$100 Challenge

Final thoughts on the $100 Wine Challenge

Cynthia:

What have I learned from this wine challenge? First of all, I had a lot of fun with this challenge, more than I expected at the beginning- not only because I got to drink ten bottles of wine, but because I had this experience with Jay, and it was fun sharing our opinions and figuring out which wine we were going to try next and what we would serve it with. It was also fun having our Wine Sherpa, Gerald, select the wines, and getting his feedback and hearing from other people who were following along with the “Wine Challenge”. Hopefully we have empowered some other wine novices to get out there with an open mind and try something different.

And, I have learned that it is really possible to have a nice wine experience for a small amount of money. In other countries, sitting down with friends and family and opening a bottle of wine for dinner is not an unusual thing. I think that here in the United States, it tends to be more of a “special occasion” thing, where there is a lot of pressure to purchase an expensive bottle of wine. That’s a pity because we are really missing out. I’m not saying that we should all begin drinking wine every day, or drink irresponsibly, just that we should recognize that sharing a bottle of wine can be a fun addition to an “everyday” occasion. (Besides- the red wine has medicinal benefits !) Also, opening a bottle of wine does not necessarily mean that you need to drain the entire bottle. I’ve learned that cooking with wine can be fun. Adding a little wine to the right dish can enhance it. The alcohol evaporates during the cooking process, but the delicious flavor remains !

I’ve also learned that it doesn’t matter what anyone else, or any “expert” thinks about a particular grape, or a particular type of wine, or winery. At the end of the day, the opinion that counts is mine. There is no “right” or “wrong”, and I have learned a lot about my own personal tastes. Cheers everyone !

Jay:

What a blast this was! We took our time and went through 10 bottles of wine, each of which cost $10 or less. We found some gems and we refined our tastes and expectations. I don’t think I will ever be a wine savant or anything and that’s why it’s good to have a guide like Gerald to help us navigate the complex and bewildering world of wine. I’ve enjoyed the feedback I’ve received, both through this blog and just running into people while out and about that have commented on this project. I hope it has been entertaining and informative. Perhaps we’ll do more. At the very least I hope to just document the various things we’re tying so we have a reference for ourselves to assist us in remembering what we like and dislike.

Thanks for following along!

Wine #10 in the $100 Wine Challenge

Winery: Chateau De Lavagnac
Country: France
Vintage: 2006
Price: $9.80

Cynthia’s Review:

According to the label, this wine is 70% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. We served this wine with what I would consider a pretty heavy meal: Appetizer of crackers and my homemade triple-garlic hummus, strip steaks, potatoes augratin and spinach. The wine had a nice aroma and initially a nice flavor, but kind of a dead taste at the end. (I guess wine folks would call that a poor “finish”) The lack of finish was less noticeable with the heavy food, but still there. I wanted to like this wine, but found myself trying to overpower it on purpose with the food. This wine was definitely not terrible, but I probably would not buy it again, and I really wouldn’t drink it as a “stand alone” wine. If I could give this wine somewhere between a “Yay” and a “Nay” I would, but since I am limited to one or the other- I give it a “Nay”.

Jay’s Review

This is the first Bordeaux I recall drinking, at least with the mind to pay attention to it.

I really liked the smell or “nose” of this wine. When I poured the first glass I was immediately struck by how pleasant it was. The flavor, however, did not live up to the hype of the aroma. Somewhat thin overall. It was good with the food Cynthia served, but didn’t really enhance the meal the way a more flavorful wine might. Not to say this was a bad pairing with food, to the contrary. I could see where a bit more sophisticated, older vintage Bordeaux could have really made this meal exceptional. I think if your just looking for a school night wine to have a glass and catch up on some TV or do a little reading this might be a good choice, but after the previous 9 wines we tasted in this challenge I think I would opt for something I know I really liked. So I guess that’s a “nay” from me.

Wine #9 in the $100 Wine Challenge

Winery: Ashwood Grove
Vintage: 2006
Price: $8.99

Cynthia’s Review:

OK-Back to Australia- land of screw-top bottles! Fortunately, our Wine Sherpa warned us ahead of time that this wine would not stand up well with food, so we drank this on a “school night” with wine and crackers. The wine was smooth and pleasant, but I can understand why we were warned against pairing it with food- I was even wishing that I had a blander cheese to serve it with. I did like this wine, but I must say that it didn’t inspire me to want to experiment with any other Petit Verdots. Although this definitely was not my favorite wine in our challenge, I still give it a “Yay” along with some strong advice to drink this only as a “stand alone” wine.

Jay’s Review

When selecting our wines for the challenge we gave the other store clerks at Spec’s veto power if they wanted to replace any of the wines selected for us by Gerald with something they thought might be more interesting. Early on in the selection phase Gerald picked out a Petit Sirah which technically we’d had before but also technically fit the rules of the $100 challenge. When one of the clerks used his veto to replace the Sirah with the Verdot my heart sank a little because I LOVE the Petit Sirah. As Cynthia mentioned, we were warned against having this wine food of any substance so we had some mild cheese with some crackers. Overall, the wine was good. Pleasant, smooth and quite drinkable. Sadly, because this wine was a reminder of the Sirah that never was I think it was doomed not to get a totally fair shake from me. I don’t think we’ll repeat this one, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with it. Especially if you are looking for a good wine to have socially or with appetizers. A “yay” from me.

