An Ode to Bargain Wine
The Price is Right
Boozing for the Broke
The moment I realized I was a wine lover and also could be independent happened simultaneously.
The Boozy Back Story
I had just started my second semester in Barcelona and my boyfriend had just left to go back to school in the US, leaving me to rot in despair on a beautiful day in early January.
I had walked the two miles from my flat in Poble Nou to pick up dinner from the supermarket. I loved cooking for a crowd and I thought it would cheer me up, but when I got to the store the motivation left me. I grabbed a package of chips and what’s this next to it? Lo and behold! A juice box package made not of apple or orange juice but grape, FERMENTED grape. Six for 10 euro? I’m sold.
Back I headed and as I walked I came across The Design Museum of Barcelona. Its industrial and modern, mostly made out of concrete. I sat, I ate, I slurped my tiny wine-boxes. Slowly but surely the sadness passed and a creeping joy snuck into my belly, and it wasn’t just the wine drunk. I was by myself and enjoying it! As I sat and watched happily strolling Spainards crisscross the plaza, I knew I would be just fine all by myself no matter where I went or who came with me.
I spent the rest of that year drinking Cava in the sun. Since then wine has become a great sidekick. I love it with home cooked dinners, dates with a smart, caring boyfriend who loves food and wine like me, sharing it with friends and reading about its history. Does that mean I am going to buy a $68 bottle? Heck no.
Picnics over price tags.
Why You Should Drink Trash Wine
Enough waxing poetic, lets get down the nitty gritty shall we?
Listen when I say, its all about the marketing. So much so that our perceptions of taste change based on our notions of worth. I recent study shows that the price of a product can actually physiologically change whether we find it pleasurable or not- true facts. Sure, there are exceptional wine tasters, if you haven’t seen Somm already I highly recommend it. I also recommend pairing it with a 2018 Two Buck Chuck because lord knows you will never be a Master Sommelier, so why not save on some Sav.
This is not to disparage the science that has raised the bar on even terrible wine. Advances in fermentation, farming, cleanliness and sustainability are all important and have elevated winemaking today. Another uncontested benefit of expensive wine is the heritage and history of a bottle. These are all worthy aspects to note in your wine, if you can afford it. As a broke twenty-something I hope to experience the wide world of wines someday but I am her to herald the cause of popping a cork of unpretentious pinot.
Yours truly, doing what I do best.
My Cheap Wine Picks
Two Buck Chuck Cabernet Sauvignon $3 - A classic. If you have a Trader Joes in your area, you already know what I am talking about. Dirt cheap, okay tasting and it pairs incredibly with their Arugula and Mushroom Flatbread.
Apothic Red $8- Touted as having “Intense fruit aromas and flavors of rhubarb and black cherry that are complemented by hints of mocha and vanilla.” Whatever, I like the label, it makes me feel like the head of a coven.
BV Coastal Sauvignon Blanc $10- I am not a huge fan of white, unless it is over 80° out. Then pass this stuff or go make mamma a mojito.
Prophecy Red Blend $9- Again, its a label thing. You aren’t reading this list for real recommendations.
So there you have it. I want to be proven wrong, where are my wine snobs at? Leave me a comment and let me know how to taste for hints of cardamom or bergamot.