The other evening I pulled out one of my bargain wines from my weekly shopping trip and decided on the bottle of Forest Glen Merlot 2004. I did the usual - opened, poured, and let it sit for a bit before I became comfortable for the evening. Then I finally took a sip - boy! Took another, wow!

Now, of course, I usually expect my weekly cheap wine finds to be drinkable, not always great but drinkable for a mid-week tasting, but I could tell this was different. This wasn't your usual bottle of 4.99 merlot.

This discovery prompted me to get myself off the couch and dig out the receipt because I thought surely I must have goofed and this must not be in my normal five and six dollar range of wine purchases.

Sure enough, I did pay on $5.99 for it, but the recipe also told me that I saved four dollars, so this baby was originally $9.99.

You know, it tasted even better after I discovered that!

Here are some wine notes on this vintage from Grand Wine Cellar: Big, rich, berry, cherry and plum flavors deliver a mouthful of Merlot fruit. A touch of oak adds complexity. The finish is soft, with well integrated tannins providing depth and structure.