TO YOUR (FINANCIAL) HEALTH
We experience five reasonable wines so you don't bust your wallet
BY AARON CLEMENS
Last month I declared that I abandoned cheap wine. I wrote too soon. Haste - motivated by my delight at sampling fine, expensive wine - hinged on the idea that life is too short to drink bad wine. However, quality inexpensive wine exists. Since regularly imbibing wine may lengthen life, I decided to find wine suitable for daily drinking that will not bust a budget.
I selected red wine varieties from Italy, France, Australia, America and Chile to sample. All came from 1.5 liter bottles.
The $7.67, screw-top Italian Reunite Lambrusco (2006) was up first. I've met this wine many times before. It has always settled smoothly, perhaps due to its low alcohol content of 8 percent.
Second was the French 2005 Georges Duboeuf Cuv�e Rouge, also screw top, but $8.99. A red table wine, like the Lambrusco, it lacked a year on the label yet noted 12.5 percent alcohol.
With an alcohol-content of 13.5 percent, Australian Yellow Tail Merlot 2005, my third selection, sold for $13.89. Wikipedia notes that this wine "was recently ranked number one selling Merlot in the USA." The bouquet of this wine, by far the most fragrant, hinted of dark earth, eliciting memories of truffles as well as pepper. A suggestion of chocolate and raspberry also came to mind.
After reviewing a Don Melchor, I wanted to try a less expensive line. Listed at $8.99, my fourth adventure included the Chilean Concha y Toro Frontera Merlot 2002, laced with 13.5 percent alcohol. Flavorfully fruity and balanced, the Frontera's finish exercised some bite.
Fifth, my final, turned out to be California's Sutter Home's Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $10.99. The experience began poorly as the cork broke while opening. It was 13 percent alcohol.
Each wine had a light purple color. Among the five, none were all that distinguishable on color or texture. Yellow Tail, the darkest, proved just as watery as the next darkest, the Frontera, when swirled around. The wine almost immediately beat a watery retreat when gravity grabbed the glass.
The bouquets were divergent. The Lambrusco was sweet, soft and fruity, and the Cuv�e Rougue's bouquet was stronger, not so sweet. Although far from overpowering, it has a detectable scent of alcohol, perhaps given its higher alcohol content.
The Frontera was my second favorite bouquet, next to the Yellow Tail. I detected a hint of pepper. There was thankfully not as strong an alcohol smell as with the Sutter Home and Cuvee Rogue. To me, the Sutter Home lacked a distinguishable bouquet, other than alcohol.
Moving to taste and finish, the Lambrusco possessed a slightly tart and sweet taste. Compared to the others, it is soft, not fiery. Its finish was slightly sour but pleasant. As usual, I enjoyed it.
I witnessed a spicier taste with a prolonged finish while enjoying the Cuv�e Rouge - not so sweet or tart. The alcohol taste was present yet only less obvious than the Sutter Home.
The Yellow Tail's spicy, peppery smell spilled across my tongue following the initial fruity splash. The finish was a notably sustained yet pleasant, zestful taste.
The Sutter Home entered watery. A bounce sprang forth after a moment and lasted throughout the finish. It was not entirely unpleasant, but its bitter and sour alcoholic finish nearly made it so.
From the broken cork to the watery taste, Sutter Home certainly took top honors with worst impression. The alcoholic finish sealed its fate for me.
I would not buy the Cuv�e Rouge again nor recommend it. Although palatable, both it and the Sutter Home were too acidic for my tastes. Of course, a Sangria mix with cola and fruit would provide health benefits using these wines.
The three wines that I recommend for purchase are the Lambrusco, Yellow Tail and Frontera, in that order. The Lambrusco is smooth. I must not be a wine snob if I recommend a wine Sam's Club sells so cheap for a 1.5 liter bottle!
The Frontera is also a serviceable table wine, but while a good value, it doesn't compare to the more expensive Don Melchor.
The Yellow Tail is notable for its divergence from the mean. I found it mysteriously flowing over my tongue, altering at each stage. The intake was sweet, with a peppery flourish, yet it finished with a pleasant subtle spiciness different from the previous two flavor incarnations. Whereas the Lambrusco is consistently soft throughout, the Yellow Tail is only consistently surprising. Try the Yellow Tail and the Lambrusco, quite cheaply I might add, to decide for yourself if they are for regular drinking.
To your health! LW
