2003 Columbia Crest "Two Vines" Merlot

Let me say first that now in the second month of 2008 I am happy to see a 2003 still on the shelf. I picked up this bottle for $5.49 at a Schnuck's grocery in Ladue, MO.

This Columbia Crest merlot is a wine to cruise with. It's like a fog on a just-warm-enough night. At first I tasted green flavors — grass and apple. Those have subsided and I'm left with a dark, even wine that's well worth $5.49.

A few glasses in, I am still tasting a hint of something evergreen, coniferous. Maybe that's just me imagining what Washington is like.

This wine receives a Wine Thrift score of 87.

The Wine Thrift scoring system weights quality and price equally. That is to say, a wine can earn 50 possible quality points and 50 possible price points.


This was Wine Thrift review of the 2003 Columbia Crest "Two Vines" Merlot from Washington's Columbia Valley. Wine Thrift found this bottle on sale at Schnuck's in Ladue, MO for $5.49.

2005 PKNT Carmenére

The 2005 PKNT carmenére from Chile's Central Valley is tasty. I picked up a bottle at Randall's Wine and Spirits in St. Louis, MO for around $7. A sip of this wine begins in the same way that it ends — with a controlled explosion of pepper and fruit. Don't hold this bottle around for too long after you open it, though. I found that the tannins were a bit harsh upon finishing off this bottle 24 hours later.

I have to say that I had my doubts about this bottle but I bought it because I had recently had some Chilean carmenére that I thought was pretty darn good. At $7 I figured that this bottle was worth the risk.

I say risk because this is a cheesy looking bottle of wine. It has a big red picante pepper on the front and below that a hot pink label identifying the wine. On the pink label is a sticker signifying that this wine won a gold medal from the San Antonio Express News in 2006.

The back label proclaims that "PKNT (Picante) is THE new wine from Chile made from 100% carmenere grapes." This winemaker is clearly excited about its wine and rightfully so.

The Wine Thrift doesn't worry about pairing food and wine. So I don't have any recommendations about "what this wine would go well with." Frankly, I think wine is best drunk on its own, from the bottle.

I give 2005 PKNT carmenére a Wine Thrift rating of 82. My scoring system weights quality and price equally. That is to say, a wine can earn 50 possible quality points and 50 possible price points.

Miscellaneous facts. Alcohol 13.5% by volume. Imported by Classic Wines of California, Ceres, CA. Produced and bottled for Terraustral S.A. Randall's Wine and Spirits is located at 1910 S. Jefferson Ave. in St. Louis. Right near I-44.

I wouldn't keep this bottle in my cellar for more than a year or two.

The End of Crane Lake Petite Sirah?

If there is a Wine Thrift Hall of Fame, Crane Lake's Petite Sirah might well be the first wine enshrined.

I have experience with the 2003 and 2004 Crane Lake Petite Sirah. Upon cursory investigation, however, I regret to inform you that it seems Crane Lake has not put out a petite sirah for 2005, much less 2006. This is a real shame.

I could pick up my Crane Lake petite sirah for $3.99/bottle here in St. Louis. Either at Schnuck's or the Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton.

Crane Lake's petite sirah was my go-to wine. It was a good value. A dark, inky wine that was highly versatile. Mostly, I liked to open a bottle late at night and drink out of the bottle while reading. I figured, "Hey, it's only $3.99. I'll go pick up another bottle tomorrow. No big deal."

And, too, I found I could age the Crane Lake petite sirah a little bit. I'm not talking about ten years here. But I opened a Crane Lake petite sirah 2003 last week and there's wasn't a single thing wrong with it. I thought I detected just a bit more depth, grit, dirt. I remarked that the Crane Lake petite sirah could probably be consumed five years past label. And who knows: maybe six or seven? I have aged some other petite sirah (Clay Station, Lodi, 2002) and wow was that stuff good.

Well, the infamous Crane days have drawn to a close, it seems. Now the search begins for "The Next Crane Lake." Sure, Crane Lake puts out a merlot, a cabernet sauvignon, a chardonnay, a sauvignon blanc. But that petite sirah was special.

Wine Thift Pops its Cork

There are a lot of wine blogs out there. This blog strives to remain up-to-date. Its mission is to look at cheap, ahem, inexpensive wines that despite their price are some damn good bottles of wine. The Wine Thrift believes he can stay happy drunk on wine without going bankrupt. This is the happy medium.