The Good Wine Guru » Wine’s Under $10

Dos Lomos Malbec 2010

George — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:00:06 +0000

Varietal: Malbec
Region: Mendoza – Argentina
Cost: $9

Winemaker’s Notes: Full-bodied and smooth with intense black fruit flavors and aromas. A good pairing with grilled foods including steaks.

My Review: I have this habit of picking up steaks and red wine whenever my wife is gone for the evening and I’m feeding myself. This past Thursday was just one of those nights and given the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having here in Virginia I decided to take advantage of being able to use my grill and grabbed a steak at my local Fresh Market. While there I browsed the wine aisle to see if anything caught my eye and was recommended with a steak and decided on this bottle of 2010 Dos Lomos Malbec, in no small part because of the unique bottle shape.

The wine was fairly dark in the glass, with violet being the predominant color. On the nose I got dark fruit with just a touch of spice. In the mouth the wine was medium dry and medium/full-bodied with good notes of dark fruit. It paired well enough with the steak and baked potato that I cooked up, holding up well enough to the grilled flavors though not standing out either.

For the price it was a good value wine, and one I could see myself grabbing again when I was looking for an inexpensive table wine. It certainly wasn’t the best steak wine I’ve had in recent times, but it also wasn’t a terrible wine to sip on before, during, and after my dinner. If you’re looking for a big, bold steak wine pass on this one, but if you’re looking for a table wine that stands a chance against a big grilled steak and doesn’t cost a ton there’s certainly something to be said about the 2010 Dos Lomos Malbec.

Fisheye Shiraz 2010

George — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:00:28 +0000

Varietal: 100% Shiraz
Region: South Eastern Australia
Cost: $7 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: Ripe blackberries and blueberries with spicy black pepper on the nose. Pairs well with BBQ baby back ribs with macaroni salad, jerk chicken with brown rice and black beans, or without any food at all.

My Review: It’s been unseasonably warm here in Virginia so I’ve been able to make use of my grill here at the end of January and start of February when it’s usually covered and forgotten until March. Because of that, my wife and I recently threw some chicken on the grill with some BBQ sauce basted on and decided to open up a bottle of Fisheye Shiraz that had been sent to me.

The wine was dark in the glass, with violet color throughout. On the nose I got berry and a hint of pepper right at the finish. In the mouth the wine was more complex than I would have expected, with a good mix of blackberry and blueberry flavors with a touch of spice and pepper and a fairly smooth finish. Paired with the BBQ chicken it went well with the food and was enjoyable to drink after the food was done as well.

Now, before I get too far let me be clear that this is by no means some transcendent wine. However, it’s pretty good for a budget table wine. It’s available in the Octavin Home Wine Bars and I’m giving serious consideration to picking one up to keep on the island counter in my kitchen for when I want that random glass of wine or for cooking with.

If you’re looking for a budget red that’s different than your usual value California Cabernet or Merlot and is surprisingly complex for the price you can do a lot worse than the Fisheye Shiraz. It won’t set the world on fire, but for parties and cookouts it’s a good option to put out, especially if you grab the Home Wine Bar size.

Gravelly Ford Pinot Noir 2009

George — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:50:47 +0000

Varietal: Pinot Noir
Region: California – USA
Cost: Approx $10

Winemaker’s Notes: Rich earthiness and bold robust flavors. Pairs well with full-flavored hearty meats, stews, and soups paired with rustic bread.

My Review: You ever have one of those moments when you see a bottle of wine on your rack and have absolutely no idea where it came from? I had that moment last night with my wife when we were trying to decide which bottle of wine to open up with some chili we had made for dinner. I had no memory of the wine being purchased, was confident it wasn’t a sample that had been sent to me, and didn’t remember anybody bringing it over during one of our holiday parties, and it wasn’t until I sat down to write this review that I realized where it came from – my wife and I did buy it at a local store that was offering a free tasting. This is what age does to you.

