 I was skeptical.
Wandering the aisles of the 39th & Cambie location of B.C. Liquor Stores here in Vancouver, I glanced over and saw this Spanish red from Jumilla I hadn't noticed before. Listed at $9.99, which is pretty much the (very) lowest price you'll ever find a (barely) drinkable wine selling at in our heavily-taxed market. A double-take had me noticing that this already-cheap wine is on sale as a limited-time-offer for $7.99 (!) through March 31, which for ANY bottle is pretty much unheard of in our neck-of-the-woods. I decided to give it a try because, worse comes to worst, I'll have only spent eight bucks on a bottle of cooking wine. So. Um. It's good. Bodegas Luzon Jumilla Castillo de Madax 'Mediterranean Blend' is a blend of Monastrell, Tempranillo, and Garnacha. All three varieties are represented by black licorice-y fruit, cherries and leather, plus opulent, round purple fruit with a good smattering of black pepper on the finish. It's medium-bodied, and though there's no oak treatment, a few days macerating with the skins provides well-integrated tannins bringing proper, balanced structure. It's juicy. It's tasty. If I tasted it blind, I think I'd quite possibly nail both the country and region; it's that legit. (I'm always EXCELLENT at blind tasting in hindsight!) Eight. Bucks. Have a wedding you're planning? (I can help with that, by the way.) Need a case of something tasty to have on hand for occasional unexpected guests? Only have a ten-dollar bill on ya? Seriously. Go. It's available all over town and I don't think I've seen, or will see, a crazy value like this anytime in the past or near future.
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