Episode 7! 2010 Gato Negro Merlot

Look who's back in the mothawinin' house with a big black cat for your mothawinin' mouth: THE GHETTO SOMMELIER! Since we live in Brooklyn now, the nearest Trader Joe's is a 20 minute subway ride away to Union Square, but there are a million liquor stores on every corner (I don't know how they logistically fit one million stores on a single corner. It's impressive.) and while we have a great wine shop a few blocks away called Dandelion Wine, on the corner of my block is a ghetto liquor store with a soul-crushing wine selection.

On the shelf above the bottles of Cisco (I wish I was making that up) is a small collection of wines from Spain and Chile with innocent looking labels, and when I found a Merlot from Chile called Gato Negro. For $5.25 the obvious bad omen of buying a wine whose name translates as Black Cat as well as it's corny write-up on the back of the label sold me. Apparently it's produced by one of the oldest wine producers in Chile, which makes me very concerned for the Chilean people. So what was it like when the Black Cat crossed my path? What is a "Gato Negro Moment" promised by the label like? Watch and see!



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Letter from Louis Geirnaerdt with Axial Wines (La Granja producer)!!!

This is awesome. We're flattered to have gotten a nice email from Louis and we have more reviews of their latest varietals coming up!

"Hey Ghetto Sommelier!!!

A billion of congrats. Hell did we enjoy that video about our Piggy. Wow!!!! Hugely honored I have to thank you doing that. The wine is flying of the shelves by the way. It is our/my target to produce ever better wines for little price. For everyone, everywhere and always. The folks at Trader Joes do understand that like nobody else. The Marques de Montañanas there wine are also mine.

I do make sometimes a video, travel a lot to the USA: In short: If possible we should make a video with combined forces: Make a buzz!!! What do you think. The only matter is figuring out where to meet and get the wine.

Keep the postive energies going!!! Congratulations and thanks again. Huge regards from Zaragoza, Spain.

Louis Geirnaerdt"

Episode 6! Banrock Station Shiraz

Coming to you straight from the backwoods of Illinois it's our first Ghetto Sommelier review from the road. This time it's Banrock Station Shiraz, bought from a grocery store in Iowa. It's supposedly award winning, but what award do I give it?

Episode 5 - Oreana ?

This episode we creep through Oreana's "?" blend, picked up for $5.99 from Trader Joe's. Good in the Hood!

Episode 4

This time we leave the crib and kick it in a trash can to review Los Ojos Garnacha which we scored from our good friends at The Wine Loft in Carlsbad,CA. This wine was head and shoulders above anything we've had in recent weeks, but it was a whole $8 so that's the only reason it doesn't get a shotgun. Drink the wine, peep the game!

Episode 3! La Granja Tempranillo from Trader Joes

This time it's La Granja Tempranillo from Spain which the girl working the wine section at our local Trader Joe's recommended and she didn't let us down. Plus at $3.99 it's the cheapest one yet but still runs with the big boys. We like it! Plus this episode features the debut of the Ghetto Wine Bitch, Sista Souljah so peep the game and drink the wine!

Episode 2! Salice Salentino Epicuro from Trader Joe's

In this episode we review Salice Salentino Epicuro from Trader Joe's (4 stars - .357) a really good Italian wine we bought for $4.99. It's a dark, very drinkable Italian wine with lots of sweetness and smokiness and a surprising amount of character for the price.