Those crafty bastards at Trader Joe's have a new $4.99 alternative to "Two Buck Chuck"...

[Amerigo Vespucci]

..."Velvet Moon"...according to the Winter 2008 flyer it's "our own special blend of Cabernet, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It's been aged for 16 weeks in French American and Hungarian oak to build that signature velvety structure."

The verdict: It's not a gold medal winner, but it's also not Two Buck Chuck. Not the best wine you've ever had but I'd also be willing to bet that it's not the worst.

I Googled it and found a few comments at this link:

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=466974&iNote=622397

"Tasted at a House Concert. Good god it was awful."

"Splurged on the way home from work today...picked this up from Trader Joe's for $5.99. Sad to say, I may have overpaid for this one...I can't imagine 2 buck chuck tasting much worse than this. The nose could pass for something better, but once the wine hits your lips it shows its 'pedigree'. Thin, slightly bitter, and it has that 'cheap wine' taste."

:evilgrin: