Friday Wine Roundup: Best QPR (Quality to Price) Wines This Week- June 6, 2008

QPR is a measure of a wines Quality to Price Ratio. QPR is used to determine whether or not a wine is worth its price. Keep in mind, a good wine that is $10 may be an outstanding QPR, while a good wine that is $40, may be poor. Each Friday I put up a list of 5 wines that I’ve had recently that offer great “bang for their buck.” With gas at $4.00 a gallon or more, it’s good to know that you can continue to enjoy great wines even when the budget tightens up. The wines listed here are wines that I feel offer you, the consumer, a great wine that is both well priced, and succeeds at providing a great wine experience. I try to introduce new grape varieties or wine regions to keep things interesting and recommend keeping an eye out for these good QPR’s next time you’re out wine shopping.

Sparkling:
NV Freixenet Brut Cava “Cordon Negro” -$10: I’ve said it many times before: Cava is a great value wine and can be very good. Cava of course is the sparkling wine of Spain, more specifically the Catalonia region. Though not as complex or elegant as their French counterparts (Champagne), sparkling wines from Cava tend to be very clean tasting and provide among other things apple and citrus notes. Popping the cork on a bottle of good Cava (especially for $10) is a great way to begin any weekend (or weeknight for that matter!). This Freixenet Brut is no exception. It’s crisp, has notes of grapefruit and honey and has a refreshing finish that is sure to cool you off on a warm day or night. My rating: 86 pts, GV (Good value)

White
2006 Tangent Sauvignon Blanc Paragon Vineyard -$10: Winemaker Christian Roguenant put together a very crisp and acidiic Sauvignon Blanc that for the price is a steal. Loaded with apple and citrus, highlighted by a touch of minerals, this is a wine for Thai food, shell fish or perhaps some Mexican takeout. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2006 Wente Vineyards Chardonnay Morning Fog Livermore Valley -$14: “I’d don’t drink Chardonnay because it’s too oaky.” I bet many of you fall into this category. Well here is a $14 reason to try again: Wente’s Morning Fog Chard. Be forewarned, there is a touch of oaky/butteriness to this wine, but it isn’t over whelming and it works well with the fruits. Highlighted by good acidity, this is an easy drinking under $15 Chardonnay that would be comfortable on any table when put next to roast chicken or maybe crab or lobster. My rating: 85 pts, GV

Red:
2006 Panarroz Jumilla -$8: Jumilla is a wine region in southern Spain, near the Mediterranean coast, that is becoming very well known for good to very good wines at outstanding price points. The main grape of Jumilla is Monastrell, which we and the rest of the world know as Mourvèdre. The wines of Jumilla often provide big flavors and moderate tannin structure. This 2006 Panarroz has unique flavors of hot asphalt and hickory smoked bacon. It’s a very unique wine and for under $10 is definitely something worth trying. If it’s not your style, then at least you can say you gave it a chance! My rating: 86 pts, GV

2006 Château Courtinat Tradition -$13: This 2006 Loire wine is made from the Gamay grape, which is best known for its place in Beajeuolais. Gamay often gets a bad rap since it’s most highly touted in the release of Beaujolais Nuevo, which is a lackluster wine released after only three weeks of aging each November. But this 2006 Château Courtinat Tradition reminds us that Gamay can be good. There are flavors of raspberry, cherry and earth with a very light body and overall great balance. The wine’s light body is perfect for the summer and makes this a go-to pairing for chicken, grilled fish or a variety of lightly spiced grilled meats and poultry. My rating: 89 pts, VGV (very good value)

Photo credit: WINE AND MONEY