LTC: This Week's Grocery Store Pick

If you follow my Instagram, you know I try to stay budget-conscious as much as I can when it comes to wine. I am a firm believer that you can find quality wines at affordable prices; after all, cheap prices don't necessarily mean cheap ingredients - it often just means the product was produced and sold in bulk quantities, driving down costs!

I'm still recovering financially from my previous Orlando trip (I may have splurged a little too much in EPCOT), so I wanted to open a grocery store wine to enjoy this week.

I LOVE the Columbia Valley in Washington State. Their cabs and red blends are approachable, fruit forward and earthy. They're not always quite as bold as a Napa cab, but I think the climate of the Pacific Northwest really brings a different kind of complexity to the wine; the fresh northern air and faint hint of rain come to mind when I get a really good bottle from that region.

Don't get me wrong - this is a bottle you can usually find for under $10. It's nothing too complex, it's not an earth-shattering red, but for the price you really can't go wrong.

Columbia Crest's Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium bodied cab with notes of black cherry, currant, tobacco and oak. It has a smooth, smokey finish and is definitely a smidge lighter than your meatier Napa cabs. This is the perfect weeknight wine when you want something to sip without pairing with food and don't want to waste a $$ bottle. Next time you see this at the grocery store, pick up a bottle and keep in your cellar for a rainy night in.

Have you tried this wine? Let me know what you think!