Whites

1)    Pfaffenheim Pinot Gris (~$19)

Consistently great wine from Alsace, France. Pinot Gris from this region is very full and just a touch off dry.  Goes very well with a lot of dishes, and in particular spicy Asian cuisine.

 

2)    Wild Goose “Autumn Gold” (~$19)

Fantastic “all rounder” from a BC winery in Okanagan Falls.  It’s not available from BC Liquor Stores (at least the last time I looked), but you can find it at many private liquor stores and BC VQA Stores.

 

3)    Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio (~$18)

Pinot Grigio is the Italian version of Pinot Gris.  It’s much drier and lighter than the Alsace style.  This a great salad/first course wine as well a good patio sipper.

 

4)    California White – “Menage a Trois” (~$15)

Very nice wine with a very goofy name. The name refers to the three varietals in the blend which are: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Moscato – which aren’t normally blended together. In this case it works very well at great price point.  A tad more sweet than an off-dry wine.  Good crowd pleaser.

Reds

5) D’Arenberg “Stump Jump” (~$15)

Great Australian red from MaClaren Vale.   It’s a combination of southern Rhone (France) grapes, grenach, mouvedre and syrah.  Most Australian shiraz from either the Barossa Valley or MaClaren Vale in the <$20 range is usually an excellent wine for the price point.

 

6)    Cossano Belbo “Trentacinquesimo Parallelo” Primitivo Salento Puglia IGT (~$10)

Great value Italian red. Made from the primitivo grape, more commonly known in North America as Zinfandel.   This is a actually a big chewy wine with lots of fruit and tannin and probably one of the best deals for the prince point.

 

7) Folonari Valpollicella “Ripasso” – Classico Superiore DOC (~$19)

Excellent wine for the price point.  Ripasso is the name given to a semi-concentrated style of Italian red wine made from the corvia grape (which is the grape used in Valpollicella).   In this case, the must (used skins) from Amarone wine, which have been dried considerably (read concentrated) before being made into wine, is added to the valpollicella during fermentation.   Amarone wines are highly concentrated and very rich – but also very expensive.   The used amarone must adds a lot character and weight to valpolicella making ripasso a great bargain.

 

8)    Casa Concha Merlot (~$20)

This is a big red wine from Chile with lots of plumb and herb on the nose and hints of chocolate, vanilla and black pepper on the palate.

 

9)    Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon “Medalla Real” (~$20)

Another big Chilean wine at a great price point. Very different from the merlot, lots of black fruit, black pepper-type spiciness and big tannins. Have it with a steak on the BBQ.