Today we examine a red wine from South Africa that costs just $4 a bottle.
Bottom line: This wine is not recommended, because it is absolutely terrible.
You’re probably thinking, “HEY, you just reviewed that awesome $40 pinot noir, how can you switch to a cabernet that costs only $3.99 and give it a fair shot?” Well, I opened a bottle of Black Opal shiraz/cabernet in between, which costs only $7, and was pretty good. (And which has been positively reviewed here.) So, I was actually prepared for a bargain red.
However, I wasn’t prepared for this stuff. Explore cabernet sauvignon smells like strong alcohol. “That’s OK,” I thought, “it still might taste good.”
It doesn’t. In fact it tastes like there is something seriously wrong with it. A medium-bodied cab, it has a dry, smokey flavor. Not a woody, or spicy smoke. More like the black, acrid cloud you get from burning brightly colored plastic. Halfway through my first glass, I stopped to consider whether I might have just been poisoned.
I might use the rest of the bottle to marinate steak. It’s also possible that I will taste it again and rush to force it down the kitchen sink drain while cursing at the winery, or myself.
It’s only $4, but unfortunately the 2008 Explore cabernet sauvignon cannot be recommended.
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