Wine #7 in the $100 Wine Challenge

Winery: Sacred Stone
Type: Blend
Vitnage: 2007
Price: $9.49

Cynthia’s Review

The label on this wine indicates that “it makes every meal magical”. In my opinion, it could only be black magic ! I thought it had a very sour taste. At least the sourness was consistent- it was consistently sour on its own, with wine and cheese, and with a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. The label goes on to say that the wine is “ideal for pairing with your favorite outdoor and other casual cuisine”. Perhaps spaghetti and meatballs does not fall under the heading of casual cuisine, but I honestly can’t think of any meal that I think would be good paired with this wine. After a first bad glass of wine, I typically would have just used the rest for cooking with, but I have to admit that we drank the whole bottle. To be fair, that is just because it was Friday evening and I had a really hideous and craptacular week at work. So I guess you can say that this wine is better than no wine- but not by much ! This is my first fully resounding NAY !

Jay’s Review

This wine was quite bold. I found it to be very robust in its flavor, but not very sophisticated in its blend. I liked the way the wine came on, but as Cynthia mentioned it had a rather sour finish. It held out the promise of being a deep, full bodied red wine with rich textures and flavors but just didn’t deliver. The wine mellowed a bit after it had been open for a while and had a chance to decant, but it was too little, too late. It wasn’t horrible and I did do my part to finish off the bottle, but its not a wine I will likely purchase again. I have to give it a “nay.”

Wine #6 in the $100 Wine Challenge

Winery: Uma
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Country: Argentina
Vitnage: 2008
Price: $9.98

Cynthia’s Review

This was definitely not a shy wine. We paired this wine with a fairly strongly flavored meal of teriyaki salmon fillets and cous cous with roasted garlic and pine nuts, and I enjoyed it. Because the wine was so strong, it did border on the edge of having a sour aftertaste, but that might just be my uneducated palate mistaking the strength of the wine for something else. It definitely had a nice aroma, and a deep color. I don’t have much experience at all with wines from Argentina (other than a few tasty Malbecs!) but was happy to be back in the Land of Corks after the California Screw Top experience. (Call me crazy- a bottle of wine should have a cork- it just should!) If we serve this wine again, I think it might best go with a full-on Jay-style Red Meat and Potatoes meal. Although this was not my favorite wine in the challenge, it was good, and deserves a “yay” vote from me.

Jay’s Review

I am not shy about my love of a good Malbec. And I have had my share of more than one very tasy Malbec from Argentina, even one from Uma Colección so I guess my expectations may have been set high coming out the shoot. Sadly, my initial impression of this wine was that it was too sour/bitter. It just really seemed to have a lot going in, none of it too pleasant. When taken with food, it seemed to settle a bit and by the time I was finishing my last glass the wine seemed to have mellowed from having been decanted for a little while. This wine just didn’t suit my tastes at all. I haven’t thrown in the towel on Cabernet Sauvignon’s all together, but I will ask our wine Sherpa to steer us down another path when we make our way back to the Cabs. Sorry say, it’s a “nay” from Jay.

Country: SPAIN
Region: ARAGON
Sub-Region: CARINENA
Grape Varietal: GARNACHA
Type: Still wine
Price: $8.99

Our fourth wine in the $100 Wine Challenge

Cynthia’s Review

I must admit that I do like a good Grenache- so possibly I was not the most objective with the Castillo De Monséran Garnacha. (I am also predisposed to like wines from Spain, to be completely honest !) We served this wine with a very casual dinner of turkey sausages topped with sautéed tomato, red pepper and onions, along with honey mustard, and accompanied by delicious sweet potato French fries. I really enjoyed this wine but I have to admit that I thought it had a peculiar odor. The flavor of the wine was just fine, as long as I didn’t get a nose full of the aroma, which was decidedly antiseptic. I wondered if the alcohol content was really high on this wine, which would account for the antiseptic smell, but the label on the bottle indicates an alcohol content of 12.5% by volume, which doesn’t seem really out of line with the other wines in our ”wine challenge”. The wine stood up well, both on its own, with an appetizer of cheese and crackers, and with the main meal. I think you could pair this wine with a huge variety of different cuisines and still have a wonderful experience. As I continue to learn about wines, this was another instance in which I could taste the fruit without confusing it with sweetness. (Still a hard lesson for me to grasp!) When drinking a wine on a “school night” I typically like to leave half a glass of wine to enjoy during my evening bubble bath, but this one was so delicious that I didn’t have the willpower to leave the requisite half glass- just drank it all. This wine receives a “yay” from me. Thanks Gerald !

Jay’s Review

I too must confess a weakness for the Spanish wines. This is probably because it is a reminder of our recent trips to visit. Although we didn’t consume as much wine on our first trip as we did on our second.

After uncorking the bottle I poured two full glasses and we each had a sip. I commented that it tasted pretty good and Cynthia said she liked the taste but didn’t care for the smell. I guess I wasn’t being a proper wine taster because I failed to have the customary swirl and sniff prior to taking the first taste. I brought the glass back to my nose and took a snort. Immediately I was stuck by how much the smell reminded me of being at the doctor. You know when they wipe you down with the alcohol swab before plunging the needle into your arm? It was that smell. Not overwhelming and not all together unpleasant, but it was a bit hard to shake once you noticed it.

The wine was quite delicious. I found it fruity and just the slightest bit of a sweet taste on the finish. And smooooooth! This wine paired extremely well with the sausage dish Cynthia had prepared and was equally pleasant with some after dinner crackers and cheese.

I give Gerald (our wine Sherpa) an enthusiastic “yay” on this one, even WITH the antiseptic smell.