20 Great Value Wines: How to drink good wine when gas is $5.00 a gallon or more

The current economy has most of us cutting back on non-essentials, driving less, and trying to find ways to save a few bucks. Below is a list of wines that you can afford by cutting back on two gallons of gas or less (most are under $10!). For specific recommendations on wines, wine regions, wine pairings, or anything related to value wines, leave a comment. Have a favorite wine under $10 that I missed? Let us know about it! (Image: WINE AND MONEY© Kvkirillov | Dreamstime.com)

Here are my top picks for value wines, producers, and wine regions. Keep in mind that an 85 is a “Very Good” wine and shouldn’t be overlooked. Too often reviewers and magazines want you to think that only 90 point wines are worth drinking…this isn’t the case and can become quite expensive! An 85 point wine is a wine that I consider to be very good, and would buy again.

Keep an eye out for my report next week on the best wineries and wine regions when it comes to quality and value!

Twenty Great Value Wines: (Click here to download this as a shopping list in PDF Form)

Sparkling

N.V. Riondo Prosecco Veneto IGT -$12 (Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT): Sealed with a traditional cork requiring a cork-screw. A little sweet, hint of yeast, a little fruity, not a lot of fizz but quite refreshing. Overall good appertif, nice flavors. My rating: 87 pts, GV (Good Value)

N.V. Roederer Estate Brut -$21 (USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley): This is the most expensive wine I put on the list, with all the others being $12 or less. But for the price, you get good value here. Apples and citrus on the palate, a very crisp wine with subtle nuttiness and caramel. Nice finish- a great bottle of a special dinner on a budget. My rating: 89 pts, GV Read more

Expanding Your Palate: Five varietals you may not be drinking and the Huskies want to know “WHY?”

Let me guess the last 5 wines you drank (in no order): Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah. If you’re like most people, you tend to stick with these Big Five varietals that are abundant in almost every wine market. These wines are generally what people order at restaurants, bring to wine dinners and share with friends. Perhaps many of you are thinking “he’s way off…” since you’re last five wines were Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Nebiolo, Grenache, Riesling? But again, these are abundant and although great wines, you’ve had them time and time again.

So, how many of you have heard of or tried the following: Albariño, Verdicchio, Charbono, Gamay, Touriga Franca? I’m willing to bet most of you haven’t had (or perhaps even heard) of these varietals. Well it’s time to expand your palates everyone!

Step out of the box for a few minutes while I introduce to you 5 wine grape varietals you aren’t currently drinking. I offer a few suggestions of wines that I feel exemplify each varietal and encourage you to get out there and try these (and other new wines!). Read more

MD Cru March 2008 Wine Tasting: Spanish Wines!

Good company is the best pairing with any wine. This past Saturday, I enjoyed what is becoming a classic pairing: wine and the MD Cru. MD Cru refers to a small group of wine enthusiasts who organize through the Wine Spectator forums to meet up once a month in the MD/Washington DC area to share wine, food and good stories. Venue ranges from the homes of some of the members to local restaurants. Each month we have a theme with the March 2008 tasting focusing on the wines of Spain. Overall the wines were very good and went great with the food menu (below). Here is the list of wines we tasted with my picks for “Wines of the Night”. A big thank you to PH, CS, and HWT for dealing with the organization and logistics of the event. A few wines received a score with a “+” symbol after it. This represents wines that I may have scored higher had there been sufficient pour volume and time to taste it over a few hours. Without further ado:

Wines of the night:

1. 2004 Alto Moncayo (Great wine, outstanding value even at $35- a must try for those new to Spanish Wines)
2. 2003 Clos Mogador (Still a bit young, but very good- hold 2-3 years or decant 2+ hours)
3. 2001 Cims de Porrera Priorat Classic (a load of ripe fruits, good structure and balance)

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Tasting Report: 8 Spanish Wines!

Hooray for me: I gave blood today (thanks for the support, Miranda!). I actually gave two units of blood, which is great since it helps twice as much. That said, when giving this much blood, they have to pump saline and plasma back into your system so you don’t pass out or get sick from blood loss. The sensation of room temperature saline/plasma going abck into your arm and system was quite interesting and resulted in tingling lips and a plastic taste in my mouth. When it was all said and done, I drank a 32 oz Gatorade, 64 ounces of water, ate a big lunch, then waited 6 hours and figured “why not go drink a bunch of wine?”. So, Kim, Donna (who it was great to finally drink wine with again!) and I attended a tasting tonight at the Chesapeake Wine Company in Canton. The following wines were served with a Spanish Chorizo, Bread and the following cheeses: San Simon (smoked cow’s milk), Roncal (aged Sheeps’s Milk, Pyrennes), Murcia (Drunken goat, with olives).
The tasting notes are below:
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Wine Club March ‘08 Meetup: The Recap!

