Thursday, November 5, 2009

Tisdale Merlot

Okay. So this is getting crazy. We have not posted on this blog in over two, count 'em, two months, and yet it continues to keep growing. This is creating quite a bit of consternation on my part since, well, I feel the weight of expectations and feel like I must do something. But I crap you not we are getting over 100 page impressions every single day without doing anything. Which makes me wonder what might happen were we keeping up with it.

It's not, however, that we don't love you all. We do. It's just that I have been working and Joy has been unable to partake of wine since she's ... uh ... with child. So a great debate has been brewing in the house about whether to carry on or put everything on hold for nine months. Well, six months now, since we dawdled and fretted about it for the last three. There has been some talk of my brother Tom carrying on in Joy's absence since he has been our number one (and only) guest reviewer. But Joy is here to drink with. Tom is not. He sends in all his posts from his own home. And he is not, no way, moving in, EVER.

But the clicks. So many damned clicks. Every day we get more page impressions and more clicks. And comments. And followers. So I'll log into my e-mail and there will be a new comment, and then I'll look and see that we've had more page impressions, and so finally enough is enough! I am here! I am back! I will post! And Joy will too, although not as frequently, and about needlepoint or something. So back off! Here we go!

Tisdale! Merlot! $3.99 at Giant!

Yum!

There are a couple things I've discovered since we started this blog. The first is that I really prefer red wine to white. That was established in many earlier posts. And the second is that, with a choice of reds in front of me, I will almost always choose the Merlot, no matter what those assholes in the movie Sideways may say. I love a good Chianti or Pinot Noir, and I'll drink a good Cabernet Sauvignon, but Merlot has a certain special something about it that appeals to me: Commonness. It's just too uncool for me to pass up.

A lot of grocery chains now, perhaps just continuing with something they've always done that I never noticed until I started a wine blog, like to offer specials on really cheap, generic wine. Trader Joe's, for example, has its Charles Shaw. Bloom has been carrying that crap named for the guy on Lost, Matthew Fox. Wal-Mart has Oak Cluster or Oak Nut or whatever the Hell it's called. Now Giant brings us Tisdale.

And.

I.

Love.

It.

Tisdale Merlot is my favorite $3.99 wine. My favorite $3.99 wine EVER. Better than Lost Vineyards. Better than Charles Shaw. Not better than Amaicha Torrontes, but that was $2.99 and a white so I'm not counting it. But just the best.

It's smooth. Indistinct. Fruity. Slightly tangy but not too much, like biting into a ripe strawberry. It is the sort of wine you drink with friends into the wee hours of the morning and don't notice because there's nothing to notice but, seriously, when you're talking about $3.99 wine, do you want to savor it or do you want it to go down easy? It's easy. Dare I say, easy-peasy?

8 out of 10.

Giant, $3.99
Posted by at 8:07 PM
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35 comments:

  1. I can get this Merlot at my neighborhood grocer for $2.99. It's a steal...
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  2. I always keep several bottles around. It's not a vintage Lynch Bages but there are absolutely no off flavors and plenty of fruit. I've never met anyone who didn't like this wine. Outstanding value!
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  3. Whole Foods in Greenville, SC carries Tisdale Merlot for $3.99. And a 10% discount if you buy a case.
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  4. correction - you only need to buy 6 bottles to get the 10% discount
    occassionally they do a special and give you 20% off 6 bottles or more
    and this is the best everyday wine for the price ever!
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  5. I have also seen Tisdale at World Market in Greenville, SC for $3.99.
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  6. we enjoy both the tisdale merlot and shiraz...some bottles are better than others, but for $3.83 per bottle, who cares? i've paid much much more for other brands with much less quality.
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  7. 3 for $10 here in Jacksonville, Florida. I buy two Merlot and one Chardonnay.
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  8. I like all the grapes. Two buck chuck in St. Paul, MN at Morelli's. I think the Cab is my favorite. I serve Tisdale to all my friends who never remember to bring a bottle.
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  9. Does anyone know where to buy Tisdale Merlot in Los Angeles, CA? Specifically the San Fernando Valley? Thanks!
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  10. It is quite cheap, and a decent wine to have around the house. I'm not sure if I would break it out if I had company over, though. I mean, maybe if you're already three sheets to the wind and wouldn't tell any difference. I'm glad you liked it, though, because it just didn't do it for me. Your blogging is great, keep it up!
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  11. Awesome Wine! I came across your blog after googling "Tisdale Merlot" (Merlot is my favorite too, so I have now bookmarked your blog.) I'm pretty sure I paid less than $3. I love this 3 dollar wine...maybe even more than Yellow Tail but I'm not committing to that statement...yet.
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  12. Gross! Seriously?! I was looking for answers as to why I got suckered into buyin this crap and this is what I find??? Ya'll must not be winos??? I enjoy a nice bottle of wine, but I enjoy a nice cheap bottle of wine all the more and this was definitely NOT it!
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  13. A near-connosieur friend cleaned out his small cellar last week and brought out 6 bottles of 12% 2007 Cab. which had been sitting in the cool dark (floor) since '08 and we were stunned by its character...not to get too fnacy...but that's what we called it...one other friend agreed 2 days later as we demolished the rest...we are stunned by your blogs ..cannot believe its price... looking for it in Houston...any hints??
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  14. I take chances on cheap bottles once in a while, looking for enjoyaable wine on the cheap. I found Tisdale, and I have not looked further. I won't bring it as a gift, because I don't want to look cheap, but for table wine around the house, to take to outdoor concerts during the summer, I love Tisdale merlot. Usually I'm a cab sav person, Tisdales cab is not the best, unfortunately, stick to the merlot, but their Pinot Noir is quite good though.
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  15. Three bucks a bottle, and good stuff for impromptu downing with a walmart rotisserie chicken or pizza hut wings, while watching the football game. My kind of wine when the Busch Light runs out!
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  16. When it comes to cheap wine, this ones beyond "cheap". Not really my cup of tea. i enjoy a nice cup of wine but for some reason i cant palate this specific brand. On the bright side i only payed 2 dollars at Winco in San San bernardino.
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  17. Does Tisdale still make a White Zin? I don't see it in stock at the gro. stores in South Texas. Is it any good?
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  18. I served Tisdale Shiraz and Chardonnay at my wedding. I bought many bottles of each for $1.99/bottle at a Labor Day sale. I really liked the Shiraz. I didn't hear if people at my wedding liked them or not, but I hope they didn't think we were being too cheap. Our venue charged all these extra fees so each bottle ended up costing $12 in the end. If we had to go with a more expensive wine initially then they would have cost way more than that in the end. So yeah, I like Tisdale because it tastes ok and is cheap!
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  19. I agree that the Merlot is one of the best, if not the best wine I have ever had. Sometimes as I am drinking in the evening and in my cups, so to speak, I am amazed at the easy drinkability and great taste of it. The cab, Shiraz and Chardonnay are also very good. Tisdale should be commended for putting out some of the best casual drinking wine anywhere on the market.
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  20. I love Tisdale Merlot. I've got to remember where it is on the shelf of my grocery store; I can't find it again. I was actually surprised that it was so inexpensive.
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  21. I've told many people about Tisdale. We have it here in Charleston, SC at Bi-lo Grocery stores. They often run it on sale @ 3 for $10.
    Not a spectacular wine but nothing offensive about it which is hard to find in a wine so cheap.

