$3 Wal-Mart wines hold their own in our taste test
With more than two dozen comments about Wal-Mart's Oak Leaf Vineyards wines on The Dallas Morning News Eats blog, most of them positive, we knew we had to put them to the test. Could a $2.97 bottle of wine really taste better than swamp water? And would it "fool" experienced wine drinkers?
As it turns out, the wines are better than you might think. The chardonnay won a gold medal at both the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (chardonnays under $14.99) and the 2008 Florida State International Wine Competition. The Oak Leaf merlot and cabernet sauvignon earned bronze medals in the San Francisco contest.
Just in time for the holidays, we put Oak Leaf wines to the test with Dallas wine drinkers. We assembled a tasting panel in the upper sanctum of Adelmo's that included friends and regular customers of the restaurateur with a range of tasting expertise, from casual drinker to a former wine-and-spirits store owner.
The four wines were bagged and numbered before the tasters arrived. The score sheets asked tasters to rate the wines on a scale of 1 to 10, to circle the price at which the wine would be a bargain and to add comments.
"None of these are American," declared former Monticello Liquors owner Danny Chen just before their identities were unveiled. "The two reds were French." He liked the first and third wines, he said.
View larger More photos Photo store "I liked the second one," said his wife, Celeste Chen. "I'd buy it right now. Do you have a case?"
"In the restaurant business," said owner Adelmo Banchetti, "you get to where you taste for, 'Can I sell it?' " For these wines, the answer was yes. He wrote in his tasting notes that No. 2 has mass appeal. "It would be the perfect house wine for most restaurants."
Then we unmasked the Oak Leaf Vineyards wines.
•No. 1: a pinot grigio-chardonnay blend
•No. 2: chardonnay
•No. 3: merlot
•No. 4: cabernet sauvignon
The panel was surprised and amazed to learn of the $3 price point. "That's a helluva deal," said Mr. Banchetti.
Everyone agreed the wines would be a bargain at three times the price and ideal for holiday entertaining. The wines don't say Wal-Mart anywhere, but if you're afraid friends might recognize the label, just put them in a nice carafe. No one will be the wiser.