Battle of the Budget

The whole idea of writing about life and wines began with a quest, a quest to tell what find to be interesting stories, and share wines to enjoy without breaking the bank. I made it my goal to find as many wonderful wines as I could at $10 or less. It has been an interesting journey to say the least. I won’t pretend that it has been a chore, but I have run across several wines that were less than impressive. But, I do it for you, the fans! I mention all that above only to tell you that I have found what I believe to be the value buy of 2011. That’s right I am calling it right here, right now.

A couple weekends ago we had some friends over who were kind enough to bring over a bottle of vino to share during game night. They brought the much-celebrated “Two Buck Chuck,” a favorite of our household. We decided to do a side-by-side taste test with the newcomer (referring to our cellar) we recently picked up on a whim. We busted out two decanters and let them each breathe equally. We sipped, drank, and compared our notes and came to a unanimous decision. It was glass #2; the newbie beat the wiley veteran. Okay, I was a little dramatic there but this is a big deal, we still love "Chuck" but we now have an accessible alternative. The winning wine is a 2007 Cab. Sauvignon, we picked it up at, of all places, Wal-Mart. It is called Oak Leaf, and as the title refers to it has wonderful oaky flavor. The color was good, it wasn’t bitter, and hung around on your pallet just long enough. The best part, it set us back a whopping $2.96 per bottle. That is cheaper then buying a friend...well anything at the bar short of buck night. Needless to say we had a great evening.

In our lives, Wine is synonymous with friends whether that is just my wife and I or the small parties we host occasionally. (we are slacking on this currently due the terrible parking situation in our neighborhood) When I find a wine that tastes great, and is as affordable, it makes it easy to share. So I am doing just that. I am sharing with my friends through words until we can “clank” our glasses in person.

Cheers- Brandon

P.S.- this bottle equals out to 50cents a drink (6 glass per bottle)