Cutler Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

So I've decided that in an effort to "class" things up a little bit on my blog (and maybe actually make it worthwhile for the reader), I'm going to start doing some beer and wine reviews. It'll probably mostly be wine since we don't stray too far out of the box with our beer selection, but maybe I'll be inspired to try a few unfamiliar varieties of beer so I can review them. And really, the reviews probably won't be helpful to most people because despite the amount of wine I consume, I'm really quite clueless about tastes and flavors and aromas (Me: Mmm, good wine. Vino Friend: I really like the subtle vanilla taste in this wine. And I can definitely tell that it was aged in an oak barrel. Me: Yeah sure). And I've also never really met a wine that I didn't like, so chances are the reviews won't be super informative or judgmental. But hey, if you're just a plain jane like me who gets intimidated when people start getting all wine-y, then read on!

This wine was actually an impulse purchase on our last grocery trip (as are most wines we buy, for that matter). The reason for the impulse? It was only $3 (classy way to start, right?) But, we figured we'd give it a shot, because if it was drinkable then it would be a great go-to wine on those nights we want a little something extra with dinner but don't want to spend much money. Our original plan had been to serve the wine with the ribs we were going to have that evening, but when we discovered that it takes like three hours to slow-cook ribs on the grill (and it was already close to seven), we quickly changed plans to brats. Which I'm glad we did. While this wine was definitely drinkable, I don't think it would have accompanied ribs very well. For a cabernet sauvignon it was really light, and a little (dare I say) fruity. Definitely not something you'd want to pair with a heavy steak or meaty ribs. But it worked just great with our light meal of brats and grilled corn on the cob, especially because we ate on the patio (definitely a good summer patio wine).

I did have the foresight to chill it slightly, and I'm glad I did. Usually we store and serve our red wines at room temperature, but I had a suspicion that for $3 this wine would be on the lighter side, which it definitely was. I'd avoid this wine if you are looking for something with a real cabernet taste (not that I know what that would be anyway...), but for $3 I'd definitely take it out on the patio and drink it again!