Wine adventures occur in strange places, indeed. I was at a prominent west side Los Angeles hospital, as a test figure for a major medical study. My coordinator introduced me to one of her colleagues as I returned from a break in my days activities for them. John had just been given a very lauditory intro to me by my regular guide in this process and immediately jumped in to ask if it were possible to buy $40 wines for $8 from Trader Joe’s. I allowed that this could happen, but it would clearly depend on circumstances, timing, etc.
At the end of my study period, John returned with three wines! They were not from Trader Joes, but from Big Lots, the former Pic n Safe. The wines were Sonoma Creek Chardonnay, second a 2004 Rosemont Estates Shiraz, and last was the Francis Coppola Blue Label Merlot.
We tasted. The chardonnay had plenty of fruit, particularly apple, with minerality on the palate and a medium finish. Not fat and oaky it “held together, and was a nice structured wine. The shiraz had lots of alcohol on the nose, and altogether a lot of aroma. It calmed down, with flavors, including coffee, and was medium bodied in strenth. Over an hour or so, it substantially improved, with a burst of very nice flavors.
The merlot had a rough nose, was flat and, at best, undistinguished. No further comment from me.
Moral of this tale: wine can be tasted in some pretty interesting venues. And, be bold in trying new stores, but test the waters carefully. Don’t spend a fortune and then be sorry.
-Cheers and Happy Holidays.
Joel
Posted by Joel 
