This episode of The Wine Show is a new segment I’m doing with my friend Allison Milhorn called, Wine on a Dime.  We blind tasted 3 wines that my husband Tim picked out and we tried to determine what the grape variety was and if the wine was over $10, under $10, or around $10.

Did we succeed?  Find out by listening!

SPOILER ALERT!

If you just can’t wait, below are the wines we tasted.  I should note, after recording this episode, it was determined that one of the bottles had heat da

mage.  This gives me hope- when you listen, you’ll understand why!

Variety we tasted: Malbec

I was so smart (LUCKY) and determined that we were drinking Malbec. All three wines were vary different in color and taste which made it difficult!  At first I thought it might be a Pinot, then maybe a Cab or Zin, but in the end it was Malbec.

Wines We Tasted:

Silvan Ridge Malbec, Rogue Valley, Oregon $18.75

Silvan Ridge is located near Eugene and this was my favorite of the wines we tasted.  The winemaker is from Argentina so it might not be that much of a surprise.  I found this wine very delicious and very well balanced.  It threw me off due to its light color and lack of pepper notes but it was very easy drinking and it was Allison’s second favorite.

Dusted Valley Malbec, Walla Walla, Washington $44.54

Have you every had your heart broken?  Mine was crushed when I found out what this wine was!  The good news is, we determined after the recording, this bottle was bad.  I’m fairly certain it was heat damage.  Too jammy and you could feel the alcohol burn in your nose.  That being said we both voted this our least favorite and the least expensive.  Having had many bottles of this wine, this was not what it regularly taste like.  Usually nice pepper, medium tannins and acid, and fruity cherry.  Perfect for a burger.  Please still buy this wine and many from this producer!

Crane Lake Malbec, California $6.50

A  value brand produced from Franzia and Bronco Wine Company, this is a great Malbec for the price!  It was Allison’s favorite and my #2.  Easy drinking, a little bit of pepper, and nice dark fruit notes.  Buy a full case of this wine so you have something good on hand when friends stop by.  An excellent value.

Other Than Wine:

We talked about screw caps vs. corks.  What’s the deal?  Is one better than the other?  That depends and this article from Wine Folly gives you the deets on this subject!  What about glass corks?  Read this article by Washington Post.

If you liked this episode and our other episodes, I would be so appreciative if you left us a review on iTunes!  Thank you so much!

Have a wine topic you are interested in learning about?  Let us chat about it- email us at [email protected].

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