$5

This was the first of two bottles we had that night, and at least one turns your tongue completely black. If this isn't the wine that did it, then for $5 per bottle you've got a great table wine to serve to the children, or lesser guests, while you open up something a bit better for yourself. I'm not going to buy it again, but, if it's on a happy hour menu, it's a safe choice.

Can be drunk with the guys, but they'll groan and call you names when you go find a tree to relieve yourself. The fairer sex will bitch too much, to even try to pass this off as yesterday's fare. If the food is strong or spicy, you could safely use this to deglaze a pan.

I can think of no known female creature you would wish to bed that would drink this. If you try to serve this to the boys, expect a knife in the back.

OK. So this is the 3rd bottle my editor has forced me to taste and report on this day. Not that I mind, because it’s not bad. But at this rate, my accuracy could be called into question, and soon.

Cheap? Sure. Good? Better than you might suspect. Although it is the 2nd bottle I’ve tasted this day. For the price it might be hard to do better.

It’s a very nice Pinot. Good for lunches, maybe some light dinners or just sipping with a little breathing time beforehand.

A note: When ordering wine in an establishment, be sure to ask the year as well as the varietal. I didn’t think it was possible to get a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon – in late 2006, but I did. And the wine review will suffer as a result. How did the Gallo family allow this one slip out early?