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If the label name CheapSkate (or the company logo of a skateboarding cat carrying a bunch of grapes and a wine glass) doesn't catch your eye, then surely the blend's name, "Miser," will. The aggressively in-your-face packaging is designed as a wake-up call to oenophiles: You don't have to pay a lot for a good bottle.
CheapSkate is the second label from Winesmith Cellars, whose '99 Crucible fetches $100 a bottle. The winemaker offers excellent vinos for a bargain, usually around $8 per bottle (they also sell the oddly named "Skinflint" rosé and "Faux Chablis" chardonnay). By producing quality product for cheap, the company is actively confronting a greedy industry accustomed to overcharging for mediocre product, a trend that's especially prevalent among California wineries.
This particular bottle, a Bordeaux-like blend of 35 percent cabernet sauvignon and 65 percent cabernet franc, pours a rich, deep purple color, has an herbal, earthy aroma of black fruit, pepper (maybe green pepper) and tobacco, and comes across as a moderately plummy wine with medium tannins and a dry finish. Normally we'd say this is not the wine to bust out on a date (the screw-cap alone doesn't scream romance), but if she has good taste, or a sense of humor -- or you can't find the corkscrew -- this CheapSkate may prove to be your best friend.
-- James Oliver Cury
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