In the glass, after spending some time in a decanter, the wine was a medium-light garnet color. It wasn’t super light, but I could still see the bottom of my glass with the wine in it. On the nose I got mostly cherry notes, though the wine didn’t have a big nose even after being allowed to open up in the decanter. In the mouth I got more of the cherry notes along with some cola on the finish and very subtle hint of effervescence. It paired well with the chili, the fruit flavor actually doing a good enough job with the chili, though I think something with a bit of spice might have been even better.

To sip on the wine after we were done eating was easy enough, and while the wine certainly didn’t blow me away, as budget Pinot Noir goes I’ve certainly had a lot worse. It didn’t set my world on fire, but if you happen across it and you’re in the market for a value Pinot Noir it’s definitely worth giving a second or third thought to.

Folatre Carmenere Reserve 2007

George — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:00:11 +0000

Varietal: Carmenere
Region: Chile – Curico Valley
Cost: $8

Winemaker’s Notes: Dark garnet color or great intensity with an aroma of generous ripe red fruit and merged peppers with toasted French oak. A silky, flavorful mouth feel, creamy with great volume. Firm tannins provide an enjoyable finish. Best paired with light hors d’oeuvres and pastas.

My Review: My wife and I are always on the lookout for inexpensive wines that may not excite or inspire us, but are easy to sip on and are more interesting than cheap merlot or cabernet sauvignon from California, Australia, or New Zealand. Chile has become a favored region to get affordable wines that mix it up ever so much. When a friend recently brought over a bottle of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon that he had picked up and we enjoyed it we decided to pick some up at the store the next time we went. They were out of the Cab Sauv, but had a healthy supply of the Carmenere that we decided to give a try to.

On Sunday, while watching my 49ers lose to the Giants (frigging special teams!), we opened up the bottle of 2007 Folatre Carmenere Reserve. We had tried another bottle of it before, but there was something different about it this time. The wine is a nice deep red in the glass, and on the nose I got some fruit but a good amount of green peppers and brambles that I didn’t experience the first time we opened one of these bottles.

In the mouth I got more of the same that I got on the nose and a smoother finish than I remembered from my first try at the wine. Since we were watching football I had whipped up some buffalo chicken bites and while I wouldn’t call the pairing a revelation, it certainly wasn’t horrible.

I’m not going to sit here and say this is the best carmenere I’ve ever had – it’s not even the best one I’ve had in the last 6 months, but for an affordable wine you can do a lot worse and if nothing else it was a good bottle to drown my sorrows in while watching Kyle Williams give the game to the Giants.

Fisheye Pinot Grigio 2011

George — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:00:20 +0000

Varietal: 100% Pinot Grigio
Region: South Eastern Australia
Cost: $7 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: Light bodied with ripe peach and tropical fruit flavors. Pairs well with Korean BBQ ribs with spicy tofu soup, Teriyaki chicken with a side of pork or vegetable potstickers. An excellent wine to enjoy with our without food.

My Review: I’m somewhat hit or miss on Pinot Grigio, so when some samples showed up and there was a bottle of Pinot Grigio included I’ll admit that I hesitated. However, when the tasting notes recommended potstickers, my wife pointed out that we had some chicken potstickers that we’d been putting off cooking up and that at the very least we’d have something to pair the wine with, so that’s just what we did.

The wine had a bit more color in the glass than I was really expecting, and on the nose I got the expected notes of tropical fruit and citrus with just a touch of banana. In the mouth the wine was light and the tropical fruit and citrus carried over, and again I got notes of banana that I actually found rather enjoyable. I dislike the taste of “fake” banana and so any time banana flavor crops up I’m usually wary, but in this case it was great.

Paired with some chicken and vegetable potstickers with some white rice it was a good counter point to the meal and was surprisingly enjoyable even without the food. Now don’t get me wrong, this wine isn’t revolutionary, but for a budget white wine I was impressed with it, and I do like that it’s also available in an Octavin Home Wine Bar for those that really enjoy it and want it in larger quantities.

