It'll get you drunk.
One of the hardest things about moving to Fitchburg is not living within walking distance of Trader Joe’s anymore. I was recently at Barriques Wine Cave for some wine training and couldn’t help making a stop at TJ’s before I headed home. Now I don’t really need to espouse the phenomenon that is Charles Shaw wine. Depending where it is you call home, you may know it as Two-, Three-, or Four-Buck Chuck. Here in Madison, it’s Three Buck, and aside from a wine called Tisdale that I found at Woodman’s that matches it, is just about the cheapest you can get for wine made from actual grapes in a corked bottle. Before my foray into the world of wine, Chuck was generally only found in my home as a cooking aid, but now that I’m a burgeoning oenophile on a budget, I’m always on the lookout for bang-for-your-buck grape drink.
Wine: Charles Shaw International Chardonnay 2008Origin: South Eastern Australia, Bottled in Napa, CA
Vitals: 12.5% abv, $3 a bottle
My take: Pours a pale straw color. Nose is vibrant with bright with notes of tropical fruits – banana and pineapple come to the front – with a light lemongrass back end. Tropical fruits continue through to the palate where the overall impression is “pina colada” and citrus. Mouthfeel is full and lingering, with a robust acidity cutting through to keep it drinkable and a hint of butter in the finish. I’m doubting this is oaked (from a quantity, efficiency and price-point perspective), but I could be wrong. Certainly much more tropical and funky than the more traditional chardonnays I have had, though I’m not sure whether that may owe to its Aussie roots or its quick and dirty production. Either way, this is a fun and flavorful, if not refined wine that is certainly worth its asking price. It’s $3, folks. It doesn’t taste like nail polish remover. That’s saying a lot.
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