Wine to drink when you’re trying to do a credit report freeze

Three cheap wines to drink while you’re struggling with a website or a call center to get your credit report freeze

Who knew the Wine Curmudgeon would need to write a post about a credit report freeze? But how else to pass the time while watching the little circle on the web browser tab spin and spin and spin? And then doing it again, because the website doesn’t load or you get the dreaded error 500 on the Equifax site?

The goal here is to drink lighter wine, since you need to pay attention to what’s going on. Plus, given how long this takes (an afternoon and a morning for me), lighter wine with less alcohol makes the most sense. If you’re on-line or on hold so long that you drink an entire bottle, better that it’s not a 14.7 percent zinfandel.

Consider these wines:

• Aldi Exquisite Collection Provencal Rose 2016 ($8, purchased, 13%); This is the pink wine that the Today Show praised to the skies, marveling that it could be so good and so cheap (which, of course, isn’t surprising for TV people). Hence, it took five months to get to my local Aldi. It’s a pleasant enough Provencal rose with berry fruit and some minerality, though the fruit is a bit shallow and it’s a little thin in the back. But it’s perfect for sitting on hold with a call center or waiting for the credit bureau to send a PIN to your phone.

• Jolie Folle Sauvignon Blanc 2016 ($13/1 liter, purchased, 11.5%): This French white is ideal for the situation, since it’s 1 liter, or about two glasses more than a regular bottle. Plus, the alcohol is so low you’ll barely notice it. The wine itself is congenial enough, with lots of sweet lemon and tropical fruit, and the acidity is toned way down. It’s not especially French, but the key here is something to drink while listening to the voice that tells you that your call is very important and will be answered in the order in which it is received.

• Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages 2015 ($10, purchased, 13%): This is grocery store Beaujolais, the simple red wine from France, and every time I buy it I wish it was better than it is. But it’s fruity enough (ripe cherries?) to keep at your elbow as you sigh, take a sip, sigh again, and wonder if you’ll ever be able to get the credit report freeze finished.