Red Knot Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 - I'd rather not!

My first thought as I picked up this rather highly recommended Cab was "That's an interesting closure". My kids thought the top was "cool" when I put it on the table, and I have to admit, I was intrigued. The 'Zork' enclosure resembles an actual cork - so much that it actually pops when you open it.

Sadly, that's where the enjoyment ended.

As with most wines in this price range (Retail $12-$14, Paid $10.02), I expect to open the bottle and drink the wine. Unfortunately, Red Knot left a rather acrid knot in my throat on the first sip. Now, recognizing that my tastes could be off, I muscled through the first glass and poured another. Being so put off however, I found something else to do for about 30 minutes before I decided to taste it again. On the second taste, it definitely got better, but it still isn't anything I would recommend to anyone that enjoys wine even in the least bit. I will give it another try again and post an update when I do, but tomorrow I'm returning the other 2 bottles. The troubling thing is, with all the rave reviews this wine got, I really did expect better. Could this be just a bad lot? Not sure, but the next bottle will come from a different place - just in case.
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Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Cabernet 2003

The other night, I opened a bottle of the Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Cabernet 2003 (Retail $17, Paid $14.42) and I have to say - What a nice treat! Full bodied, yet slightly fruit forward, this Napa Cab was beautiful right out of the bottle. The aroma just lifted out of the glass - so much so that you could smell it from just sitting there. Based on the smell, I expected a very jammy wine, but yet it was solid and full-bodied. It was so good that my wife even questioned how much I spent on it - and didn't believe me until I produced the receipt. We both enjoyed the wine so much we finished the entire bottle - which is rare these days. Needless to say, I'm going to buy a case and plan on stocking more in the cellar.
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Sam's Club - The last place you'd think about for wine..

...but that would be a mistake. We have two Sam's Club's (like a Costco or BJ's elsewhere) nearby, one can sell wine and liquor and one cannot, so I guess it depends on the local availability of licenses.

We go to Sam's pretty regularly, but I usually only buy wine about once every three or four months. The typical purchase is about 3 or 4 cases, and unless I find a real steal, it tends to be no more than 2 or 3 bottles of the same wine. As I mentioned in my first post, I love finding good-to-very good wines for $20 and under, and Sam's Club is an absolute smorgasbord of inexpensive wines. The big challenge in purchasing en-masse at Sam's in that you'll never know if the same wine will be there when you return. Since I suppose they purchase what they can get their hands on, the wines change pretty frequently, but I consider that a good thing.

I've had some friends worry about the way the wines might be handled, but I've never had a problem that I can attribute to mishandling at the retailer. I have gotten home and found some bad corks under the foil, which they happily replaced, but that could happen anywhere, and with the number I've purchased, it's no more frequent than anyplace else I purchase from.

So, the next time you looking to re-stock the cellar, check out your local warehouse store - you may be able to find some big savings and big selection in the same place.

The obligatory first post

Greetings all. Being the first post of the blog, I figured I should explain the reasoning behind why I decided to start writing it and the madness behind it.

For many years now, my wife and I have shared a common passion for wine and have had a great many wonderful experiences traveling all over and tasting the local product of many a winery. We have shared the luxurious silkiness of some great bottles, and have had chills run down our backs from some not-so-great ones. I've found that, while I appreciate all of the 'Experts' opinions, wine is, by its very nature, personal experience. While my wife and I share a lot of common tendencies, yet we definitely taste different things in each bottle.

The object of this blog is to document some of our tastings and share it with anyone who cares to read. I'm not an expert by any means - just an average person who enjoys a nice bottle of wine. Lately however, I've been on a hunt for top quality wines under $20. Why? Well, anyone can drop $130 on a bottle of Caymus Special Selection and know they will get a great an extraordinary wine. I'm looking for wines that I can truly enjoy everyday and not sacrifice my children's college fund.


Hopefully, others will find some everyday wines to enjoy and even suggest their own favorites. We're always looking out for solid, inexpensive wines that can be readily found by anyone.

All the best
JM