Wine finds

It’s way past time for another installment of Wine Finds. So I hope the wait hasn’t kept you from buying wine.

This is when I tell you about a delicious bottle of wine I’ve found for under $10. I’m not a connoisseur, and I don’t use any fancy language, but I HAVE done a lot of research. Over the years. I love wine, and sharing a bottle with friends is one of my favorite activities. It can be one friend, most commonly my husband. Luckily he loves wine almost as much as I do.

I sometimes refer to myself half-jokingly as a wino. My friend Stacey who blogs at My Friend Oprah prefers the term “lush.” I think maybe that is a bit more flattering, or at least less unflattering.

I recently bought this bottle of Gnarlyhead Old Vine Zinfandel for 2 reasons. The first is because I love Zinfandel, especially Old Vine Zinfandel. It’s a kind of wine they do pretty well here in California. It’s a less risky choice than a Pinot Noir. The second reason I’ll admit was the super-cool bottle. Again, I apologize for the photo. I had to flip it horizontally and that squished it and made the bottle look stubby. It’s actually a normal-sized bottle.

This was a tasty wine. It has the Zinfandel slightly fruity/sweetness, with an undercurrent of earthiness. My husband first thought it was too sweet, but then ended up liking it. Red wines particularly need to “breathe” for at least ten minutes, preferably more, to bring out their flavor. Sorry if that was too much vocabulary for you.

I found this bottle at World Market (what used to be called Cost Plus). Click here to find a store near you. They’re all over the place. If you don’t have a World Market nearby, you can go to Gnarlyhead’s website by clicking here. Please let me know if you try this wine, or fill us in on some of your favorite under $10 wines in the Comments section. And next time I promise I’ll write about a white wine.