Cheap, but good

Me and my husband are both cheapskates (though him more so than I am, ha!), and we're not ashamed of it. As a matter of fact, we're even proud of it. One of our favorite weekend activities is to find cheap but amazing wines at local grocery stores. Whenever we found something we like, we'd be very excited.

The good thing about cheap wines is that you can drink it without guilt. You don't have to worry about saving it for some special occasion. It's just some table wine that you can enjoy any time you want to. If you like it, great. If you don't, you won't feel being ripped off.

Our recent pleasant discovery is the Folie a Deux Menage a Trois Red, which costs only about $10 a bottle. When it's on sale at Albertson's or World Market, you can even get it at $8.99.

The taste of this wine has as much character as its name. It's fruity yet not overly sweet; it's peppery but smooth and silky; it has a firm tanin while the mouth feel is rich. It has a complexity that most cheaper wines lack.

The "Trois" in the name comes from the 3 varieties of grapes that was used: Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. These 3 grapes are fermented separately, then blended together before bottling. That's probably why you'll discover something new in every sip.

What food goes well with it? Well, for less than ten bucks a bottle, I'd say, just experiment! It tastes great with or without food. But, if you insist to have food with it, any tomato-based pasta or chicken would be wonderful accompaniment.