Washing machines and wine

Wines & Vines, Feb, 2003

Along with the usual array of appliance and electronics evaluations, the December issue of Consumer Reports magazine included ratings for our favorite grape-based adult beverage. The magazine's two anonymous experts tested an array of Syrahs, Pinot grigios and Cabernet Sauvignons, ranging from $7 to $20.

The top-scoring wines were the Rosemount Estate 2001 Shiraz ($11); Ecco Domani 2001 Pinot grigio ($9) and Clos du Bois 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon ($15). It was a bit disturbing to see wine rated in the same way as vacuum cleaners, yet oddly comforting to see it included in such a no-nonsense, mainstream publication. If it gets more Americans to drink wine, how can we complain?