Red wines for the 99 percent set

Recently I wrote about dirt-cheap white wines for the end of summer. Now I am looking into ultra-cheap red wines for the approaching cool seasons.

While evaluating $3 Oak Leaf red wines from Walmart, I had a weird experience.

First, I opened bottles of three varieties, sampled, and hated all of them. Tasting notes:

Shiraz: No spice, no body. Last year's version had a faintly nutty character that made it borderline drinkable. What happened?

Merlot: More supple, more up-front fruit — but fruit of what?

Cabernet: Like placing one's tongue on both poles of a 1.5 volt battery from a transistor radio when one was 7 years old in 1963.

I was at a loss for a dirt-cheap red wine. The $3 "Two Buck Chuck" Charles Shaw Shiraz from Trader Joe's is a pleasant wine that could easily sell for more. However, I live 200 miles from the nearest Trader Joe's; I assumed that my quest was doomed.

Now for the weird part: 

After sampling half a glass of each Walmart variety, I sealed the bottles with my trusty Vacu Vin pump and stoppers. A week later, I tried the Merlot again, and I actually liked it. I confidently identified the fruit as Merlot. I tried the Cab, and it was smoother — no more electric aspect, and a bit of body. The Shiraz had reclaimed its hint of nuttiness.

I had let these wines "breathe" in the Vacu Vin vacuum, and they responded. How? Why? There are no easy answers, only a mild feeling of delight.

I count myself among the 99 percenters in our society of ever-mounting challenges. As such, I must rely on dirt-cheap wines 99 percent of the time, and, apparently, Walmart has provided once again.