Category:Wine of the week

Wine of the week: Scarpetta Frico Bianco 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Scarpetta Frico Bianco bottle
Scarpetta Frico Bianco 2020/$9-$18

This Italian white blend offers crisp, affordable quality

Nothing speaks more to the dilemma facing the wine business these days than this note on the Wine-Searcher page for the Scarpetta Frico Bianco: “Increasingly popular over the last year.”

Given that Wine-Searcher prides itself on pumping up wine wines that cater to the 1 percent, that says a lot about how ordinary wine drinkers are desperately looking for affordable quality.

Which the Scarpetta Frico Bianco ($12, purchased, 12.5%) delivers again this vintage. It’s an Italian white blend made with friulano and chardonnay; there’s also a red, which isn’t as interesting, and a rose, which is usually terrific.

Friulano, from Italy’s northeast, is a white grape that sort of resembles sauvignon blanc, but it’s usually more floral and less citrusy. Blending it with chardonnay tends to make the wine rounder and softer, though this vintage is more tart than the 2019 was.

Having said that, it’s still not as citrusy as sauvignon blanc, leaning more toward lemons than grapefruit. It’s certainly crisp at the back, and there is also bit of spice or almond, or even both. In all, a fine value for the price, and especially if you can find it for $10. Pair this with grilled shrimp or spaghetti with clam sauce.

Imported by USA Wine West

 

Wine of the week: Azul y Garanza Tempranillo 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

azul y garanza tempranillo
Azul y Garanza Tempranillo 2020/$12-$18

Neither the pandemic nor the supply chain can stop this Spanish red from offering quality and value

There are many things to like about the Azul y Garanza tempranillo. For one, it comes in a 1-liter bottle, so you get an extra glass for more or less the same price as a 750 ml. It’s made with organic grapes, for those who follow those things. And its importer, Valkyrie Selections, has a portfolio of terrific, inexpensive wines.

But the most important thing to like? This vintage of the wine ($15, purchased, 14.1%) continues the producer’s commitment to everyday wine that we can afford to drink and that won’t insult our sensibilities. The 2020 is a little more rustic and less fruity than previous vintages, while the alcohol is a touch higher than usual (no doubt an attempt to get around the Trump tariff’s 14 percent cutoff).

But the rest is as it should be. The wine opened up after about 20 minutes, showing dark cherry fruit and an almost peppery spiciness. The tannins are more upfront than usual, but they don’t get in the way. Serve it with anything meaty or Spanish, even a chickpea stew or lentils and sausages.

I’m not sure it will return to the Hall of Fame in 2024. Pricing has been all over the place, while availability has been spotty. But it’s still well worth drinking.

Imported by Valkyrie Selections

Wine of the week: Westmount Pinot Gris 2021

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Westmount pinot gris bottle
Westmount Pinot Gris 2021/$13-$20

Quality Oregon pinot gris for less than $15 – a fine way to start the new year

Few wines have suffered as much from premiumization as Oregon pinot gris. Not that long ago, there were a variety of quality brands selling the white for $15 or less. Now, those wine are almost all gone, and what’s left at that price is sweet or boring or both.

So when I saw the Westmount Pinot Gris 2021 ($13, purchased, 13.5%) on a local retailer’s shelf, I took the chance. And I’m glad I did.

This is a delightful, almost subtle Oregon pinot gris – all in all, much more than I dared hope for. It reminded me of the quality wines I used to buy at this price, before all those brands went over to the dark side (and since they know who they are, there’s no need to name them).

It’s not exactly classic Oregon pinot gris; there’s more pear than bright lime fruit and more minerality than most. Some of the tasting noteseven  mention spice, which may be on hand if you’re looking for it. Regardless, a surprisingly complex wine for the price.

Chill this and drink it on its own or pair it with grilled chicken breasts. Now, sadly, the caveats: prices are all over the place (as much as $20), and the wine may be difficult to find (even though I bought it just a couple of months ago). But that’s the wine business for you.

Wine of the week: Broadside Merlot 2019

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Broadside Merlot bottle
Broadside Merlot 2019/$12-$19

We celebrate the New Year with an affordable and professional California red

Quality, affordable California wine – let alone quality, cheap California wine – has long been in short supply. The reasons vary; the results are too often sappy and soft wines that really don’t taste like wine.

So, in 2022, I made a conscious effort to look for California wine that met the blog’s criteria, but wasn’t from McManis. One of the results: two wines from Broadside, the cabernet sauvignon and, today, the merlot.