Barone Fini Pinot Grigio 2010

George — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:00:44 +0000

Varietal: 100% Pinot Grigio
Region: Italy
Cost: $10 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: A reasonably priced white wine with a crisp, clean taste. With its subtle fruit flavors, this wine can be enjoyed with rich holiday meals and allows your guests to enjoy the delicious tastes of the many flavors of the holidays.

My Review: I got this, along with a few other samples, right before the holidays but only just recently got a chance to get into them. It’s been a hectic beginning to 2012. That being said, because of the hectic nature of the start of my year, some wine has been called for and my wife and I recently popped open this bottle to go with some chicken.

When I was first getting into wine a crisp Italian Pinot Grigio was one of my go-to white wines. They tended to be approachable and weren’t overly sweet or overly complex for my developing palate. As my tastes evolved I moved away from how much of it I drank, not because I found them distasteful but because I was A) busy experimenting with other grapes, and B) I found I appreciated a bit more complexity to my wines. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by the 2010 Barone Fini Pinot Grigio.

Now make no mistake, there was plenty of crisp citrus notes on this wine, which was to be expected. What I found so enjoyable was this overarching taste and sensation of green that the wine gave off. You can call it cut grass or whatever you like, but at the end of the day “green” is the best descriptor I can come up with and it was great.

The wine was nice and refreshing thanks to the citrus on both the nose and on the palate, and was a nice counter note to the chicken my wife and I made which had a bit of spice to it thanks to the seasoning we used. Now I’m not going stand here and tell you that this is some life-changing wine that will inspire you to write poetry in praise of it because that would be foolish. I will, however, tell you that it’s a great value wine and that it certainly surprised me with more complexity than I was expecting when I put screw to cork and gave it a twist.

This should be a fairly easy wine to find in your local stores, but if for some reason you can’t, you can also follow this link and have it shipped directly to you.

New Years Eve Bubbles Massacre

George — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:36:34 +0000

In a more perfect world I would have made some pointed and in-depth piece about what bottles of bubbles I was opening for the friends I was having over to my house on New Years Eve. We do not live in such a world. While I did come across tweets and pieces about people opening $100 bottles of sparkling wine and champagne, I just couldn’t justify that, in no small part because I knew exactly how the evening was going to descend (into a raucous good time).

I do, however, feel as though I owe it to the new year, and to the bottles that I opened, to show the bottles that I provided for the evening. Friends brought over others, but here’s a picture of the bottles that I provided for the festivities.

As you can see, the selection was on the whole rather affordable, with the most expensive one coming in at under $20, and most of them staying in the $10 range. New Years is certainly a time to celebrate, and this was certainly not some effort to only put out cheap wines since I had friends coming over, but was instead an effort to recognize what was about to happen at my house – a lot of drinking that most of us either wouldn’t remember or would rather forget the next morning. Also, the girls at the party spent the better part of the evening making bellinis using the bubbles, and I may have had a panic attack had they been doing so with $100 bottles of champagne, though the bottles of Barefoot that were sent to me as samples performed the task admirably and were a huge favorite with everybody.

I do hope that everybody had a safe and fun New Years and I look forward to another year of sharing my thoughts on wine with all of you that take the time to visit this site on a regular basis or even just once.

Thanksgiving 2011 Wine Selection

Table Wine: What’s It Mean To You?

George — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:48:41 +0000

Odds are pretty good that while in your wine shop you’ve seen wine labeled as table wine. What does that mean though? Is it a generic term or are there requirements? What’s a good use of table wines and how do you pick one out? Can things not labeled as “table wine” be used for the purpose?

What Is Table Wine?

Depending on where you live table wine can mean a lot of different things. Here in the United States it’s a wine made from grapes with a maximum alcohol by volume content of 14%. Other than that there’s not much that determines what is or isn’t a table wine and it’s somewhat left up to the vineyard or winery to determine whether or not they want to label their wine as a table wine.

In Europe the standards are a bit more stringent with different categories of table wine existing within the overall “table wine” genre.

