Many years ago when wine was just an occasional dinner companion and the budget demanded something off the bottom shelf I invariably reached for this wine. So I like to check in on it every so often to see if it’s continuing to deliver quality at its price point. Happily it is. From one of Chile’s largest producers, this really is the best $5 Cab on the market.

It features a bright berry aroma, with a hint of herbaceousness that I often find in Chilean Cabernet, and freshly-turned earth that is too rare in cheap wine. The palate is round and soft with vanilla notes but the acidity  blooms with enough force to keep the wine fresh, and even the tannins make a muted appearance sufficient to reassure us we’re drinking wine.

It is simple, but when you find a drinkable wine for  $5 that is cause for celebration. So bottoms up.

Pair with a juicy middle of the road pop rock tune like Hey Jealousy from the Gin Blossoms.

Score: 84

Price: $5 (widely available in retail shops and supermarkets)

Alc: 13%

Another iteration in Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve line up of upper tier budget wines. This one is fine but it’s mood is downbeat.

Ripe dark fruit, dried fig, hints of warm spices and dusty earth aromas provide complexity, but there isn’t much intensity or life. Vanilla emerges with more air. It’s very laid back. At least there are no green, vegetal notes.

On the palate it’s not broad and dimensional enough to be lush but it is smooth with a layer of velvet fruit over supportive, unobtrusive tannins and a short finish exposing oak flavors. Very low acidity contributes to the impression of  lethargy. This is an easy drinker with plenty of flavor but a bit sullen and morose.

Highly recommended for those suicidal moments.

Score: 86

Price: $12

Alc: 14.5%

Bat For Lashes’ The Big Sleep has a similar mood.

Chile’s 5th largest producer makes some iconic wines at the premium level. This Cab is their entry level, supermarket wine.

Ripe red fruit, dense and a bit stewed, with some mushroom, green stemmy notes and and iron filings on the nose. It won’t please everyone but if you like odd earth notes and a striking, unusual aroma profile you might find this intriguing. I did.

But the palate let’s you down. It opens juicy and fresh but lacks concentration in the mid palate showing tart cherry and pepper, very dry with a steely, mineral core,  medium body with significant apparent acidity and grainy tannins. The acidity and tannins combine for a long, but clunky finish that turns quite bitter as it progresses.

The wine will effectively wash down a burger  and deserves credit for being distinctive but as a sipper its appeal is limited by the unpleasant finish.

The blend included 15% Merlot, and 45% of the wine was aged in French oak for 8 months.

Score: 85

Price: $10

Alc: 13.5%

This wine is a bit feral and bitter like the Clash classic, Clampdown

Is it ever worth it to buy cheap wine—the under $6 stuff? Do the savings warrant having to endure several glasses of what is often barely drinkable? It depends on your budget of course but who doesn’t want to save a few bucks? And occasionally, very occasionally you find something at least pleasant.

So what about this staple of the bottom shelf, Rex Goliath. It is owned by the wine goliath, Constellation Brands, the largest wine producer in the world.

It is OK. Black Cherry and burnt toast, share aroma space with green bell pepper typical of inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon. A little earthiness is nice. Not interesting but not awful.

On the palate, it’s juicy upfront but the flavor fades rapidly passing through a cocoa-inflected phase before stumbling to the finish, which tastes like sour cola. Medium body and without trying to be too lush, it has a little sweetness but the acidity is quite high preventing the wine from being cloying,. The tannins are soft and, as is typical of cheap wine, you just have to ignore the finish. It’s not bad; it managed to stay out of my drain. If you’re inclined to raid the bottom shelf you can do worse.

This wine reminds me of a line in R.E.M’s the One I Love—”A simple prop to occupy my time.”

Score: 82

Price: $5

Alc: 13%