This past weekend the F&WB Wine Club met up for an Easter-eve wine tasting. We had a good turnout this month with 13 attendees including 5 (two of which I am pictured with below near our bar) new people who haven’t been to any previous tastings. There were more than 10 cheeses, multiple salmon-based finger foods, grilled chicken and a bunch of other treats on hand. The theme was to bring a bottle of wine under $20 that was something you have had before and enjoyed. The hope was to find a handful of great value wines that would be outstanding for every-day consumption. About half of the wines fell into this category while the other half were randomly picked. The wines were all brown bagged and tasted blind and rated. We voted on our favorites at the end of the night before removing the bags. Below is a list of the wines on hand in descending order of how they were rated (I present the sparkling wines first which were tasted non-blind). The unanimous winner was the 2006 Fat Catz Cat Amongst Pigeons Syrah/Cabernet blend which I scored blind 91 pts and is an outstanding value.
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WBW #43 - Comfort Wines

Today is another Wine Blogging Wednesday! This month our host is Joel at WineLifeToday. The theme is something dear to all of us wine lovers, comfort wines. Our mission:

“choose a wine, any wine, that you love to unwind to and tell us about not only the wine but what makes the experience special and relaxing for you!
“

This one’s a no-brainer for me: Sparkling Wine - more specifically, Avinyo Brut Reserva Cava.
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Scala Dei Priorat Prior Crianca - 2001 - $22

I’m a big fan of wines from the Priorat region is Spain. This area in Catalonia is well known for producing very high quality, unique, Grenache-based wines. I find the in general Priorats have a very chocolaty-earthiness to them that dance with the fruits of the Grenache. I highly recommend trying wines from this region if you are new to wines and looking to expand to new areas. Priorats can be quite expensive, but there are many great buys under $30 if you do some research (and a lot of tasting!).

The Scala Dei Priorat Prior Crianca is 88% Grenache with the rest being Syrah (8%) and Cabernet (4%). I tried this wine right from the bottle, which was a mistake! I immediately grabbed a decanter and let it sit for over an hour. When we came back to it the wine had really developed nicely. The color was dark purple with a shade or two lighter on the edges. On the nose I noted dark fruits, chocolate and a touch of dried sage, and smoke. The wine started off with good amount of blackberry and currant with dusty tannins with a buttery finish. Really lovely earth component to this wine that is quite familiar to me among the Priorats. My rating: 90 pts.

The sparkling wine endorsed by cavemen around the world.

Cava as you may know comes from the word for Cave, or cellar (depending on who you ask). It seems most fitting that cavemen would drink these “cave” wines. Cava is a very traditional drink in Spain and is enjoyed for any occasion. Cava can even be found at a newborns baptism, where even the young child is offered a taste (see wikipedia article on Cava). Here in the US, many people reserve sparkling wines or Champagne for special occasions. It’s a tradition that I could not be more against! Sparkling’s can be a lot of fun. They go great with many different types of fare, from hot dogs and chips, to mussels with a white wine garlic sauce. (Image borrowed from thirdwayblog.com)

Personally, I enjoy Brut Cava, which are very dry and often quite refreshing. A good example of a nice Brut Cava is the Avinyo Brut Reserva . In contrast, you may try a nice extra dry Cava such as the Cristalino Brut Cava Extra Dry. This non-vintage Cava can be found for around $8 is a great find. It’s boasts a very nice bright green/gold color, plenty of bubbles and apple, cinnamon and sage. If you can find this anywhere, grab a few bottles and keep them nice and chilled, the quality will definitely surprise you and any cavemen you have over for a glass.

Cava can also be sweet and enjoyed with dessert. I’m a very big fan of ice wines, but I do enjoy a sweet Cava from time to time. The Freixenet - Cava Medium Sweet - Carta Nevada can be found for around $40 and is a nice way to end a meal. The vanilla notes stand out, with hints of almond and some pear.

So the next time you are at the store or plan to have cavemen over for dinner or even just cocktails, head to the Spanish section, look for a nice bottle of Cava (good Cava can be found for under $15) and take the plunge. And remember, you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to take advantage of this Spanish sparkling treat!

Rotllan Torra Reserva 2001 - $18

I was recently asked by a friend to recommend a Spanish red wine from Catalonia that was to be a gift for a wedding. Without hesitation, I suggested the Priorat region - specifically 2001 or 2003 vintage. I myself really love wines from Priorat. Grown in black slate soil of volcanic origin and containing primarily grenache, often along with carignan and/or cabernet, Priorat wines are earthy and balanced, and usually very unique.

Recently I opened a bottle of the 2001 Rotllan Torra Reserva (vintage on image is wrong). Being of “reserva” classification, this wine was oaked for at least 12 months, then aged for 24 months in the bottle. The color was ruby and the nose was explosive with chocolate and cherry. The complex layers of wine offered raspberry, sour cherry, white chocolate, eggnog, vanilla, and dried cranberry…all wrapped up in minerals and earth. A long, velvety finish was what I expected with the soft tannins and balanced acidity. This was ready to be consumed - I doubt further aging is required.

On a traditional point scale I’d give this a 90. It was very, very good. The 2001 Rotllan Torra Reserva serves as a reminder that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a very high quality, enjoyable wine. The best way to find great wines at good prices is to do some research. Find out what vintages of a specific region excelled, then go to the store and pick a wine from that vintage that is less than $20. It’s quite likely that you’ll be more than satisfied with your purchase!

Avinyo Brut Reserva Cava - $15

Let me start off by admitting, I love cava. The less acclaimed (and definitely less expensive) of the sparkling wines in Europe (think Champagne), Cava is a lot of fun. Originating from the Catalonia region of Spain, Cava (literally meaning “cave” or “cellar”) is a sparkling white wine that can, when done right, be a great substitute for Champagne.

The Catalonia region is about 25 miles south-west of Barcelona, situated. Grape vines have been growing in this region for hundreds of years. In 1872 the first Cava was produced. Today, common varietals used in Cava are macabeo, parellada, xarel·lo, Chardonnay, and Subirat. Today’s wine of the day displays macabeo, xarel-lo, and parellada.

This non-vintage, organically grown, Brut Cava is just incredible. A lot of subtle fruits including peach and apple, combined with minerals and mild acidity makes this a treat on a warm summer day. YUMMY!