Tag Archives: MAN Vintners

Italy’s Scaia Rosato 2020 is the blog’s fifth annual Cheap Wine of the Year

The Scaia Rosato is probably best known for its glass bottle stopper, which speaks volumes about how the wine business works. Yes, the stoppers are an enticing novelty, but to overlook what’s in the bottle because of that is silly.

Even for the wine business.

So know that the Scaia Rosato 2o20 ($10, purchased, 12.5%) is so much more than its glass closure. First, it’s a quintessential Italian pink wine — bright, a bit rich, and even a little savory. In this, it’s made with rondinella, a little known grape even given how many little known grapes there are in Italy.

Even better than that, it delivered quality and value that few other wines — rose or otherwise — delivered in 2021. Hence, the Scaia Rosato 2020 is the blog’s fifth annual cheap wine of the year.

The Scaia has always been a blog favorite, and the Dallas retailer that carries it almost always sells out quickly. But the 2020 is even better than usual — sort of floral and even pretty, which is a descriptor I rarely use, with raspberry fruit and a sort of tangy-ness. As such, it’s more interesting and much more than just a pink wine to drink because it’s a well made pink wine.

Best yet, there appears to be lots and lots available. This has often been a problem with the Scaia, which sometimes arrives in the U.S in mid-summer instead of spring with the rest of the roses. So buy this to drink year round — whether on its own, with something like pizza, a variety of chicken dishes, and even roasted mushrooms.

Imported by Dallas Terra

More Cheap Wine of the Year:
• 2021 Cheap Wine of the Year: MAN Chenin Blanc 2019
• 2020 Cheap Wine of the Year: Le Coeur de la Reine Gamay 2017
• 2019 Cheap Wine of the Year: Château La Gravière Blanc 2017

South Africa’s MAN Vintners Chenin Blanc 2019 is the blog’s fourth annual Cheap Wine of the Year

The MAN Vintners Chenin Blanc, a South African white, appeals to the Wine Curmudgeon on a variety of levels. First, that it’s South African wine, and we know about that, don’t we? Second, that it’s chenin blanc, and we know about that, don’t we?

And, of course, that it’s cheap, delicious, and varietally correct. Because that’s what matters, and not any of the aforementioned criticisms. Hence, the MAN Vintners Chenin Blanc 2019 is the blog’s fourth annual cheap wine of the year.

In this, the MAN chenin blanc ($10, purchased, 12.5%) demonstrates once again that wine preconceptions are one of the problems with wine. Why pass up a wine as wonderful as this because you don’t drink chenin blanc, white wine, or South African wine? Because, of course, too many of you reading this now are thinking just that.

Does this wine taste like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc? Nope, because it’s not supposed to. It tastes like a New World chenin blanc — not as steely or stony as chenin from France’s Loire, but crisp and minerally enough, and with more fruit. It’s bone dry, with stone fruit and maybe some red apple, a richness that most $10 wines don’t have, and a longish finish. It’s surprisingly layered and sophisticated; swish it around in your mouth, and you’ll see what I mean. This is a white wine if you want a glass before dinner, as well something to drink with braised chicken.

The 2019 vintage is still be widely available, as is the 2018. The latter isn’t as impressive as the 2019, but it’s well made and enjoyable. The 2020 has been released, but I haven’t tried it yet.

Imported by Vineyard Brands

More Cheap Wine of the Year:
• 2020 Cheap Wine of the Year: Le Coeur de la Reine Gamay 2017
• 2019 Cheap Wine of the Year: Château La Gravière Blanc 2017
• 2018 Cheap Wine of the Year: Bieler Pere et Fils Rose 2016