Yellow Tail 2005 SE Australia Shiraz ($6-10)

For the price point this is not a bad wine by any stretch of the imagination, but if I had continued my wine experience by sticking with this, I would have missed out on so much more. The wine had decent color, sweet and fruity up front on the palate, kind of dry on the finish (but with quite a bit of residual sugar still floating around). I also picked up on some olive and tar flavors, interesting for under 10 bones (as Mr. Vaynerchuk says) but still rather one demensional!

Very good for a $6-$10 wine ($5.50 at Trader Joe's). Big ripe up-front fruit and raspberry flavors, soft, not tannic, very easy-drinking. Not complex, of course, but you wouldn't expect that from a wine of this price, yet not simple either. Makes a very good everyday wine. Great value for the price. Don't know if you can still find the 2005, since the 2006 is on shelves now, and it's equally as good. Yellow Tail Shiraz is one of my favorite budget wines.