I rarely drink expensive because it is, well, expensive. My price threshold for everyday drinking wines is around $10 to $12. If we are talking a special occasion, then the roof gets raised to the $20 to $30 range. My once or twice a year wine purchases, over $30 are just that: once or twice a year. Fortunately for me, I am involved with a couple of tasting panels and have opportunities to sample wines I would not normally encounter. Also, there are a surprising number of store where tastings are regular occurrences. And we have a goodly number of restaurants with extensive wine lists that offer some great choices by the glass. So, there are options.
But for regular Tuesday night dinner wines, I seek good, well-made, dependable wines that go well with food or are fine to sip while I watch the grass grow.
Lately, some of my choice has been:
Marques de Caceres, White Rioja, 2005, Rioja, Spain. This little gem is made from two of the classic three native Spanish grapes used in Cava production, macabeo and parellada. The wine is a pale lemon color, light/medium bodied, crisp with snappy acid and hints of citrus, minerality and wonderfully balanced. This is well paired with grilled veggies, white meats and all kinds of seafood. It also is fabulous with deli sandwiches. Last night, I had a grilled cobia fish dressed it with a Thai green chili sauce. What a wonderful match with this wine. I look forward to sampling some more spicy food with this one.
What I like about the wine is how well it is made. The producer has long been known for standard setting red wines. Give this one a try. For the price, how can you go wrong?
Retail price: $4.99
Dona Paula, Los Cardos, Malbec, 2005, Mendoza, Argentina. This is a wine with a deep ruby appearance, a high color level, almost opaque. The nose has aromas of dark berries, plums, and a slight tinge of earthiness. It is medium/full bodied with balanced alcohol, acid and fruit. It shows a medium/long finish. Did I mention it is also delicious? I have been drinking this wine for about three years, off and on. I keep coming back to it because it is so good. It pairs well with all kinds of red meats, grilled pork loin, moussaka, spicy black bean soup served with a tooth breaking, crusty sourdough bread. And if you are looking to just relax after a week of Mondays, try this one on for size. It is an absolute pleasure to imbibe.
Got a stinky cheese? Do I have a wine for you! I tasted this wine over four vintages and it always consistent.
Retail price: $4.99
Il Valore Primitivo, IGT, 2005, Compania Gello, Puglia, Italy. The color is purple with a medium intensity. The nose is a mix of plums, black berries, dark cherries, and earth. The palette is medium bodied with a medium fish, an earthy bite, fruits as on the nose, and at 13%, has balanced alcohol, acid and fruit. Tannins are medium and serve as a counterpoint to the fruit.
Primitivo is the Italian zinfandel, reportedly brought to Italy from California in the mid-1800s. What I like about this is the flavors are as for a zinfandel but the affect is entirely different. This wine has a rusticity and earthiness not normally found in a California zin. Where a CA zin is a mouthful of ripe fruits, this is a direct line of fruit and dirt from Italy to you.
I enjoy this with whole-wheat pasta and a spicy, chunky marinara sauce or with some spicy Italian sausage added in. This drinks well with all grilled meats, and is super if you like using spicy meat rubs before cooking.
For those of you not familiar with Puglia, this is the top of “heel of the boot”. It is hot, dry, has a spectacular coastline and intensely flavored foods.
Retail price: $7.99
No comments:
Post a Comment