Broadside’s 2019 merlot ($14, purchased, 14.5%) is a well-executed California red that does something that doesn’t happen often anymore. It tastes like merlot; most of the varietal at this price are either sweet, made to taste like cabernet sauvignon, or both.

Instead, it has merlot’s characteristics, even at such a high alcohol level. That means it’s less rigid in structure – call it rounder instead of pointed, and noticeably less tannic. There is some black fruit and even a little spice. All in all, a nicely made bottle of wine, even if the company that turns out Broadside also pumps out shelves and shelves of supermarket plonk (as well as the surprisingly pleasant Stephen Vincent wines).

This is food wine, most notably red meat. But it would be amiss with a weeknight meatloaf, either.

Wine of the week: Cote Mas Cremant de Limoux Brut NV

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Cote Mas Crémant de Limoux Brut
Cote Mas Crémant de Limoux Brut NV/$10-$25

Quality French sparkling wine that doesn’t cost as much as this month’s electricity bill

This has been the most odd and puzzling year for sparkling wine in the blog’s history. I’ll write more about that tomorrow in the New Years’ bubbly post, but know that quality and prices have been all over the place – pricey wines that were flat and flawed, and cheap wines that were just the opposite.

The Cote Mas Crémant de Limoux Brut NV ($13, purchased, 12%) is a perfect example. The producer makes a lot of inexpensive wine, sparkling and still, and I’ve yet to figure out why some are terrific and the others make me crazy .

The Mas is in the former category. It’s an extremely bubbly sparkling wine from Limoux in France’s Languedoc, and when I say bubbly, I mean bubbly. In fact, one tasting note calls it crunchy, which probably isn’t far off.

But there is much more going on than fizz. Look for lots of bright green apple fruit from the chardonnay in the blend, as well as a little minerality from the chenin blanc. In all, it’s full and round and the finish seems to go on forever. It isn’t subtle, but why does it need to be?

Highly recommended. Drink this on its own, to toast the New Year, or with a holiday brunch.

Imported by Taub Family Selections

Wine of the week: Naia Verdejo 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Naia Verdejo bottle
Naia Verdejo 2020/$10-$25

This Spanish white reminds us that cheap wine doesn’t have to be stupid

Verdejo has long been a workhorse grape, used to make lots and lots of Spanish white wine of indifferent quality. But in the last 10 or 15 years, a funny thing happened: Cheap and well-made wines showed up on store shelves with verdejo.

The Naia has long been one of the best-made of these wines – professional, consistent, and enjoyable. I have not seen it at retail for a white, so was more than happy to pick up the 2020 ($13, purchased, 13.5%). And, for the most part, I was glad I did.

This vintage is not as bright as I remember it being, and it’s not quite as savory – a quality that the less tart wines sometimes had. Plus, the finish is a little heavier.

But who I am to complain when I tasted a bottle of a sweet cabernet sauvignon the other day that almost made me gag – and that cost $16? The Naia is still a fine wine, a fine example of the varietal, and a fine value. Look for not quite tart lemon fruit as well as some stone fruit and and interesting minerality on the finish.

A turkey wine? Of course, as well as something for all of those leftovers. Also, pricing is all over place — try not to pay more than $15.

Imported by Aviva Vino

 

Wine of the week: Flaco Tempranillo 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

flaco wine bottle
Flaco Tempranillo 2020/$4-$12

An enjoyable cheap Spanish red wine – a holiday gift for all of us

One of the first rules in this business – any kind of journalism, in fact – is not to get too friendly with the people you write about. What happens when you have to say something they won’t like?

But that’s really hard to keep in mind with Patrick Mata of importer Ole & Obrigador. Patrick is just not a nice guy, but polite and professional and I’ve quoted him in my wine writing, here and elsewhere, and he has made several podcast appearances.

Fortunately, his wines are usually so well made that there is rarely any need for harsh words. One of my favorites is the Flaco ($11, purchased, 14.5%). It has been featured here three previous times, and this vintage shows again that it offers quality and value.

In fact, the 2020 Flaco is terrific even though the listed alcohol is higher than usual. I suspect that’s a tariff maneuver; the wine doesn’t taste too hot or alcoholic. A friend of mine, who is even more alter to alcohol for the sake of marketing than I am, was shocked when I told her how high it was.

Otherwise, the Flaco is as it always is — simple, enjoyable and varietal. That means some spice, some black cherry fruit, and minimal tannins. It doesn’t taste like a fine, aged Rioja, but – all together now – “it’s not supposed to.”

You can even chill this a little; serve it with winter beef dishes.

Imported by Ole & Obrigado