From the same winery as the Red and White wines recently reviewed, from the same discount store on Clement and at the same amazing price of $1.99, here is the Spanish 2004 Rose' from Lo Brujo. Contrary to other members of his family, this wine was totally acceptable and fit well with grilled food. Fresh, fruity but not too much, dry enough but a little high in alcohol, I liked this one; and considering its price it's an excellent deal! Not my favorite yet but definitely better than the previous one; it would be a 13/20 note. More to come...
As the BBQ season has officially started last Sunday, at least in my back yard, I decided to focus my wine tasting on Rose' wines. Once again my goal was not to elect the best Rose on the market (which I already have my idea on the topic and can suggest you, if money is not a constraint, to try any rose from Domaines Ott which are imported in US) but as usual to find the best pick under $10. The first one I tried this year is definitely not the winner: this Monkey Bay is a New Zealand Rose from 2005; it is fruity but not dry enough for me, a little too sweet to pair with a grilled meat. The bargain was found again on Clement & 7th Ave for $2.99. Overall I would give it a 11/20 note. Good enough not to be dumped in the sink but not appropriate for BBQ, probably more comfortable with desserts or as aperitif.
I got the white and the red version of this wine at the discount market (Clement and 7th ave) for $1.99 each. At this game I couldn't always win and always found the rare jewel at cheap price ;-) These 2 are really poor. I would say that the red can still be drunk, I'd give an average 10/20 but the white definitly goes under the acceptable level and I cannot suggest anyone to buy. Oh well the label was nice though ;-)
From the same discount store on Clement @ 7th Ave, I found this 2003 Pinot Noir from Oakridge in Yarra Valley, Australia for $2.99 and I have to say that I was totally satisfied with this wine. It is not comparable to a Burgundy Grand Cru but has all the pleasant qualities and flavors of a good Pinot Noir. Tasting notes on the winery website are correct and describe it well. You'll probably need to add a zero to the price I paid to get the same bottle from the winery! 14/20
First I have to admit that I'm in saving mode right now and I'm exploring the wines under $5 at the limits between wine and chemical mix. The less the bottle cost the more chances you have to dump it in the sink but it remains a cheap risk and exciting hunt for the acceptable ones. In this quest, I discovered a discount store on Clement st @ 7th Ave (the Bargain Bank) with an interesting choice of wines from Australia, South Africa, California and Europe which I've never seen anywhere else. Most of them under $10 with discount on case price.
Didn't brought this one back from Austria but got it at Trader Joe's. Bringing back bottles in a plane became pretty tricky now since you cannot keep it with you in the cabin (unless you buy it at the airport) and the allowed weight for your suitcases is less than before. I brought 3 bottles back from my last trip which made me so nervous but none broke. Anyway it looks like Austrian wine is getting more and more exported and popular around here. This one is cheap and crisp as I like them. Worth to try. 13/20
I had to go in Czech Republic to discover this winery, two of its wines and its very interesting concept of freshness. This was totally new for me and I encourage you to read their guide on Freshness if you are not yet familiar with it. Their unique freshness indicator on each of their bottles gives you the time range when the wine is expected to be at its best...and this range is a pretty short period of time: less than 2 years on the ones I tried. I tried the Pinot Grigio 2005 and a Rose 2004. Both were really good, fresh, fruity and dry at the same time but my favorite was the Rose. I have no idea if these wines are imported in the US but if you have a chance it is something you have to try! I need to thank here my friend Michal for offering me these 2 bottles and making me discovering this concept.
