You might be familiar with this scenario: You’re at a tasting, trying some delightfully obscure wines that were saved for the end. Everyone’s trying to one up each other on what they’ve drank, who they’ve drank with, and what bottles they have collecting dust at home.
Somebody’s tag along, perhaps you, naively chirps in something like, “I love Castle Rock Cab, it’s such a great wine!”
Eyes around the room dart about, pupils dilated in fits of pompous laughter before someone breaks the awkward silence with, “There really are a lot of good, affordable Tuesday night wines available these days…” 
The truth is, those “Tuesday night wines” performed just as well, and sometimes even better than their pricier, sexier siblings during the extensive blind taste tests organized by Robin Goldstein, Alexis Herschkowitsch, and the Fearless Critic team.
To paraphrase a recent ad campaign: You got bagged!
The Wine Trials 2010 starts with a “Blind Tasting Manifesto,” It’s a veritable wine drinker’s Gospel, giving you cold hard facts against spending extra money on wine that you might not truly enjoy any more than pocket friendly alternatives.
For instance, nearly two-thirds of tasters preferred a $12 Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut to the ubiquitous $150 Dom Perignon. In other words, many people may very well be simply wasting $138 down their….err…esophagus.
The book also offers tasting notes on 150 wines under $15 dollars that beat wines that cost $50 and up. It contains a few wines that might surprise you, and many wines that are seriously legit. It’s the perfect buying guide for all your wino needs.
This isn’t to say that there is no value in paying for a specific terroir or special handcrafting of a fine wine. But unless your an absolute wine nerd, The Wine Trials gives carte blanche to be unashamed of enjoying truly great wine that you can afford, as well.
Available for about $10 on Amazon.com and also at Whole Foods and bookstores nation wide.
