Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Portuguese Wine Tops NYT List of Reds Under $10

Fall is the time when many wine drinkers' fancies turn to red wines, and Eric Asimov and his tasting panel at the New York Times have come up with a list of ten under $10 red wines for you to consider.

Topping the list (and of potential interest to those who will be participating in next month's Wine Blogging Wednesday on Portuguese table wines), is a 2002 Casa Cadaval Ribatejano Padre Pedro. I only found merchants on the east coast who stocked this wine, but it sounded like a beauty. Also on the list were wines from France (including the easy-to-find 2006 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages), Spain (the 2005 Vina Gormaz Ribera del Duero Tempranillo), Argentina (the 2005 Altas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon), Uruguay (the 2006 Domaine Monte de Luz Tannat), Australia (the 2005 Paringa David Hickinbotham Individual Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon), and California (the 2004 Ravenswood Vintner's Blend Merlot).

This is an article worth reading not just for the specific recommendations, but because Asimov highlights regions (some less than familiar to most wine drinkers, such as the Vaucluse) that have good value wines. Check out the list, see what you think, and feel free to add your under $10 red wine finds in the comments below. As always, I'd love to hear from folks who have had one of these bottlings and has an opinion they'd like to share!

2 comments:

Marcus said...

Hey Dr. Debs,

I just tasted Monte de Luz last week. As Eric's panel says, it's definitely a rustic red. But at its low low price it could be cherished. Decant it and it will love you back.

Like you, the South of France is more my style. I recommend dirt cheap Midi wines like Domaine Bousquet.

Even those who naturally gravitate to varietals might want to start looking into this area of France for Cabernets and especially for great affordable Merlots like these two -- both vin de pays wines not far from Vauclause.

Dr. Debs said...

Hi, Marcus! I THOUGHT that was your wine from WBW but didn't have time to check before I posted, so thanks for the link. I'm always on the lookout for leads on good wines from France and I've got a Merlot to taste from Cevennes and a blend of Merlot and Grenache (I think)from Saint-Guilhem -le-Desert. Both vin de pays, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know other French regional wines.