I will dispense with the usual claptrap about appellations or barrels or whatever it is I usually talk about in the first paragraph of my wine reviews in order to warn the public:

THIS IS A BAD WINE. DO NOT DRINK. IF YOU OWN SOME, POUR IT DOWN THE DRAIN IMMEDIATELY.

OK, so I wanted to have a Bordeaux wine for a change, but I didn't want to spend more than $15. Without any prior knowledge and backed by no research--only whim--I surveyed the rack and found one in my price range that looked like the chateau wasn't owned by Seagram. Little did I know that, way down on the back, there was a Seagram logo.

Oh my good gracious god was this a bad wine.

I visited my parents at some point in the last year and was surprised to find an open bottle of Chianti Classico in the fridge. I took a swig from this and spit it out: it was more than a year old and had long since turned into a very noxious substance.

This recent wine was much, much worse. I hesitate to describe it. You had the sense that these were once good grapes, but that someone had crushed them with booted feet and then strained the juice through their dirty underwear. No tannin, an abundance of tough acids, and a finish that was disgustingly long, bringing back the evil flavors again and again. I can bear to type no more on the subject.

Back to Rook's Wine Reviews, where there are many better wines to choose from.

Don't make the same mistake I did!