Tuesday, February 28, 2012

I Double Dog Dare You to Try It

Recently I was visiting a friend who is also a bargain wine lover and she told me about Double Dog Dare wines. She said she had picked some up at one of the liquor stores I usually frequent so I was immediately interested. When she told me the price, the deal was sealed. She said it retailed for around $4. Now, some people might be skeptical but she’s never steered me wrong and she insisted it was good. So, one my next trip to pick up booze, I looked for it.

Double Dog Dare has several varieties. My friend had tried a couple of the red varieties but she told me they had a chardonnay. So, I picked up the chardonnay, the merlot and the cabernet sauvignon. And like my friend said, they cost $3.99 each for a 750 ml bottle.

My husband and I tried the cabernet first. When we got home from the liquor store, I made a simple marinated flank steak for dinner and I figured the cab would be a good pairing. It had a fresh nose with hints of current and a bit of spice. Both of those carried over to the flavor. The acidity was quite low and I found it to be quite smooth. It wasn’t bold like some cabernets. It was subtler with smooth tannins and a nice, clean finish. It seemed a bit more like a pinot noir to me but I thought it was very good and it went great with the flank steak. Even Hubby approved and said he would definitely get it again.

I tried the chardonnay next. I tried it alone at first. The nose was very citrusy with a hint of apple. It tasted of apple and pear as well as a bit of lemon. It was very light for a chardonnay and I am guessing it is unoaked. It had a very pleasant finish as well. The next night, I used it in my chicken piccata and drank it along with the dish. It went beautifully together. I have to say this went to the top of my list of favorite bargain chardonnays.

The last variety I tried was the merlot. I poured my first glass as I was making a meal of spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread. Like the cabernet, the nose was fresh with a hint of cherry and a bit of currant. It was medium bodied and smooth and tasted of the cherry and currant. I had a glass with dinner as well and it went great with the meal. It would probably pair nicely with red meat too.
All of these varieties come in 1.5 liter bottles as well. At my store, they cost $7.99. They also come in boxes that cost $9.99. At the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine, that comes out to about $2.50 per bottle. Who can beat that?

Double Dog Dare also makes a sweet red wine, a moscato, a sangria, a sweet white wine, and a white zinfandel. Hubby and I will be heading back to our store this weekend to get a case of the chardonnay as well as three bottles of the cabernet and three bottles of the merlot (our wine rack holds 18 bottles). These will definitely become wine rack staples. I urge you to go and try this wine. You won’t regret it.