Box Wines
A wine blog with news and reviews of affordable wines

Price: $3.33
Maker: Double Dog Dare Cellars, Ripon, California
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Most wine drinkers might not be excited by a new $3 wine, but here at Box Wines we are always on the lookout for great wine values. Double Dog Dare Merlot (non-vintage) looked very promising - a $3.33 price tag, making it just about the least expensive bottle in the shop, and a marketing approach that ’s a bit more clever than most of the low-end wines. The label shows a smiling canine leaping through a flaming hoop. The wine, unfortunately, was perhaps not bad for $3 but was not particularly good. The nose had licorice and spice elements. The flavor was dominated by the earthy plum notes that we associate with very low-end merlots and cabs, and there was a sharpness in the finish that breathing didn’t entirely cure.

Cute label, ultra-cheap price… it’s too bad that Double Dog Dare Merlot didn’t quite measure up on the palate. For about the same price, we like Two Buck Chuck Merlot a bit more - it had better fruit and was not quite as harsh. Overall, we’d recommend stepping up a few bucks per bottle and getting a better Australian or California Merlot. A couple that come to mind are Bohemian Highway Merlot at about $6, Barefoot Merlot for $5, or the oaky Forest Glen Merlot that retails for about $9 but can periodically be found in the $5 range. If you do try Double Dog Dare Merlot, do give it plenty of air - we did notice improved balance and a slightly smoother finish after an hour or more of breathing.

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Price: $6
Maker: Barefoot Cellars, Napa, California
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

We promised we’d report on Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon, the only remaining red wine from Barefoot Cellars left for us to try. This cab, like Barefoot Merlot, made AOL’s Best Cheap Wines list. Like the Merlot, I’m not sure that I’d put Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon in my top 5 list for cheap wines, but it’s certainly a good value in the $6 - $7 range. The aroma has blackberry and cherry notes, with an unusual baking bread note that’s a bit yeasty. The flavor isn’t quite as bold as we’d like in a good Cabernet, but it’s reasonably well balanced. Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon is medium-bodied and juicy, with strong cherry notes augmented by blackberry leading into a moderately spicy finish.

According to the Barefoot website, this Cab has won its share of Gold Medals:

GOLD Medal…Expo du Vin Wine Competition, Irvine, CA
GOLD Medal…International Eastern Wine Competition, Watkins Glen, NY
GOLD Medal…Jerry Mead’s New World International Wine Competition, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
GOLD Medal…Riverside International Wine Competition, Riverside, CA
GOLD Medal…Florida State Fair Wine Competition, Tampa, FL

Now that we’ve completed the tour of Barefoot reds, we’d sum them up as being good wines and great values in the sub-$7 range. What’s surprising is that with their mass distribution they seem to be able to maintain reasonable quality. We see big displays in many of the local shops - not the usual single or double bottle-wide shelf stock, but multiple-case pyramids and the like. These may not be great reds, but it’s good news that the Barefoot reds are as tasty as they are.

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Price: $6
Maker: Barefoot Cellars, Napa, California
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

When Barefoot Merlot made AOL’s Best Cheap Wines list, we knew we had to try it out. We’d tried a couple of their other reds in the last year, Barefoot Zinfandel and Barefoot California Syrah, and liked the Zin more. While I’m not sure that I’d put Barefoot Merlot in my top 5 list for cheap wines, it’s certainly a worthy entrant in the category. Immediately after uncorking, the wine seemed a bit bland; a short breathing period seemed to open up the flavors quite a bit. The aroma is mild, with weak berry and leather notes. The flavor is more assertive. Barefoot Merlot is medium-bodied, with blackberry and mocha notes, well-structured tannins, and a moderately lengthy finish. The balance in this sub-$7 is impressive.

According to the Barefoot website,

Jennifer Wall, Barefoot Winemaker, was hired in September of 1995. “Barefoot California wines are perfect as everyday dinner wines for wine connoisseurs of all levels of experience,” comments Wall. “The wines are affordable, varietally correct, soft and approachable and are immediately ready to drink off the shelf.”

We find that characterization of Barefoot wines to be quite accurate based on the three we’ve tried so far. Next is their Cabernet Sauvignon…

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Most major media seem to ignore inexpensive wines, so we were delighted to see AOL Food picking “Top Wines for $5.99 or Less.” This is definitely the area we like to mine for hidden gems, so we read their picks with interest and will definitely seek some of them out in our local wine stores in the coming weeks. Here are their top picks for cheap wines:

1. Trader Joe’s Coastal Cabernet - red - $5
2. Amaicha Torrontes - white - $5
3. Banrock Station Shiraz - red - $6
4. Barefoot California Merlot - red - $6
5. Barefoot California Chardonnay - white - $6

We reported on Banrock Station Shiraz back in February, and liked it fairly well. We haven’t tried either of the Barefoot varietals they recommend, but we did try Barefoot Zinfandel and Barefoot California Syrah, and found the Zin particularly appealing.

It’s great that quality sub-$10 wines are getting some attention - we can only hope to see more press on this topic.

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Price: $6
Maker: Barefoot Cellars, Modesto, California
Variety: Zinfandel
Packaging: Bottle, natural cork
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Barefoot Cellars seems to be a big presence in supermarket wine centers these days, and we were surprised to find they had a Zin. Previously, we recall seeing only Merlot and Cab in the red category. We popped the cork on a bottle of Barefoot Zinfandel, and found it to be a perfectly acceptable wine and a great bargain for six bucks or so. Cheap zins are hard to find (compared to cheap merlots, cabs, and shirazes, for example), and some of the bargain zinfandels are barely recognizable - or drinkable. (For an example of the vagaries of low-end zins, check out the truly awful Gallo Cafe Zinfandel.)

We found the Barefoot Zinfandel offered an interesting aroma of spice tinged with vanilla and tobacco. The flavor is juicy, with powerful raspberry and cherry notes. In no way is this an overly sweet zin - its acidity balances the fruit and leads to a flavor that isn’t particularly complex but is pleasing enough. In short, there may be better twenty dollar Zins, but for a wine selling for closer to five dollars than ten, Barefoot Zinfandel is a great buy.

This wine was a double gold winner in the 2003 California Zinfandel Competition. Unfortunately, the Barefoot Zin isn’t marked with vintage, so comparisons may be difficult. Regardless, this wine is an excellent value. We checked out the Barefoot Wine website, and found that,

Jennifer Wall, Barefoot Winemaker, was hired in September of 1995. “Barefoot California wines are perfect as everyday dinner wines for wine connoisseurs of all levels of experience,” comments Wall. “The wines are affordable, varietally correct, soft and approachable and are immediately ready to drink off the shelf.”

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Price: $6
Maker: Barefoot Cellars
Variety: Syrah
Packaging: Bottle, natural cork
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Barefoot California Syrah (no vintage) from is easily spotted on the shelf by its distinctive label featuring a Robinson Crusoe-style footprint. The wine has a deep, purplish red color and a faint, flowery aroma. Its flavor is dominated by currants and blackberries, with a rounded finish. It’s not a great wine, but is satisfying and inexpensive enough to crack a bottle open with hamburgers or pasta with no guilt feelings.

Barefoot Cellars has won some awards with this wine:

• GOLD Medal…International Eastern Wine Competition, Santa Rosa, CA and Watkins Glen, NY.
• GOLD Medal…Colorado State Fair Wine Competition, Pueblo, CO.
• GOLD Medal…San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Cloverdale, CA.
• 1st Place…Lake County Fair, Lakeport, CA

Absent a vintage, it may be hard to compare your results with the competitions, but for the price, how far wrong can you go?

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