The First Five...

Hello, finally we begin! Rather than just make a big list of our favorite, inexpensive wines, we thought we would go slow and begin with five so there is reason for people to return to our blog or simply say, "These people don't know what they are talking about!"

1. Apothic Red Winemaker's Blend California 2008. This is a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Merlot. This is our latest discovery. It is right at the $10 mark and both John and I gave it a 2.5 rating.
2. 14 Hands Cabernet Savignon 2007. A $10 gem! We both rated it 2.0
3. Red Diamond Merlot 2007. John began with the 2005 yeild of this varietal and has been pleasantly pleased with the subsequent years of this $8, tasty and versatile red! We both gave it 2.5. 
4. Explorador Malbec 2009. Your wallet will appreciate this at $8 a bottle! Your tastebuds will be delighted as well. We rated this: John 2.0 and Lee 2.5.
5. Columbia Crest Riesling 2007. Holy cow! $7! But, then most Riesling's appear to be fairly inexpensive. Can someone tell us why this is so? John doesn't even like white wine and he rated this 2.0. Lee gives it 2.5.

So there you have it, the beginning of a sweet relationship, or maybe a dry relationship, whatever the case may be. Try the wines and tell us what you think.

Lee and John

Welcome to our Blog!

First, you will want to know what this Blog is about. I imagine you may have already figured out that our subject is wine, but more specifically, we are writing about wine that is tasty and inexpensive!
You should know right up front that we are not wine experts by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, we are wine novices, infants in the science of wine and wine-making. We just like wine, and though we are not adverse to learning more as we go along, we are very happy in our ignorance for now!

So, here's the deal: No promises made, we just want to share and explore with others, wines that we think are delicious and cost ten dollars or less per bottle.
We have been privately noting and rating wines for about a year now and often we will tell someone about a wine we enjoy or we'll show up to some event with a $10 (or less) bottle of wine in hand and we will just see the reaction other people have.

Gone are the days when you had to be an "elitist" to engage in a conversation about wine. People have seemingly shrugged the snobby approach to wine and are now embracing the fun and casual exchange of wine knowledge and wine preferences. At one time it would have been almost unthinkable to mention "bargain wines" in the company of wine-drinkers, but these days people revel in the opportunity to share the great deals they find in all aspects of life and entertainment. Whereas, opulence used to impress, now savvy bargain hunters are sought for their opinion!

We suppose and expect that there are those who will find our approach crass and sophomoric, this Blog might even offend those of the wine aficionado- class. If it does, we apologise and invite constructive criticism or educational insight. However, if you have nothing nice to say, we respectfully advise and request that you seek other, more sophisticated wine Blogs.

Let's get started! This is a "Share and Tell" forum, so we encourage your suggestions, ideas and stories.
We will be listing our wines by varietals. Our rating format is very simple: each wine is rated 0-3 (half-points are acceptable, but no other fractions).

• 0= We did not like anything about this wine and would not purchase it again.
• 1= It was okay, but we would not likely purchase it again.
• 2= It was good and we would consider buying it again to possibly improve on its rating.
• 3= It was great! We definitely would buy it again and recommend it to our family and friends.

Again, not sophisticated, but it works for us. The half-point ratings are really just us being wishy-washy and not making a firm commitment to a rating. Sometimes this can occur when you try a wine and you think it might improve given a better pairing or if it has followed a really great-tasting wine that is a tough act to follow. A 3+ rating is very "elite" and has never occurred in our short history of recording wines.

Now, just so you know, JD tends to only enjoy red wines, but has been broadening his horizons a bit as of late and has at least tried some white wines. LB is willing to try anything, taking the "what-the-heck-nothing-ventured-nothing-gained" tactic. Also, historically speaking, JD has been much more conservative in his ratings, whereas, LB has been accused of being overly liberal with hers (but, she disputes this accusation).
We are a work in progress. We are just having fun and live by the motto: "Don't EVER lose your sense of humor!"

There is much to be done to get our list up and running, but we just wanted to put our toes in the wine barrel (so-to-speak) before we jump in with both feet and start stompin' around!

In other words, look for our list to appear very soon, in the meantime....what are your thoughts?

Happy Tastings To You!

LB and JD