God bless the United States of America. Wine here is just so darned inexpensive! I recently moved to Boston to start a new job (Julia will join me soon) and discovered Trader Joe's, a grocery store chain that sells many reasonably priced wines. They seem to average between $6 and $9, and there is a great selection from all major wine producing countries (sadly, none from Canada). They even sell a brand called Charles Shaw for $2.99!! This just blows my mind; in Canada you will never find a wine for less than $8.
Today, I'm drinking Valréas “Cuvée Prestige” Côtes du Rhône Villages ($5.99), an extremely dry blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah. Definitely spicey but not especially complex. A good table wine that stands up well to tomato sauces or meats.
I also purchased a bottle of Beringer Founder's Estate Merlot 2006 for $7.99 (CAD $9.23). Just to illustrate the high price of wine in Canada, the same wine sells in B.C. for CAD $18.99!
