Good or bad idea to buy wine at Target on clearance?

I am going to have to go with "bad idea"... but not as bad of an idea as it might seem.

See, we got a new Target and it happens to have an alcohol aisle. At first glance it seems like there is no need to look for anything special. For now, it's the typical grocery-store wine-shopping experience that I avoid.

Until I saw the clearance baskets. The clearance baskets with the devil wine marked down 50% off. Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon for only $7.98 (or some other WalMart-esque pricing scheme to make you feel like it's not really $8). So of course my diaper-shopping trip turned into clearing out the whole basket of Root:1 (See! I told you it really is the devil wine!). Then I reasoned that the other wines in the clearance baskets must also be good ... and added more wine to my jumbo Target cart with both toddler seats occupied.

After having drank it all (no comment) I think it was on sale because the wine wasn't taken care of very well while stored or in transit. It didn't taste as good - and yes, it could be the Juan Gil (AKA The "My Love Affair" wine) problem, but I don't think so. I think there might just be something to making sure that wine is cared for properly.

I think it's time to get Brady going on making my wine cellar... you know, for all my wine I don't buy from the Target clearance baskets.

just us mamas

Hosted Just Us Mamas last week (i.e. girls night for the mamas of my 3-year-old daughter elle's friends)... and decided to play "can you find the devil wine?". so, sort of (or completely a last minute game) but I had fun.

I included the devil wine in the selections (Root 1: Cabernet Sauvignon) ... and assorted with The Stump Jump, Pillar Box Red, and Layer Cake (the Primitivo - not the Shiraz). I also added a new one: Dynamic? French, "organically" grown. I'll find the label and tell you more.

So the game was as follows: I poured each of the wines in succession, and asked my mamas to answer some questions (but really it could boil down to just a "match the wine to the bottle" game.

1. cork / screw cap
2. grape: 1) shiraz/cabernet/merlot, 2) grenache/shiraz/mourvedre, 3) cabernet/syrah/malbec, 4) cabernet sauvignon, 5) primitivo (zinfandel)
3. vintage year (this one was easy - they were all 2006 except for Pillar Box. I don't know the year on this one! just for the record, game was made up as my mamas were arriving)
4. old world / new world: australia, california, chile, italy
5. rating 1-10 (10=best)
6. match wine to "look" of label. since all the wines were sitting out for review, this sort of informed the answers to questions 1-4.
7. Is this the "devil wine"?

So, everyone called my bluff and knew that I would put Root 1: last... as the 'finale'. But the surprise of the game was 2 fold:

1. Denise scored 100% ... got them all right! Amazing considering my game was pointless.
2. The mamas favorite was Stump Jump. Truly one of my faves, but just assumed Root 1: would win. But I think everyone picked Stump Jump as their fave. FYI, it was served 2nd. Interesting, right?

root: 1 sauvignon blanc

Root: 1 Sauvignon Blanc
Casablanca Valley, Chile 2007

Me. Not a white wine person. Not versed in Sauvignon Blanc.
But this my friend is a perfect companion to my cooking "alone time" ...

The devil, I tell you! ROOT: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon

It truly is the devil I tell you! I absolutely can't open the bottle without finishing it.

"A rich red wine with black currant, mocha and cherry flavors"

At least tonight I'm doing something productive while drinking my two glasses of ROOT:1, but last time I downed a whole bottle watching So You Think You Can Dance Chelsea & Matt's lyrical hip hop routine over and over on YouTube.

EMBARRASSING.

But that's how good it is. OH, and by the way, that was a Saturday night.

Needless to say Brady didn't really think that was too cool. And this is why it is the devil wine.

I seriously get scared pulling the cork that I might just drink the whole thing - I wonder, will I have the willpower to stop at 1/2 a bottle? THE DEVIL in a BOTTLE!

But I love it.

ROOT: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon

Colchagua Valley, Chile 2006

Made from original European rootstocks that typically do not survive - according to the bottle, Chile is super-special because the grapes grow unaffected by wine-grape disease (phylloxera).

Cost Plus / World Market on sale for $9.99

(but usually not much more than that - an AMAZING value, I promise).

And a beautiful bottle to boot.