Picking Out Table Wines

Regardless of the standards for what can or can’t be labeled as a “table wine”, for most of us it’s a wine that we keep around the house to go with everything from pizza and pasta to chicken and munchies. Be it red or white, for many of us a table wine is an inexpensive wine that we pick up at the store that won’t set the world on fire, won’t change the way you feel about a grape or varietal, but instead goes with a wide range of foods or no foods at all.

While only you can determine what your personal standard for a table wine is, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t at least share what I look for in a table wine for my wife and I. There’s not a particular grape that I look for, though I do find myself gravitating to pinot noir and malbec as of late for reds and sauvignon blanc for whites, especially those from Chile.

I don’t have a set price, and every person’s budget will dictate what’s an “affordable” wine for them, but I do attempt to keep it under $20 a bottle. Lately I’ve even found bottles at my local grocery store for under $10 that are enjoyable and are perfect for a Sunday afternoon while watching football on the couch.

It’s Your Choice

The only opinion that matters when it comes to picking out a table wine is your own. If you enjoy the bottle pick up several bottles of it, keep it around your house, and enjoy a glass or two with a quick dinner, after a hard day at work, or because…wine is awesome. The most important part is that even after you’ve found a table wine that you like, to be open to trying new ones since a little variety certainly never hurts.

Cheapism’s Best Budget Wines

George — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:08:52 +0000

The holidays are upon us and if you’re anything like me you’re about to enter into a heady mix of family, friends, and other relatives for dinners, parties, and just to catch up. Times like these call for wine. Lots of wine. Thanksfully, Cheapism.com did some research to come up with a list of the best budget reds, whites, and sparkling wines that are perfect for this time of year. Here’s the list they came up with:

White

Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay
Dr. Loosen Red Slate Riesling
Château Ste. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc

Red

Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Meleni Chianti Borghi d’Elsa 2010
Dancing Bull Zinfandel
Mirassou Pinot Noir 2010

Sparkling Wine

Roederer Estate NV Brut
Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut NV
Freixenet Cordon Negro Extra Dry

All of the reds and white are $10 or under, and all of the sparkling wines are under $20. While we’d all love to put out the best wine available for every party we host and attend, sometimes having some affordable wines is the best option, especially when you’re hosting a party with dozens of people where your’e going to go through a lot of wine.

Big House Red 2010

George — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:00:51 +0000

Varietal: Petite Sirah; Tempranillo; Syrah; Grenache; Malbec; Mourvedre; Nebeillo; Tannat; Souzao; Aglianico; Barbera; Zinfandel; Petite Verdot; Cabernet Franc; Charbano; Nero d’Avola; Sanviovese; Sagrantino
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes: This Big House Red lives up to that old Fruit Bomb moniker that you’ve come to expect. It starts with a nose full of blackberries and raspberries, with hints of leather and spices. The palate is clean, exhibiting flavors of cranberries, roses, and a touch of rhubarb. This finish lingers, with flavors of vanilla and a touch of dark cherries in the finish. Pairs well with all grilled meats, lasagna Bolognese, grilled vegetables, or even sashimi grade Ahi tuna.

My Review: The previous version of this wine was one of those that I was torn on. I liked what they were trying to do by creating a table wine with a little bit of everything that could then go with a little bit of everything, but I felt that the attempt created a wine that just fell flat. This vintage was different.

Now, to preface, I’m not saying that the 2010 Big House Red is some revolutionary wine, but I did like it better than the previous years bottles I had tried. They’ve changed the mixture some and I think it’s for the best. On the nose I got mostly raspberry with a touch of spice and in the mouth I got dark cherry and some cranberry with a juiciness that made me feel like the Zinfandel as much as anything was coming through.

With a dinner of pizza after a trip the grocery store to stock up after the Thanksgiving holiday, a simple bottle of inexpensive red was a welcome sight and I continue to be a proponent of what Big House is doing – making nice affordable wines that might not set the world on fire, but are certainly welcome after a long day at work.