Category:Wine of the week

Wine of the week: Frico Rosso 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Frico Rosso bottle shot
Frico Rosso 2020/$11-$16

Italian red offers Chianti-style value

The WC did an interview the other day, and the question came up yet again: “Where can I find value for those of us want to drink wine instead of an overpriced soft drink cocktail?”

And the answer, once again, is Italy.

The Frico Rosso 2020 ($11, purchased, 13%) is another in a long line of Italian reds made with sangivoese and whatever else is lying around that reminds us that wine is made to drink with dinner. It’s there to complement the food, and not to be the star on its own.

The Frico, with the distinctive pig on the label, is a straightforward, simple – but not stupid — Italian wine of the kind I have been drinking for about as long as I have been drinking wine. Which is not a bad thing, and especially when the producer blends the sangiovese with a bit of canialolo, ciliegiolo, and colorino (typically used in these kinds of wines) to add a touch more interest.

Look for a traditional flavor profile (as the wine geeks would say): Some herbs and some cherry fruit in a more rustic style. The Frico Rosso won’t change your life, but will do the trick for spaghetti and meatballs on Tuesday night.

Also worth noting: Scarpetta, the producer, spends a lot of time on its website wooing retail and restaurant customers, something I don’t see too often. In fact, this wine comes in a 20-liter keg for restaurants, which would seem to be a way to sell decent wine for about $8 a glass.

Though, these days, it would probably cost $15 a glass.

Imported by USA Wine West

Wine of the week: Domaine Guillaume Cabrol Picpoul de Pinet 2021

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Domaine Guillaume Cabrol Picpoul de Pinet bottle
Domaine Guillaume Cabrol Picpoul de Pinet 2021/$10-$16

Once again, a French picpoul demonstrates its value and quality

The Wine Curmudgeon was talking to a friend the other day, and we were bemoaning the state of U.S. cheap wine. “Why can’t I find quality U.S, wine the way I can find quality European wine for less than than $15?” my friend asked. “You’d think, after shipping costs and the importer’s cut, European wines would cost more.”

Which makes perfect sense, but we are talking about the wine business, aren’t we?

Case in point: the Domaine Guillaume Cabrol Picpoul de Pinet 2021 ($13, purchased, 13%), which can be found for as little as $10. What possible economic reason can there be that this wine costs less than so many California wines of similar – or even less — quality?

Because the Cabrol is a terrific wine for the price: A sold, well-made, and varietally correct picpoul, something we’ve seen lots of on the blog in the past couple of years. Picpoul is a white grape from the Languedoc in southern France; its name literally translates to lip-smacking because the wine can be so tart.

This wine is a little more sophisticated than most; yes, it’s tart and lemony, but it’s not quite as rough around the edges and there’s even a bit of minerality. Chill it, serve it with a couscous salad and some grilled chicken breast.

Imported by David Bowler Wine

Wine of the week: Protocolo Tinto 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

protocolo tinto label
Protocolo Tinto 2019/$6-$8

Spend $7, get quality wine for dinner — what a revolutionary concept

An Italian wine that I paid $10 for in September cost $14 when I bought it a couple of weeks ago – same wine, same vintage, same retailer, and likely sitting in the same warehouse since the middle of last year.

So raise its price 40 percent!

Which is a roundabout way to sing – once again – the praises of the Spanish Protocolo wines, which come in red, white, and pink, as well as organic. Consistent, fair price, fair value, and enjoyable – without any mysterious 40 percent price increases.

The Protocolo Tinto 2020 ($7, purchased, 14%) is one more example of how this works. It tastes much like the 2019, though a bit more rustic. That means it’s far from smoooth and certainly not sweet; rather, it tastes like tempranillo from Spain — maybe some dark berry fruit, and enough acidity but not so much in the way of tannins so that it doesn’t taste like a focus group wine.

Yes, simple, but what’s wrong with simple for dinner on Monday night with the leftover pot roast from the weekend? Or one of those Jacques Pepin tortilla pizzas? And, believe it or not, two of the wine magazines like this wine, too, naming it a best value.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy is the only person who doesn’t know what a great deal the Protocolo is.

Imported by Fine Wines of Spain

Wine of the week: Stemmari Grillo 2021

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Stemmari grillo bottle
Stemmari Grillo 2021/$8-$11

Ah, to be drinking Sicily when the cheap wine is on the shelf

Bear with the Wine Curmudgeon, as I wax poetic about the old days.

Ah, Sicily.