    Definitely my go-to wine when I want a cheapie. (often)
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  22. I got the Pinot Noir.

    I literally dumped it out through cheese cloth looking the turds in the bottom of the bottle!

    I will NEVER buy ANYTHING from Tisdale after this. Anyone that would KNOWINGLY sell anything THAT PUTRID should be in jail!
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    Replies
    1. Must have been corked.
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  23. Dude, you got the Pinot Noir, not the Merlot, WTF are you talking about?

    its like saying I got a Honda civic and hated it when the author is talking about the honda accord
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  24. I like it, but where is the year? How come they don't post the year on the bottles?
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  25. I bought Tisdale's "Sweet Red" wine and I am delighted it is NOT among the nasty, bitter tasting wines on the market! Sweet Red is smooth, lightly sweet, and fruity. I will buy this brand repeatedly because it takes good, blends well with food and, DOES NOT PROVOKE A MIGRAINE!
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  26. I tried Tisdale Merlot at a restaurant and it was so smooth and not bitter. I am so glad I found it at a local store for 3.99/bottle.
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  27. Found this wine on sale at Whole Foods (Plantation, FL) for $4.99 (reg. $6.99). Was not impressed - it is very light. Personally I believe the Trader Joe's Charles is superior to this wine. My intention was to get a case if it is worth, but will look for a better value.
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  28. Just recently bought a bottle of chardonnay from Yokes for 3.99. My wine snob husband (who's used to having $100 bottles of wine - purchased by his vendors) actually said it was good! And wants me to buy more!! Don't tell him what I paid for it : )
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  29. My wine snob daughter chose Tisdale shiraz as the winner in a blind taste test of other, more expensive, shiraz wines three out of three times. She was so pissed off that she won't drink it now. But I continue to purchase and enjoy it at usually $3.18/bottle at Winco in Idaho. Why spend more?
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  30. We buy Tisdale Pinot Grigio AND Merlot at WINCO in the Sacaramento area. $1.97 a bottle EVERYDAY.
    Pinot is quite nice, the Merlot is superb, IMO.
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  31. I'm new to reviewing wines, but found the Tisdale merlot to be very smooth. I don't know the terms for wine tasting, but it just goes down easy and I keep wanting more. I just wanted to see if it was just me...guess others agree that for $3.99 it's hard to beat.
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  32. A cruise I just went on had Tisdale Merlot as their house wine. Of course they were offering it up at $25 per bottle! I tend to prefer whites, but I enjoyed this merlot and recommend it as an everyday table wine.
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  33. I admit that I bought the Cabernet to cook with because I didn't want to waste a "good' wine to tenderize a piece of tough beef. Decided to have a glass while cooking. Pleasantly surprised-to the extent that I think I'll have another glass and not waste any more on a tough piece of beef.
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  34. The Tisdale Shiraz is also very good. DEFINITELY the best wine for $5 or less. IMO, Apothic remains the under$10 champ.
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