Saturday the goal is to go wine shopping/slumming. The target is Trader Joe's and the obsession is to see Two Buck Chuck. Worse comes to worse, we will look at wine in a cask (box). I am interested in seeing how wines in Australia, Chile and other places compare to wines in California. Let's face it, the microclimates are the same even though the seasons are different with respect to the calendar. Well, of course, I have never compared actual land geography of the areas so maybe I am mistaken about microclimates. I figure though that the primarily important components are sun duration, soil condition, humidity, and migrant labor.

After lunch at Picante located in Alameda, the targets were acquired at Trader Joe's. The following were obtained for less than $7.

2000 Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon California ($1.99)

2001 Charles Shaw California Merlot California ($1.99)

2000 Forest Ville Caberneet Sauvignon California ($3.99)

2002 San Andres Cabernet Merlot Lontue Valley ? Chile ($2.99)

2001 Barton & Gustier Cabernet Sauvignon vin de Pays D'oc ? France ($3.99)

2002 [ yellow tail ] shiraz ? Southeastern Australia ($4.99)

1997 Monasterio de Tentudia Tempranillo ? Spain ($4.99)

The taste test was under way with Charles Shaw Cab already open when disaster struck. My 21" Apple monitor created a buzzing noise and then the monitor went off. I could not turn it on again. Just today, I searched for a place that would repair it. Unfortunately, I learned later on that when cathode ray tube monitor are repaired, they have a tendency to explode. Thus, most monitors are not repaired. They are just thrown and recycled.

The Charles Shaw Cab, otherwise known as "Two Buck Chuck" has a mixed reputation among people. I wanted to find out the real story. Compared to the Five Rivers Ranch, the $2 wine is not comparable; it has this bitter aftertaste. Although, you tend to get used to it after a while.

REtong