Originally Posted by
tfar
A friend of mine has discovered a wine recently at HEB supermarkets that might also be available elsewhere. It costs $3. It's a Californian Merlot from a company (ironically) called Cul-de-Sac. And it's really decent even without decanting or aerating it.
I'd say it's better than the stuff they serve as house wine in airport lounges.
Till
I picked up a bottle at the recommendation of a friend, a women who works for HEB and was formerly the "Wine Lady" at my store. It actually wasn't bad at all, certainly as good as some "Blind Buys" on Cal Merlot in the $10 range.
"2 Buck Chuck"? Well for $2, you can't expect much, but I can't resist the urge, when I'm in a Joe's (which means Houston these days, no local store). We don't drink many whites, and sure wouldn't serve the $2 version to friends or foes, but I'll confess to having drawn more than $2 worth of pleasure from a couple of the reds over the years.
Then there's Coq au Vin and Beef Bourguignon....
I doubt that most, many or even a few of us could tell the difference between Chuck and far more expensive wines.
But then, as a young naval officer ashore in Italy, I recall a couple of 300 lira (a little less than 50 cents in 1963) liters with crown caps which were within my price and quality limits.