12 Apostles Cabernet 09

The bottle is noticeably "cheaper". It seems lighter weight while you hold it. The bottom has a very shallow indentation which is also a sign of a budget bottle. The name comes from the 12 rock formations off the coast of South Eastern Australia. This is one of the Aussie Vineyards wines (Tamborine is also one of their wines.)

We found this wine to have a mild character overall. The nose was a little light. It had light blackberry and peach on the palate with a smooth finish. No real complexity here. .

At $2.99, this wine was a good value compared to "three buck Chuck" or Woodbridge. No long shot winner here. So, it is a bit odd, but we are tagging this as a "Good Value" and "Cooking Wine". You might try this for yourself if you are planning a big party with unsophisticated tastes -- you'll only be out $3 to see if it works for you...