Cheapskate Gourmet: Why whine when there’s cheap wine and a great pork roast?

Prima Vini’s cheat sheet is way more fun than staying sober.

Okay, it might not be Tina Fey imitating Sarah Palin, but Prima Vini wine store’s newsletter is pretty crazy and fun. “Immediate gratification Cab that [Prima Vini employee Jessica Burch] called slutty,” reads the latest issue in referring to a red blend from La Fenetre winery in Santa Barbara County. I’m sure Jessica and the other eminent staff involved in the publication of the newsletter never touch the stuff before starting to type away. Or they taste and spit. Yeah, that’s it.

Anyhow, I’ve gotten some good recommendations on wines from Prima Vini over the past few years. And being a cheapskate, I’ve often checked out their bargains. Never before, though, have I limited my selections to wines mentioned in the newsletter that cost $10 or less.

So imagine my delight when I broke into a bottle of Sherman & Hooker’s Shebang jug wine for $13.99. It really does come in a one-liter jug, which is bigger than a normal wine bottle (750 milliliters), so it almost squeaks in under my $10-per-bottle limit, and besides don’t be so nit-picky. I’ve never drunk wine from a Jed Clampett–style jug, so I wanted to try it.

A blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, and a few other grapes, Shebang is spicy and bold, the way Zinfandels used to be. It had fruit, for sure, but leaned more toward chocolate than jam pot. It’d be great with barbecue. The wine was fantastic with a pork roast stuffed with dried fruit and basted with Madeira with a touch of dark molasses. So fantastic, in fact, that we were still recovering yesterday morning.

(By the way, if you want to make that pork roast, just get a pork loin with the bone in, not one of those sissy little overpriced club loins with no fat on ‘em. We’re talking about $2.99 a pound for the more luscious, bone-in version, people! On one of the round ends of the roast, stab a big-bladed knife in as deep as possible, sliding it from side to side a bit, to make an envelope-like compartment in the meat into which you can stuff the dried fruit. Pop the roast in a pan, slather the top with butter, season with salt, pepper, herbs if you like, pour on a cup of Madeira, other wine, or even broth with a dollop of dark molasses in it, and cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes per pound, basting frequently.)

Also a great value on Prima Vini’s list and big enough to knock around with some serious steak is a Maipe Bonarda for $8.99. Maipe makes a Malbec that Prima has recommended in the past. The Bonarda is its brawnier, more tannic cousin. Also check out Prima’s Man Vintners Chenin Blanc for $7.49. Talk about bargains—think stone and honeysuckle, and how many bottles you could drink without emptying your bank account!

I usually try to stick to the subject in this blog, with only the occasional nonsensical digression. However, I need to mention that Grocery Outlet sells a great brand of hummus called Sabra for $2.99, which is about $2 off the regular price. Is it worth driving over there for a tub of hummus? Maybe if you’re having a party and intend to buy several. Oh, yeah, and check out the organic kefir from local dairy Clover, which is $2.99 at Lunardi’s. That’s also about $2 off the usual price of good-quality kefir. Pour the fruit flavors into popsicle makers, and make healthy, inexpensive fro-yo pops.

That’s all for now. Sorry I didn’t get to refer to any of my own recommendations as slutty. I need to try to work that in.
 

Posted at 12:01 PM in Cheapskate Gourmet | Permalink