Price: $8

Producer: Rothbury Estate (Beringer Blass)

Origin: Southeast Australia

Type of wine: Dry red wine made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape

Try it with: Tasty by itself. Sun dried tomato pizza, grilled Portobello mushrooms, Monday night meatloaf

Date Reviewed: March 2004

I had serious doubts about this 8-buck Cabernet. But I was pleasantly surprised. This isn’t your granddaddy’s Cabernet. It’s made in a very fruity, exuberant style. Rothbury Cabernet is an inky color, almost purple. It has a nice bundle of scents: blackberries, black currants, vanilla and a dry brush aroma (brush, as in tumbleweeds). It is light in body for a Cabernet. In the mouth it is balanced with tannins that were pointed but not overpowering. The flavors are nice and simple – red berry with a little bit of that “berry fuzz” flavor you get from eating fresh raspberries. Pleasant to drink and easy on the wallet.