Wine at the Dollar Store

[TromboneAl]

Yes, $1 for a full sized bottle of Forestville Sonoma Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2000 at the dollar store.

As cheap wines go, it was perfectly OK. Went back today to get some more, but they were all gone.

[mickeyd]

Old joke but it fits here:

Funeral Director: "And what were Al's last words before he passed away, Mrs Smith?"

Mrs. Smith : "I don't know how they can make a profit on this stuff at a dollar a bottle"

[PsyopRanger]

I'm trying to figure out how I am going to keep up my taste for good wine when I have to leave Italy.

5-10 Euro for good years of Banfi, Biondi and Amarone.

I have developed a taste for Bardolino made about 30 minutes from where I live, great red.

[2B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PsyopRanger I'm trying to figure out how I am going to keep up my taste for good wine when I have to leave Italy. 5-10 Euro for good years of Banfi, Biondi and Amorone. I have developed a taste for Bordolino made about 30 minutes from where I live, great red.

When I worked for a European company, the managers that came over to visit would go to Spec's (in Houston) and buy French wines. They were much cheaper here than what they paid for the same wines in France. I suspect Italian wines are no different. Your biggest risk is which US state you live in. Some, like Texas, have low taxes and good selections. Some seem to think there are 3 kinds of wine -- white, rose and red -- and that's all they stock -- 3 wines.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I had a pretty good thing going with the little corner store at my wifes old house. They sort of maintained a poorly regulated, low end vintage wine cellar for me.

Bearing in mind this is the sort of place that sells a lot of budweiser, cigarettes and lottery tickets and is robbed about once a week or so. And be careful what you step in while you're in there.

However, off in a corner is a little wine aisle...

Nothing that'd blow your socks off...the lower quarter of the california cheap wine makers, a few of the $7-10 varietals, a couple of the washington state decent value picks.

Until you look at the vintage...1997-2000 are fairly common.

These suckers have been sitting on the shelf for 6+ years!

Never bought a bad bottle. All aged in the semi temperature controlled store environment and apparently somewhat enhanced by witnessing hundreds of people pulling out firearms. All still with their original $5-10 price tags. Little bit of dust.

Never could figure out why they didnt just get rid of the stuff and stop carrying it, since nobody was buying. The phrase "I aint gonna buy any of this frickin OLD wine, I want some NEW stuff" had been uttered more than a few times. Maybe its because the ownership kept changing every couple of years and the owners were too busy nervously checking out everybody who came into the store...

[Shredder]

Make your own wine at home.........Shredder

www.winexpert.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by PsyopRanger I'm trying to figure out how I am going to keep up my taste for good wine when I have to leave Italy. 5-10 Euro for good years of Banfi, Biondi and Amorone. I have developed a taste for Bordolino made about 30 minutes from where I live, great red.

[2B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shredder Make your own wine at home.........Shredder www.winexpert.com

I tried once and decided that at my price per bottle I could buy anything I wanted and save a small fortune.

[Shredder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2B I tried once and decided that at my price per bottle I could buy anything I wanted and save a small fortune.

How so? My cost per bottle of some pretty high end wine is at most $3-4, most much less. One high end kit, is say $100, and that is real high end. Out of that you get 30 750ml bottles. Most of my kits are much less, and my fruit wine, cost me mostly time and fruit cost, if I buy fruit. We pick wild berries and grow some things. The methods* and kits have come a long way in quality also. Many kits win at wine competitions. My equipment costs were maybe $120 or so, and they are one time costs, and I have over 300 bottles in my cellar, and have made I'm guessing 600 more bottles or there about. The bottles are free from friends who save them for me or restaurants, and some I've bought used at $5 per case. Corks are $20 for 100 top quality ones. I find it a rewarding hobbie, and not expensive when compared to buying wine. Of course I would never have bought 300 bottles of wine, and much of my wine is givin away, so that is not cost effective, but compared to my other hobbies, like fishing, it is way cheap....shredder

[2B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shredder How so?

You obviously lack my skills and capablilities. I made a single attempt and managed to have 2 bottles explode in my closet. What didn't explode tasted like paint thinner with a hint of apples and perspiration. I only tried to make 24 bottles and ended up throwing most of them away to protect my vision.

