It’s tax time. For wine shoppers this might mean postponing that splurge wine you’ve been eyeing and instead, looking to the cheap bottles at your favorite wine merchant. Here are four recommended bottles costing $12 and under – all California reds — that may be cheap but they are also quite good, and therefore of excellent value.
2010 Flipflop Wines Pinot Noir (California, $7) defines summer. I know what you’re thinking: how can a label with an illustration of sandals be any good? Shed aside the snickers because this bargain Pinot Noir really is decent. Lush notes of brown sugar and black cherry make this full-bodied wine approachable without taking it over the edge and into the fruit-bomb category. (flipflopwines.com)
As a blend of five classic Bordeaux red-grape varieties, the velvety 2009 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage (California, $12) contains Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, resulting in a palate with tart, ripe red cherries and lush blackberries; well-integrated tannins and a trace of smoke too. (robertmondavi.com)
In the mood to try a rare grape? 2008 J Lohr Vineyards & Wines Wildflower Monterey Valdiguie (Arroyo Seco, Monterey County, California, $10) expresses blackberry cobbler and raspberry pie through full-bodied fruit and some cola notes too. (jlohr.com)
To pair with red meat, consider 2009 Mandolin Syrah (Central Coast, California, $12). Black pepper and a meaty/fleshy attribute with notes of charred meat and dense blackberries are the hallmarks on this very inexpensive red wine that falls firmly in the savory camp which, again, is a good fit for meat pairings.(mandolinwines.com)
WINE EVENT OF THE WEEK
At Thirst & Vine (thirstandvine.com), on Oakland Avenue in Shorewood, wine dinners are practically de rigeur. On Monday, March 12, a dinner with Domaine Ste. Eugenie (sainteeugenie.com) owner Herve Gantier will include uncorking bottles from his winery, such as Le Clos, Corbieres, Gardioles Corbieres and Corbieres Reserve. Although the dinner costs just $40, the best part is this: each of the wines cost between $12 and $19, leaving you with cash to burn in case you want to spring for a case of one.
WINE DEAL OF THE WEEK
You know how Happy Hour deals are often, well, depressing? It’s great that for the post-work portion of the day you can unwind with a $1 can of PBR or cold buffalo wings. But let’s be real: you don’t want that. Bosley on Brady (www.bosleyonbrady), a Key West-inspired eatery on Brady Street, hosts an elegant happy hour with $5 and $6 glasses of wines. And we’re not talking Yellow Tail or selections from the Big Boys in Cali (substitute a mass-produced label here). Instead, you can choose from top-notch whites (Domaine des Dorices, Loire Valley, France) and reds (Raymond ‘R Collection’ Cabernet Sauvignon, California). There are even two bubblies on the happy-hour menu: a $17 bottle of Cordoniu Brut Cava (Spain) and Riondo Prosecco (Veneto, Italy) for the same price. Now all you need in this colorful, bright and intimate environment is a slice of key-lime pie – which Bosley on Brady does indeed serve.
WINE OF THE WEEK
If you haven’t explored Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon yet, please do — immediately. The prices of these wines are 99% of the time under $20 and you’re getting the same quality in a red wine that you might expect from California, and that includes Napa, the motherlode for Cabs that rock the palates of wine critics. The 2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza, Argentina, $15) is silky smooth and hardly tannic, with a nice dose of black pepper on the finish. Don’t be afraid to pair this Cabernet Sauvignon with ethnic foods instead of the tried-and-true option of steak.
