Thursday, March 1, 2012

Cheap Wine That Doesn’t Taste So Cheap

I tried another $4.99 bottle of wine last night, but this time it didn’t taste cheap.  It tasted like it was at least an $8 bottle…..
Marcus James, Merlot (no year), $4.99 (Costco), Cork, Spain
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The back of the bottle says:
“Abundant sunshine and the right amount of rainfall ensure that the grapes used to create Marcus James Merlot reach their full potential.  Plum and blackberry aromas accomplished by smooth tannins make this wine blend enjoyable alone or perfect complement to savory meat and pasta dishes.”


This wine bottle takes itself a lot more serious than the one I reviewed last week.  First of all, I have no idea what a tannin is?  A little Google sleuthing tells me that is a type of biomolecule that is an astringent and a bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds.  Hmmmm, I guess that is why these tannin things are in red wines and maybe give the bitter taste?  I really need to take a wine class or something, I feel so stupid.  Or maybe I should stop thinking and just start drinking…….

I do know that this wine was pretty good!   It was nothing special so don’t rush out to Costco to buy it, but it was surprisingly tasty for the price.  Jeff is very good at describing what he tastes and stated that the wine was “not to dry, has a sweet touch to it, and a clean finish.”  (Maybe he should write these reviews!)
I noticed that the wine was red, it didn’t make me pucker up (not bitter), it turned my tongue purple, and was gone before I realized that I had started drinking it.  I’m not usually a huge Merlot fan but I would drink this again.

4 comments:

Jean said...

I have found that $4.99 wines can really be good, my favorite is any red wine from Crane Lake. I have decided that it may be rare to find a good wine under $4.00 that is very good, but I will keep trying to find the best cheap wine.

CentsibleRunner said...

Ah, this is where I get my wine palate from! Thank you for giving me the ability to like things that are cheap. Or maybe we are just cheap and it overshadows our actual likes?!? The good wine under $4 is elusive, but we will find it, yes we will!

Unknown said...

I just had a glass of
Marcus James Cabernet sauvignon. I bought at Aldis, don't remember how much I paid for it. But it was not much. I bought it because it was a red from Spain and
I thought it would be good for cooking. The wine is TERRIFIC, and I don't mean for cooking. I definitely will buy several bottles. Good for gifting.

Unknown said...

I just had a glass of
Marcus James Cabernet sauvignon. I bought at Aldis, don't remember how much I paid for it. But it was not much. I bought it because it was a red from Spain and
I thought it would be good for cooking. The wine is TERRIFIC, and I don't mean for cooking. I definitely will buy several bottles. Good for gifting.

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