My boyfriend is coming to visit this weekend, and I only see him about once a month due to current circumstances. i'm making him a definately not diet friendly meal, but I am not really caring about one meal. I'm making two types of fondue, a smoked swiss fondue using chardonney which I have, to be served with homemade sourdough bread, various vegetables, and grapes and apples. For dessert I am making a dark chocolate fondue, with a dash of raspberry and orange liquer with angel food cake, various fruits, etc. I want to find a good cheap cabernet sauvignon for with the chocolate, becauce the dry white I have will make it taste sour, and I am not partial to Merlot with anything but steak (My dad is a former chef, even as a kid, most of my meals were paired with wine.) My mom brought me a nice chardonnay for the cheese fondue, but I can't afford the cabernet that my dad is telling me I should get for the chocolate. Any suggestions of a good cabernet under 18 dollars a bottle?

Not sure if it is sold in your state but here in southern California a VERY popular wine is Charles Shaw ~ very affordable ~ nicknamed Two Buck Chuck! My wife and I find it very worthwhile for the $$$.

Also ~ my wife loves Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer with chocolate!

I agree that wine is good and they sell the infamous 2 buck chuck (although it almost 3 whole dollars now at Trader Joes. Do you have one near you? It a great store.

Have a great time

Good cheap wine? MD 20/20. Well...it got me through my rebellious years anyway.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Yellow Tail is great and is cheap. I love it!!

Franzia...do a box wine, for around $11....it is well worth it as far as boxed wine goes, we prefer the cianti.....although their cabernet sauvignon, is very good too!!!...and you will have plenty left over for after desert treats!!!!!lol
I hope you have a great time!

If you have $18 to spend, PLEASE back away from the Yellow Tail and Franzia! LOL!!!

I usually like a nice, light white with cheese fondue, but if you're in a red mood, I'd go for something like Reserve Perrin Cotes du Rhone (French). The Rosenblum Zins (California) are very food friendly too. I really love Cline Zin too. An Australian Shiraz would be fun too.

Ravenswood Zin - should be under $18 a bottle. Old Vine is best.

Another option with the cheese would be a nice, light, dry Riesling. It's a white, but even the cheaper ones are usually pretty affordable. Just make sure you get a dry one rather than a really sweet or dessert Riesling.

As far as Cab goes, Yellow Tail's is pretty decent and definitely reasonable. There's also another Aussie wine called Fat ******* that makes a very drinkable Cabernet.

Sounds like a delicious and decadent meal! Can I come? Ha!

!LMAO...yeah well if you only have $18 to spend, better getting 5litre's of a wine that isnt bad at all....(.I have had way worse french expensive wine!!) in stead of a bottle that they will only get 1 glass each from(if you use a glass bigger then 4oz)

...thanks for that tip i will have to try that one....most of the Australian wine's are very good........I like the shiraz/cabernet mix!

Two really wonderful wines, IMHO, are:
*Blackstone
*Bogle

Both are from California, and have Cabernets in their line-up. Of the two, Bogle is the better I think... I've brought it to parties (the Merlot in that case) and people make sure to ask what they are drinking when they try it.

A bottle of Blackstone in my area is $10-11, and the Bogle is $11-13, depending on the store.

Yellowtail is not bad... I like it!

On the other stuff:

Boxed wines though... *shudder* hehehe! I've tried 'em, and no-go for me, they tasted watered down, or like you wished they would be

I didn't like Ravenswood myself either... but to each, their own! Though I give them credit for a spiffy label! I do like me a pretty label... heh!