CABER-YEA: $3.99 WINE BOTTLE

CABER-YEA: $3.99 WINE BOTTLE



By JULIA DAHL



November 25, 2008

Got the economic-downturn blues? Grab a bottle of Recession Red.

A California company called The Wine Group is selling a merlot, a cabernet sauvignon and a chardonnay - for just $3.99 a bottle. And New Yorkers love it.

At Gotham Wines on 94th Street and Broadway, the cabernet sauvignon has become the store's best-selling California wine. Sales associate Selim Tlili says the label draws customers in and the price seals the deal.

"It's a good, experimental wine," Tlili said. "If you don't like it, you haven't really lost anything, but if you like it, you've got a great wine." That's exactly what Gotham patron Diane Ortega figured when she first purchased a bottle about a month ago.

"I couldn't believe it was so cheap," said Ortega, 52. "I decided if I didn't like it, I could just cook with it."

Ortega brought the bottle home to drink with a dinner of whitefish and was pleasantly surprised.

"It was delicious," she said.

COURTESY OF - NYPOST.COM