Beer and wine making interest me and it's probably something I might try when I'm truly retired.

[Shredder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2B Beer and wine making interest me and it's probably something I might try when I'm truly retired.

If you ever decide to try again start with kits, they are hard to screw up. The biggest expenditure is time, I never had time while I was working either. Besides the time to make them, most good wines take a year or so to hit their peak. .......Shredder

[brewer12345]

Shredder, have you seen or used any of the wine kegging kits? The biggest reason I don't monkey with kits (and the reason I have 5 gal of cyser and 5 gal of white wine sitting in carboys) is that I have no time to screw around with bottling. With beer, I just run it off to the kegs and Bob's your uncle. I am considerig getting a nitroen tank a regulator to dispense non-fizzy wine.

[Scrooge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shredder If you ever decide to try again start with kits, they are hard to screw up.

You are clearly underestimating your audience!

[Shredder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Shredder, have you seen or used any of the wine kegging kits?* The biggest reason I don't monkey with kits (and the reason I have 5 gal of cyser and 5 gal of white wine sitting in carboys) is that I have no time to screw around with bottling.* With beer, I just run it off to the kegs and Bob's your uncle.* I am considerig getting a nitroen tank a regulator to dispense non-fizzy wine.

Have seen them, not used them. I agree kegging would be easier. I guess I'm weird, in that I like bottling day for beer or wine. I get into a zen like rhythm, have some tunes on and go to it. And you get to stare at all those bottles that you have made. I even label and put on those fancy cork shink wrap thingys on the wine bottles, the beer only gets a letter on the cap, R for red ale B for belgian and so on. Of course it gets down to the fact, I have time to mess with it, now that I'm unemployed. Plus I don't think the DW would go for a keggerater in the house........shredder

[Shredder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrooge You are clearly underestimating your audience!*

Could be, could be, and if you don't like to mess with it why bother? Kinda like canning veggies, or growing a garden. You gotta like it............shredder

BTW back on thread, I really wish there was a place to buy 2 buck chuck or similar around here, since there is not I'm forced to improvise. I would imagine all those solders in Iraq are not going with out, and some are improvising too

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shredder Have seen them, not used them. I agree kegging would be easier. I guess I'm weird, in that I like bottling day for beer or wine. I get into a zen like rhythm, have some tunes on and go to it. And you get to stare at all those bottles that you have made. I even label and put on those fancy cork shink wrap thingys on the wine bottles, the beer only gets a letter on the cap, R for red ale B for belgian and so on. Of course it gets down to the fact, I have time to mess with it, now that I'm unemployed. Plus I don't think the DW would go for a keggerater in the house........shredder

Ah, that is where you have it wrong. Don't buy a kegerator. Use a fridge. I have a serving fridge in the basement that will hold 3 kegs at a time. The freezer and part of the fridge are overflow for the kitchen fridge. Plus if your DW is hankering for a new fridge, you just move the older fridge to the basement/porch/whatever to use as the serving fridge.

[Shredder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Ah, that is where you have it wrong.* Don't buy a kegerator.* Use a fridge.* I have a serving fridge in the basement that will hold 3 kegs at a time.* The freezer and part of the fridge are overflow for the kitchen fridge.* Plus if your DW is hankering for a new fridge, you just move the older fridge to the basement/porch/whatever to use as the serving fridge.

I know what your saying. If I went the kegerator route I'd buy a used fridge/freezer for making it. I just don't have room. I have no basement, I have about 300 bottles of wine on racks in the crawl space, on a homemade rack, along with several cases of barleywine and a Belgian trippel ale. I keep maybe 15 bottles of wine and a case of beer or so up here. My spare bedroom/fermenting room/bulk wine storage room/ office/ sewing room/ironing/ library room is kinda full. I have a large stand up freezer and a smaller fridge in the garage already, along with a work shop, 3 bikes, tons of hiking, camping, tennis, fishing stuff. I only have a 1600sf house with a 2 car garage and a 8x8 storage shed. I'm to the point that if I start a new hobby I have to eliminate another one, or move. If I had a basement I would probably make a kegerator, but would still bottle wine....shredder