Whatever’s in your wallet, everyone loves a bargain

By Joe Scutella, For the Herald
joe@mallorylanewines.com

It doesn’t matter if you are Bill Gates or Bill the lawn guy, everyone loves a bargain. When quality hits a bull’s eye upon the sweet spot of value something seems to trigger euphoric pheromones in the human brain. It is then that the pleasing twinge of satisfaction sings from the hypothalamus gland to our toes. Whether it’s a pair of socks or a pair of diamond earrings, a sweet deal can bring an inner smile to even the hard hearted amongst us.

The world of wine is no exception to this rule. With a glut of good juice from countries in both hemispheres, the savvy wine consumer has more choices than ever. The trick is for one to look beyond the familiar name brand labels, delving bravely instead into the great mysterious unknown. This can be a daunting task; so many wines so little time, don’t you know. So that is where wine guys like me come in. Consider your local wine merchant as a sort of wine Sherpa, there to lead you up the paths less traveled to a glorious summit where quality meets value. There you will find little known gems of wine just waiting to be unearthed. A good wine merchant can, with a few key questions, point you towards just such wines, no matter what your budget or palate preferences. What follows are just a few suggestions. These are inexpensive wines which offer both quality and value while drinking better than their modest prices. In other words, these wines offer great bang for your buck.

• 2005 La Noble Chardonnay ($9.99) American wine drinkers have recently begun to discover the unobstructed beauty of un-oaked Chardonnay. Finally emerging from those oak-laden butter bombs of warm climate wineries, these more pure expressions of the varietal are becoming ever more popular. In La Noble we get just such a beautiful expression. This lovely French Chardonnay offers bright tropical fruits flavors and a crisp, clean finish. This is a perfect summer wine which will pair with everything from hot dogs to hot tamales.

• 2005 DiRiEnzo Pinot Grigio ($8.99 or $14.99) This ever popular Italian varietal comes in many forms from producers both big and small. Here it is expressed with softness and crisp peach and pear flavors. The finish continues very softly, with subtle hints of dried banana chips mingling in. DiRiEnzo Pinot Grigio comes in the standard 750ml size or the larger format 1.5 liter.

• 2005 Marques de Riscal Rueda Blanco ($9.99) The Rueda region, northeast of Madrid, had produced wines commercially for 1000 years. The vineyards of Marques de Riscal has done so for about 150 years themselves. In this case, the primary grape is Verdejo (ver-day-ho), with a bit of Viura added. The result is an aromatic white wine with ripe, round peach and apricot notes and hints of pineapple. This wine is sinfully easy to drink and could easily be your next go-to summer white.

• 2004 Heron “Sexto” ($13.99) American wine maker Laely Heron makes wines in California, France and Spain. All of her wines perennially make best buy lists in newspapers, trades and magazine. Her “Sexto” is a six-grape blend from Spain. Its lusty, racy, spicy profile and great concentration of dark fruits make it a perfect pairing for barbecue, ribs and other hearty backyard delights.

• 2003 Pietra Santa Merlot ($15.99) This California winery in the foothills south and east of Monterey produces a full range of excellent value wines. The 2003 Merlot is a stunning value and the sort of Merlot which Cabernet drinkers will appreciate. Dark cherry, plum and chocolate tones mingle with soft oak to make for a sumptuous wine. The 2003 Pietra Santa Merlot will bring many a wine drinker back to this oft-maligned varietal.

• 2005 Vina Antigua Sangiovese - Bonarda ($8.99) This great bargain Argentinean wine is a blend of two otherwise Italian red varietals. It is very silky and has a superb concentration of palate coating blackberry fruit flavors, with some dark cherry mingling in nicely. Around the Scutella household we buy it by the case because the price is so unbelievable. It makes for a great every day red, as it works well with everything from burgers to pizza and pasta.

So, if you need to fill some holes in your wine cabinet, you can do so without breaking the bank. All you need is your spirit of adventure.

We’ll see you upon the path less traveled. Until then…….’nuff said, Joe Scutella

Joe Scutella is manager and buyer at Mallory Lane Wine & Spirits in Franklin. He can be reached at joe@mallorylanewines.com 

Posted on: 6/21/2007