7 Deadly Zins (2007, Lodi, California)

[4 stars, out of 5]

We tasted this as part of a flight for my sister-in-law's 30th birthday. She's a little new to wine tasting and wasn't a fan, but I thought it was a great buy at $14.99 and an easy drink. Color was deep garnet, with a nose of clove and spices. It had medium-full body and was round and flavorful in my mouth. I thought it tasted like smoke, BBQ, and dark berries; another taster said it tasted like sex. Good with smoked food and BBQ meats. I am a big Zin fan and will probably pick this up again soon.

Bitch Grenache (South Australia, 2008)

[2 stars, out of 5]

I picked this bottle up for a tasting weekend as a gag, because the name was funny and the bottle was cute. I guess you really do get what you pay for. Price: $9.99.

Out of our panel of 5 tasters, only 1 even reached for a glass of this. The color was a gorgeous ruby, very fruity like strawberry jam. It's obviously a young wine, no development to speak of. It had very light body with low tannins and weak flavors of earth and blackberry. The finish was long (5-7 seconds). We all agreed that the wine was flabby and blah, and we wouldn't buy it again.