Eddie Chang at Nuttall's carries a fair selection of inexpensive
wines. By your webmaster's lights, any wine that costs more than 3 cents
per milliliter ($22.50 per bottle) needs to be bought by somebody else.
Anything that costs less than 1 cent per milliliter and doesn't taste like
vinegar is a Boon to Mankind. On that scale Eddie has some Great Wines.
Please email your own views
on these important matters.
Dragani Montepulciano D'Abrruzzo, 2000. $6.99 (0.93 ¢/ml). Here is
the payoff for trying all those watery Italian reds (and watery is what most
inexpensive Montepulcianos seem to be): This wine is remarkably full and
fruity. I would not feel cheated if I had paid $20 for it. At
seven bucks I have just bought another bottle and warned Eddie to stock some
more. If you are a fan of cheap reds, you might want to head to
Nuttall's before this good stuff is all gone.
Lorval Syrah Vin de Pays d'Oc, $5.49 (0.73 ¢/ml). This may be the best
value Eddie stocks. Lorval sells a
credible merlot and an OK cabernet sauvignon, also under $6 per bottle, but
the Syrah is the crown jewel. The Syrah has the body and flavor of a more expensive wine. Warning: Syrah is a
dry red wine. Do not waste it on chicken or
seafood. Think instead about meals where you might serve a Bordeaux or
Rhone red. A bottle of this, a baguette, a chunk of cheddar or
camembert, some ripe pears, and a very good friend are all any mortal could
wish.
Beringer Founders' Estate Merlot '97, $10.99 (1.5 ¢/ml). With very few
exceptions (notably the St. Emilion appellations), my prejudice
is that Merlot is the red wine for people who like white wine. The
lesser Merlots also suffer from an oily overtone. Weighed against that,
Beringer is one of the old reliable California brands. For the most
part, you can get a good Beringer for the price at almost any price. In
this case, the oily overtone wins. This would be a perfectly decent $6
wine but it sells for $11. If you like Merlot, try the Walnut Crest,
which sells for $6 and may taste better than this one, or the Lorval, which
also costs $6 and tastes about like this wine.
Walnut Crest Merlot, Rapel Valley, 1999, $5.49 (0.73 ¢/ml). Eddie says
he sells a lot of Merlot. This one should be his Superstar. The
flavor, if anything, is a trace less oily than the Beringer. Stick it in
the 'frig for 30 minutes before you serve it and it will taste quite
good. Indeed, at this price, it should taste perfectly wonderful.
(Eddie: How about stocking the Walnut Crest Cabernet? It really is an even
better wine. At the price it would earn five arches).
Rosemount Estate Shiraz, 1998, $12.99 (1.73 ¢/ml).
This is the Syrah grape, transplanted to Australia.
Somewhere during the trip it picked up a rough-and-vigorous edge.
In part, this is from the tannins that would benefit from lying in a
cool, dark place for a few more years. If
you enjoy the astringency of the tannins, drink it now with a shank of lamb
from the grill. Heck, drink it while you’re cooking the lamb, and while
you’re thinking about cooking the lamb, and while you’re reading this and
thinking about buying the lamb. This
is a much bigger and better wine than the L’Orval.
You decide whether it’s worth the extra cash.
L’Orval Chardonnay Chasan, Vin de Pays D’Oc 1997, $5.49 (0.73 ¢/ml).
This wine does not really taste
like a Chardonnay. That said, it
is very inexpensive and it avoids that sour, oily taste that is the
main failing of inexpensive white wines.
At this price, drink it with relish and with gratitude for the South of
France.
Ecco Domani Sangiovese di Toscana 1996, $7.99 (1.07 ¢/ml).
Well, it’s red and it’s wine.
In moderation it doesn’t hurt you, so why not?
Errazuriz El Ceibo Estate Aconcagua Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 1998, $11.59
(1.5 ¢/ml). Chile has a well-deserved reputation for drinkable,
inexpensive wines. Walnut Crest is the most famous example. This
would be a three-arch wine at $5.49; at $11.59 it is overpriced.
Lorval Cabernet Sauvignon Vin de Pays d'Oc, $5.49 (0.73 ¢/ml). This
wine suffers from all the ills that beset a cheap Cabernet: Thin, slightly
sour, none of the flinty, astringent flavor of a good Cabernet. On the
other hand, it's priced exactly right, it is identifiable as a Cabernet, and
it doesn't taste bad at all. The Walnut Crest is noticeably better, but
this stuff is perfectly drinkable. If you like this, you will love the
Syrah.
Seaview McLaren Vale Shiraz, 1997, $8.59 (1.1 ¢/ml). A very nice wine,
with some of the flinty dryness and booming aftertaste of the better
(and much more expensive) Australian shiraz vintages.
