Jun 04 2009
Recessionista Wines: $5 Fridays
Hey everyone! Z from Autobiography of My Feet here!
When Meghan told me of her idea for this little ole blog here, my first response was: That’s awesome!
My second: Can I do a column on $5 wines?
Meghan ignored my first response (I think she gets told she’s awesome a lot. MAYBE because she is…) but gave me a big thumbs up to the second. Because if I know one thing about Meghan, it’s that she likes wine. And in this day and age? When we are all watching our budgets? Who doesn’t like to know what are the good – and the bad- cheap wines? (Also, even without the current economic situation, I can be a cheap bastard. So. Yeah.)
You see, one thing you may not know about me? I have been to a LOT of wine tastings. And I mean, A LOT. Like, hundreds. Thousands, perhaps. (Well… a little exaggeration on that last)
Of course, if you asked me at how many of these tastings I actually tasted the wine? My response would have to be: three. My general modus operandi for these tastings was to leave the sour grapes to the grown ups, and go have fun racing up and down the vineyards in the sun. Because, yes, it just might be that *I* am not the wine expert in my family, my parents are. And, yes, I just may have been underage at all these tastings.
My general growth as a wine connoiseur (ha. ha ha ha. SNORT) has been, I imagine, fairly typical: I started out liking white wine. Only white, and only the sweet whites. No dry wines, no oak for me! I quickly found a general rule that worked well for me: if the wine was described as having a “pear” flavor or quality, I would like it. And so, for a number of years, Riesling was my friend. My palate eventually expanded to include other whites – Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay – dry and oaky became just fine by me. And then – miracle of miracles – I ventured to the reds… And loved them!
All of this to say, I am not a wine expert. I am as far from one as you can probably get. I doubt you will ever hear me say, “I like the hints of licorice I detect in this pressing” or “Note the subtle cigar-box scents in this oak-y Chardonnay” Instead, you will be getting my non-expert opinion. My every day, run of the mill, do I like it or not opinion. Is it worth your $5? That is what I hope to tell you.
(And, of course, you are more than welcome to disagree! In fact, I hope you do! If we can generate enough interest, I am hoping to host a Twitter-ific $5 wine tasting so we can all sip and share!)
So, starting tomorrow, I (and hopefully some other wonderful guest hosts) will review a new $5 bottle every Friday, letting you know the good, the bad, and the downright detestable. In the hopes of getting y’all to join in, I’ll share my pick of the week beforehand so that you can run out and get a bottle for yourself (though waiting for the review might be a safer option…)
And to kick all of this off, this week I will be sharing with you one of my favorite cheap table reds:
DiLorenzo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (2007)
“Italian Dry Red Wine”
I purchased this for $4.99 from Mr Wright Fine Wines and Spirits
Review: tomorrow!
Can you stand the suspense? 
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Now this is up my alley! I buy most of my wine at Trader Joe’s for $7 or less. I may have to go open a bottle now!
Oooh, great idea! I’ve cut back on wine as my tastes have gotten more expensive, but wow! Maybe I don’t need to! Bring it on!
Sounds like a great idea! I can’t wait to read more of your posts.