Once, Sicily was going to be the world’s next great cheap wine region. And then it wasn’t, for any number of reasons that we’re all too familiar with on the blog. So when I run across one of the wines that never abandoned that quest, I am that much less curmudgeonly.

The Stemmari Grillo 2021 ($8, purchased, 13%) is made with a white grape, grillo, that deserves to be more than an answer in a wine geek quiz. When it’s handled properly, as it is here, it’s neither chardonnay not sauvignon blanc and certainly not pinot grigio. Rather, it is a fresh, every day kind of wine with its own particular character.

In the Stemmari, that means simple but not stupid, with some tell-tale nuttiness (almonds?), some pear fruit, and a clean, almost stony finish. And please ignore the back label hype about “jasmine and white flowers,” which is mostly marketing.

Put a bottle of this in the refrigerator and drink it when you want a glass, or serve it with something like chicken thighs marinated in olilve oil and lemon juice.

Imported by Prestige Wine Imports

Wine of the week: Goats do Roam Red Blend 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Goats do Roam red blend bottle
Goats do Roam red blend 2020/$8-$16

The South African red blend does all a wine at this price should do

Anyone who knows the Wine Curmudgeon won’t be surprised to see this South African red blend as a wine of the week. If nothing else, one of the nine grapes in the blend is white and another is petite sirah, but called by its “other” name, durif.

And how often do we see either of those?

The other reason it’s here? Because the Goats do Roam Red Blend 2020 ($12, purchased, 13.8%) is about more than its nine-grape blend. Rather, it’s here because it does something that used to be common, but has fallen by the wayside in this age of overpriced $17 California field blends.

In other words, a well-made, professional wine that delivers what it should for this price. That means a sturdy blend with a bit of heft, but with tannins that don’t get in the way. There’s lots and lots of black fruit and even a little spice, something I didn’t expect. Some tasting notes call this a Red Rhone blend, but it seems more South African, with less Rhone-style fruit.

Highly recommended; a Hall of Fame quality wine. Pair this with winter braises and stews, and even something like meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Imported by Indigo Wine Group

Wine of the week: MAN Chenin Blanc 2021

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

MAN Chenin Blanc bottle
MAN Chenin Blanc 2021/$7-$12

Once more, South Africa’s MAN chenin blanc reminds us that cheap doesn’t always mean crummy

There are some wines that I drink, vintage after vintage, that don’t necessarily win awards, aren’t 90-pointed by the Winestream Media, and are mostly ignored by the wine geeks. They include this wine and this wine, as well as my beloved Tariquet, and I drink them because they offer value and quality. What other reason is there?

The MAN Chenin Blanc 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%)  is one of those wines. This vintage is not as impressive as the 2019, which won the Turner award in 2021, but it’s exactly what great $10 wine should be. That is: Worth much, much more than it costs, does justice to its varietal (or varietals), and doesn’t insult the intelligence of those of us who drink it.

This vintage of the MAN has lemon fruit and a certain stoniess associated with chenin blanc. It’s not sweet or even especially smoooth, but bone dry and speaks to South African chenin blanc. The only thing missing that was in the Turner wine is a little bit of something in the middle. and which turned a good wine into a great wine.

Chill this, drink it on its own or with roast chicken, and be glad that cheap wine can still be this well done.

Imported by Vineyard Brands

Wine of the week: Herdade do Esporão Vinho Monte Velho 2021

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Herdade do Esporão Vinho Monte Velho bottle
Herdade do Esporão Vinho Monte Velho 2021/$7-$14

Once again, Portuguese wine shows off its value and quality

My tasting note for this wine is simple: “Very Portuguese — fruity (dark berries) and heavy-ish, but not heavy.”

Which, as brief as it is, says everything anyone who wants quality at a fair price needs to know. The Herdade do Esporão Vinho Monte Velho 2021 ($10, purchased, 13.5%) once again demonstrates that Portugal may offer the best value in the world for red wine (and the whites aren’t bad, either).

More specifically, this vintage of the Monte Velho is a blend of four grapes. This includes touriga nacional, Portugal’s national grape, and a smattering of syrah (that doesn’t get in the way). The combination offers something that isn’t particularly simple or as straightforward as a $15 California red. There’s some spice, and it tastes surprisingly fresh for its weight. Meanwhile, the tannins are there for anyone paying attention.

This is a winter dinner red wine, and especially for the middle of the week when there’s leftover pot roast in the refrigerator or you want to roast some mushrooms with assorted vegetables.

Imported by NOW Imports