Brief Encounters of the Best Kind

For some reason, I am always striking up conversations with strangers in the wine department. The other day, at the Silverdale Safeway of all places a young woman told me that she and her husband like to have wine with dinner everyday, and that, at that rate, they couldn't afford the expensive stuff so they drink Searidge 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. I was a litle hesitant, since Searidge is definitely bottom shelf, but she was so charming that I decided to give it a try. Well, let me tell you , Searidge gives two buck chuck a run for the money. Yellowtail, too! The Merlot is balanced with delicious red fruit flavors and even a hint of tannin in the finish. Searidge and Safeway should get off their bottoms and put the wine in a prominant position in an end display. At four or five dollars a bottle, unless you are one of those very few who drink thirty buck chuck as an everyday wine, this is a great value.