Feel-good finds

[Michael M]

So you see a bottle wine for $8 that interests you (end of bin? found it on a road trip in that little grocery store? noticed it in the Hungarian deli?). There's that sense of the unknown, of piqued anticipation as you open it at home - what is this grape, anyway? Will this be the next great find? Where the heck in [pick a country] is [unknown appellation]? Finally, you bring the glass to your nose, sniff, pour a sip, swirl it around a bit you think, well, there's another bottle I'll be cooking with.

I can tell how badly I'm striking out on bottles like this by the choice of deglazing liquids I have in the fridge. By the middle of the summer I had quite a selection. I realize last week that I'd been out of don't-really-want-to-drink-them wines for a while and one reason was because I'd found some good bargains.

Whites

2003 Antinori Campogrande Orvieto Classico, $9

60% Procanico, 20% Grechetto, 15% Verdello, 5% Drupeggio & Malvasia. Though from last year's scorching summer, this was a crisp lean burst of citrusy orange-grapefruit, light in the mouth, delightful on its own and with seafood.

2002 Forchir Villa del Borgo Friuli Grave, $8

100% Chardonnay, stainless steel. Bright, floral and honey nose with some gentle mineral overtones, nice balanced tartness. A barely off-dry quaffer with some citric spine.

2002 Chateau Moncountour Vouvray, $10 on sale

100% Chenin Blanc. Pale, pale straw - barely colored, but with bright lemony fruit jumping out of the glass, light in the mouth with a slight, round creaminess to it. With a vivid fruit-to-acid ratio and the smell and taste of mineral, this was a great bargain, and I wish I'd gotten more when it was on sale.

2003 Domaine du Tariquet Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne, $6

Ugni Blanc. Light, off-dry summer porch-sipper. Simple, straightforward, with a price to match.

2004 Hope Estate Verdelho, Hope Valley, Oz, $11 (well, not quite under $10)

Creamy nose with mineral, bright citrusy-lime fruit. Light to medium bodied, nicely tart limey-ness balanced with green apple, more lush in the mouth than any of the previous, yet still clean, vibrant, refreshing. Different and fun. Apparently there's more of this Portugese grape planted in Oz than I thought, much of it in Hunter Valley.

Rose

2003 Mirasol Navarra, (Spain), $8

100% free run Grenache, stainless steel. Wow! I loved this fruity, steely, mineral rose! Very aromatic - imagine a creek bed of stones with fresh, clean water and the smell/taste of light red berries and lemons. Firm, taught, yet fruity. Think garlic shrimp, olives, manchego.

Red

2001 Santi Solane, Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Ripasso, $8.

How can they sell stuff this good and still make money? Plum, dark cherry, raspberry on the nose with a delightful grounding of earthy damp leaves, dusty autumness. Round, lush, ripe cherry fruit on the palate with woodsy backing, rich and inky but nicely structured and balanced with nice acids. Lamb and sheep's milk cheese went well with this.

2001 Capezzana Barco Reale di Carmignano, $9

Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo.

I think many know this one anyway, but it's such an autumn wine to me. Opaque purple, it smells like it looks: dark crushed blackberries and cassis, some cherry and hints of licorice and vanilla, but most of all, this fruit is infused with the smell of earth and fresh rain. Medium bodied, all this fruity/earthiness balanced by a sharp acid core and some nice woody tannins. Dry, firm-textured autumn fruit.

2001 Silvano Garcia Tinto, Jumilla, Spain, $8.

85% Monastrell (Carignan/Carignano/Carinena), 15% Tempranillo

Very concentrated cherry/dried berry aroma, followed by wood, earth, fresh rain. Plump and fruity with a zingy acidity, moderate to low tannins but a pleasant grounding of soil. Dry, earthy cherry finish.

[Echezeaux]

Isn't Monastrell "Mourvedre" or "Mataro?

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions of bargain wines...Barco Reale for $9???

You sound disappointed in a lot of the wines you've been buying...don't you have a good wine merchant to help guide you towards a higher "batting average"???

[Michael M]

Isn't Monastrell "Mourvedre" or "Mataro?

You sound disappointed in a lot of the wines you've been buying...don't you have a good wine merchant to help guide you towards a higher "batting average"???

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A quick internet search says you're right, Monastrell is Mourvedre. I thought I'd just looked that up in the dictionary, but apparently I misremembered something.

Actually, I'm usually fairly satisfied with the direction I get purchasing wines, but I'm a sucker for trying out that unusual or cheap bottle I've never heard of!