The table is set, the romantic lasagna dinner is in the oven, and four noisy roommates have been hustled out the door of your Henle apartment. It’s five till eight and she’s on her way over; then it hits you. Upon purchasing that most illegal of items at CVS, you got caught up in the depraved parts of your imagination and forgot to stop at Towne for a wine that will impress.
Wisey’s will have to do.
The store has expanded its inventory and now offers 14 different wines by eight different makers that range from the pits of Vendange to the college-world heights of $20 Kendall Jackson cabernet.
On a recent Monday evening I bought three of the most inexpensive wines, each $7.99, to try in a blind tasting with my Safeway steak-sale dinner. Having seen merlots on the tables of Georgetown students for the last four years. I chose two of them and a cabernet for good measure. My advice: stick to the subs and beer.
The Glen Ellen Merlot on sale is inky, ugly and without interest. The Woodbridge Cabernet is even worse, with a taste like it’s infused with a fair dollop of cough syrup. Any hint of the full-bodied character of the cabernet grape is lost in a disgustingly thick, fruity brew.
If you must choose, go with the Woodbridge Merlot. It’s straightforward, light and fruity. Though it has no depth whatsoever, it does what a cheap merlot should: keep quiet and remain pleasant.
Better yet, suck it up and walk over to Towne or Wagner’s and get twice the amount of better-quality wine for only a few dollars more. Assuming you want to remain in the world of simple red table wines, grab a magnum of Concha y Toro cabernet.
If either the cold or some young lass has sapped your vitality, my recommendation is to avoid these winees. Instead, borrow your neighbors’ favorite beer steins, pick up a six pack of Heineken from Wisey’s for only $8.25, frost the glasses in the freezer, and enjoy a simpler but much more delicious treat.
