Single varietal wines from Rioja used to be hard to find and expensive. Recently, such wines have become more common, although they still tend to be priced well beyond the $10 range.
Category: Winter
A Versatile, Affordable Chardonnay
If I were forced to drink only one inexpensive white wine all year, I’d choose Louis Jadot Macon-Villages Chardonnay. This wine from Burgundy is so clean and crisp that it almost seems like it was produced from an entirely different grape variety than the one used to make the weighty, oaked California Chardonnays, those wines with such rich vanilla and butter flavors that they are best drunk in cold weather.
A French Malbec From a Reliable Source
I’ve been a fan of Malbec from Argentina for many years, but after I recently tried Clos La Coutale, a dark, red version from Cahors in Southwest France, I have switched my allegiance.
Racy Label Can’t Obscure a Great Wine
When it comes to wine labels, I’m pretty conservative. I’m attracted to the clean, straightforward look, labels with clear type sporting a crest or a drawing of the chateau. I tend to avoid wines selling themselves with cute names, overweight circus animals and sadly portrayed dogs and cats, labels that, in my experience, often mask an inferior product.
Malbec Is the Flavor of Argentina
Malbec, the signature red wine of Argentina, is well-suited for winter drinking, full of dark fruit and chocolate flavors that go well with meats, rich soups and stews.
A Fine Bubbly for Welcoming the New Year
I’m looking forward to raising a glass to bring in 2018, and I’ve spent some time looking for the right affordable sparkling wine to go with the occasion.
A Festive Pink Wine for the Holiday Table
Sparkling rosé seems to lend itself to festive and holiday occasions. After all, it’s bubbly and pink.
Wine Benefits From Renewed Focus on Vines
William Hill Estate’s North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent value and a perfect wine for drinking on winter nights.
A Pinot Noir Worth Buying By the Case
Castle Rock Pinot Noir got my attention a month or so ago when I found a bottle on sale and decided to give it a try. For $10.99, I expected a California Pinot Noir like many in that price range, drinkable, but bland and mass produced without much attention to detail.
New Wines Can Thrill, Even Old Ones
Part of the fun of writing this column is that I often need to look for largely undiscovered, good affordable wines. It’s a quest that I enjoy and that can be rewarding when I do find something that’s new and exciting in the sea of wines on the market.
