Charles Shaw , Merlot Review

Charles Shaw , Merlot — 

I'm not a regular wine drinker, but my husband, family, and friends love wine so we've gotten into the habit of keeping a stash of red and white wine on hand.  When we discovered that our beloved Trader Joe's had stores in the state selling $3 bottles of wine, we decided to check it out.  We've been buying their Charles Shaw Wines, including the Merlot ever since!

The Charles Shaw Merlot is a rich red California wine that still manages to be smooth despite the low price point.  Those in our group who drink Merlot regularly have no issues with drinking a bottle of the so-called "Three Buck Chuck".  They happily imbibe it in the same manner that they would if they were drinking a $30+ bottle of red wine.  I generally don't drink red wine, but I do use this Charles Shaw Merlot several times a week during the cold months in my cooking.  I use this Merlot in marinara sauce, bolognese sauce, sausage/peppers, pot roast, beef stew, and sometimes even chili! This wine provides great flavor and depth to the tomato-based meals that I cook. 

My only caution/complaint is that a few of our bottles of Charles Shaw Merlot spoiled this summer during very hot/humid conditions.  We don't have air conditioning in our house, so temps can get pretty high inside in August... like 92-95 degrees.  I wasn't too worried about the few bottles of this wine, though, as I was too focused on how miserable I felt and how to cool myself off.  It wasn't until my husband opened one of the bottles of Merlot when I served Pasta Pomodoro that we realized that the heat had gotten to the red wine.  Simply put, it tasted like vinegar.  I probably should have been more outraged than I was but it was only like 3 or 4 bottles at $3 each... still cheaper than a 1.5L bottle of the popoular Barefoot, Yellowtail, or Luna de Luna wines. 

Overall, Charles Shaw Merlot is a decent red wine with a very nice $3 price.  Regular wine-drinkers enjoy it and it also is excellent for cooking.  Just be sure to store this stuff in a cool and dry place because it will spoil and taste like vinegar if exposed to very warm temperatures.