January 10: Pinot and 3-buck Chuck

I like beer. I do. I like the taste of it. I like the way it looks when poured into a pint glass. And, it's definitely my beverage of preference when viewing a sporting event (which I personally define as baseball, football, hockey or basketball). However, over the past year, I have to admit that a certain brand of wine has stolen my heart. Probably, because it's only 2.99 a bottle AND it tastes really good! The brand is Charles Shaw wine; more affectionately known as "Three-Buck Chuck" (I guess it was originally deemed "Two-Buck Chuck, but in today's economy a price hike was inevitable). To this point, my wife and I had only committed to the "red" line, as there's a common perception that such a low-priced white does not deliver a very high-quality taste. At least that's the common perception in our household, where my wife always says "a cheap bottle of red is always better than a cheap bottle of white". Quite frankly, I've never gone so far as to challenge her philosophy on that. For one, she's pretty knowledgeable on the topic of wine, and, to be honest, I find the reds quite delicious, so why mess with perfection when it's working, right? But, for something new, today seemed to be a good day to finally put her theory to the test. So, I invested in a bottle of Charles Shaw Pinot Grigio and popped it open this evening to enjoy prior to dinner. As usual, my wife was right. Even as I poured into the wine glass, the hue of the wine was so clear that I thought perhaps I'd mistakenly opened up the sparkling water instead. In that moment alone, I knew this wasn't going to turn out well. The first sip: tasteless. Seriously, there was not any taste at all. The second sip: a hint of fruitiness, but almost like...well, flavored sparkling water. The first glass: not very memorable. Of course, now, I had to have a second glass as I was fully invested in the challenge at this point. I have to say, the second glass was much more appealing than the first. And, the third was even better. You're seeing the pattern here now, aren't you? My recommendation: if you like wine, definitely give Charles Shaw a try sometime. We get it at our local Trader Joe's in Rochester. But, if you do decide to try it out, best stick with the Shiraz, Merlot or Cabernet. Otherwise, save a buck and grab a bottle of sparkling water instead.