been closed in Minnesota. A real shame, since they were a great place to get wine and coffee. I also appreciated their good and inexpensive olive oil.
I've been enjoying your blog very much since I found it a few weeks ago. I'm not a Compacter, but it sure gets me thinking about what I need and what I don't need!
Thanks!
I love a good old vine zinfandel, too! I just "discovered" it maybe two years ago and can't leave it alone. I've seen Gnarly Head locally, but it was more than $10. Thanks for the "breathing" tip! I wrote about my wine consumption on a previous thread, so if you want to know, you'll have to search, ha ha.
My friends tell me the classy term for a wino is "wineaux" - you can't tell the difference when you say it, but knowing the spelling is different will make you feel better! :-)
We shop at a local wine warehouse known for discounts. We have a glass of wine most evenings with dinner, so we buy a case at a time to save $$. Going this route, you can get an average bottle price of $8 or so. Look for the local wine shops/warehouses in your area and sign up for the weekly emails to see if it is a good fit for you and your budget.
Kate-
I definitely feel better the next morning if we drink organic wine, but I don't actually see it that often. It's a great idea, and I'll start looking to see if there are actually any under $10.
Kelly Jean-
Thanks for coming by and for commenting! I'm glad you like the blog and it's making you think. And I'm sorry you don't have World Market, it's the best place to get spices at a fraction of the price!
Marylyn-
That's a good thing to keep in mind- just because something is $10 here in California, doesn't mean it will be that price outside the state. In fact, we generally enjoy really great prices. If you see it, one of my favorite Old Vines is Cline. But it's definitely more than $10- maybe about $13 here.
Betsy-
Wineaux- that's funny! I've never heard that one. Thanks for the tip about the wine warehouse, I'll check that out.
Thanks everyone for coming by and making comments!
Hi, I stumbled across your blog today and very happy I did. Great read and very encouraging as I am trying to simplify my life as well.
I discovered a great Zinfandel from Trader Joe's called Old Moon Zinfandel and it is delicious! I must admit I am a bit of a wine snob and usually drink fairly expensive wines however I need to cut down my budget and this wine is $4.99! I was blown away by the taste which opened my mind to trying other cheaper wines. I bought a couple of other wines from the same family, Velvet Moon Cabernet & Tuscan Moon Sangiovese but have yet to taste them. Hopefully they will be just as good as the Zin.
Dene-
Thanks for coming by and leaving a comment! And thanks also for the suggestion- I'm putting Old Moon Zinfandel on my shopping list right now. I've never tried that one, and $4.99 is our favorite price! We used to love the "Fat Cat Black Mountain Cabernet" but it was much better years ago. It was also $4.99 and that's good for the budget.
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