Skank Wine of the Month | Wine Reviews

Respectable budget wines and loveable stank-ass swill that belongs in a brown paper bag. It’ll be our little secret.

Kirkland Brand Côtes du Rhône Villages

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Côtes du Rhône Villages

Cost: $6.99

Where buy now: Costco

Grapes: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre

Region: Rhone, France

Vintage: 2012

To be frank, this wine startled me. Really? A seven dollar Costco chuggin’ wine?

 

Pronounced (Coat-duh-Rone Vih-lahzh) it’s tickled with ripe cherry and old fashioned red licorice flavors. Wait, red licorice? No, not that corn syrupy Twizzlers crap- the REAL stuff. Decent tannins and finish. I decree at only $6.99, this is my Skank Wine of the month pick.

 

We paired Kirkland Brand Côtes du Rhône Villages with some grilled lamb chops (which you can also buy for a song at Costco). Our total meal, wine included, cost $20.  Remember: here in Minnesota, you do NOT need to be a Costco member to buy booze. It’s separate from the main warehouse.

 

From what the Farmer’s Almanac has been forecasting, we may be in for one helluva long Winter (again). Therefore, at only $6.99, buy a damn case. Your soul will thank you when you’re ready to fashion a noose because it’s still 100 f’ing below in March.

 

If you’re just a drinker and not a researcher, move your ass going to the store. Want to read more on the differences among the Côtes du Rhône region upon your return? I defer you to my pals at Wine Folly.

Cecchi Sangiovese

Cost: Average price $6.99

Where buy now: Costco

Grapes: 95% Sangiovese & 5% Merlot

Region: Italy

Vintage: 2011

Cecchi Sangiovese

My Savvy “Skank” vino d’Italiano is found at Costco right now. For how long? One never knows. It’s a Sangiovese straight out of Chianti country and it’s stupid, ridiculous good. The price point? A whopping $6.99, which makes it all the more delicious. (Remember, you don’t need to be a Costco member in Minnesota to buy booze. Righteous.)

This wine is easy drinking. You’re not going to be swirling a long time, contemplating the latest NPR think piece whilst reminiscing of your adventures abroad. What you will do is pour it in your glass, give it a couple swirls and enjoy it. This is a fruit-forward style Sangiovese- I get this unique, dusty strawberry fragrance. (I say that because I recently cut into a dusty, strawberry that was about past it’s prime. That aroma is this wine’s essence. In a good way.) It’s aged in stainless steel so no strong oak, vanilla undertones nor any earthy funk. It’s a straightforward wine ripe with spiced cherry and strawberry flavors with a bit of tang. One to try if all you’ve been buying lately are big Cali red blends. This will stretch your palate but not in a way that’ll make you cringe of cat tongue. The fruit forward flavors will be reminiscent of the big domestic red blends but without all that crappy residual sugar and overripe finish. Again, it’s $7, so live on the edge. The edge of frugality(?)

Since you’ll already be there, let’s pair this Sangiovese with some Costco vittles. I made an amazing grilled cheese, comforting on a frigid Winter’s night. Take some Boudin San Fran Sourdough, butter each side. Add one slice each of Swiss, Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Colby [oh my!] from the Finlandia variety cheese pack. The only non-Costco item I used was Stonewall Kitchen’s Bourbon Molasses Mustard http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/shop/speciality-foods/mustards/120810.html/Stonewall Kitchen Bourbon Molasses Mustard which I liberally schmeared on top of the cheese. Grill golden brown, then chomp into that ooey-gooey masterpiece that marries sweet and savory. Wash it down with this Sangiovese. Repeat.

Grilled Cheese Stuffs

Not a mustard fan? Well, you’re weird and we will never be friends. That aside, I’d recommend throwing some rosemary, oregano and garlic powder on the cheese slices and grill. There, I’ve just set you up with a paired dinner all for under $10. You’re welcome.

Elicio Rosé

Cost: Average price $10

Where buy now: Sorella Wines & Spirits Sale – $5

Grapes: Grenache & Cinsault

Region: France

Vintage: 2011

Elicio Rose

Rosé typically rings in Spring, but with the sub-freezing BS throughout March, Spring seems eons away. I’m grasping for anything to help remind me that better weather will be here. Remember what your patio looked like? Remember the smell of multiple grills burning food stuffs throughout the neighborhood? Remember not cursing to yourself every time you walked outside?

Besides sucking down 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D and gluing my face to my light box, Rosé will be my third little helper. This trifecta will prevent my soul from succumbing to this never-ending weather suckage.

Today, I was right hungover. After seeing my new favorite local band, The Blackberry Brandy Boys, then staying up eating pizza with the hubby, watching Netflix until we passed out on the couch around 4am, I “made my bed”. So I laid in it. Well, on a reformer carriage. I got my sad ass out of bed for my 11:30 Pilates class then laid around watching some March Madness.

Later, we met a friend at Sorella Wines & Spirits for their Spring wine sale. There were tons of wines to sample and I didn’t want a one. I wanted a bed and maybe a doobie to help me slip off into a winter slumber. My husband got a glass and went with- the old “hair of the dog” strategery. He emphatically sang the praises for the Elicio Rosé. That’s right, my husband is a pink wine drinker. Listen up all you men: there’s no shame in this. A lady loves to see a man bury his face in a pink glass to check out the nose, then wrap his eager lips around the glass as he confidently wets them with the pink nectar.

Anyways, *ahem*, his sheer excitement was quite refreshing for these tired eyes so we grabbed a glass to join in. Wow. The nose had a strawberry/watermelony whiff. Not sweet like a jolly rancher but a bright fruit forward flavor, creamy body, balanced by a mineral dryness. We took a sip, then looked at each other. It’s good. Really good. Wait, it’s on sale for $5? It’s stupid good!

Now, we are counting down the days for Solo Vino’s Rosé Tent Tasting May 19th. Perhaps you think our standards for Rosé are low due to anticipation, but I don’t think so. I think this is some damn good French juice, so at this price, I had no choice but to stock up. If you’re at all on the fence about Rosé, pick this bottle up and give it a try, a $5 non-gamble that will have you sucking down bottle after bottle. So, if we can’t have Springtime physically, we can at the very least, have it mentally. This Elicio Rosé will help get you there, at least until the real thing arrives.