Red wines that warm without breaking the bank
Buying a bottle of tasty red wine doesn’t have to tap your wallet.
With cold, wet weather upon us, now is the time for red wine.
Red wine drinks well with comforting winter-time dinners like steak and potatoes, hearty pastas, roasts and stews. Sadly, with tuition and rent at detrimental highs, students are short on flow for vino. When it comes to wine, bang for our buck is a must.
Of course wine (and alcohol in general) is best enjoyed among friends and family with dinner. More than two servings of alcohol per day can be trouble.
But here are five bangin’ bottles of winter-time red wine that, at $12 or less, won’t break the bank.
2008 Familia Zuccardi “fuZion” Shiraz/Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina — $8.99
This wine has a tight nose (smell or aroma) of earth, oak, strawberry Fruit Roll-Up and apple (oddly), plus a medium body that’s silky smooth. It tastes of ripe cranberries, dark cherries, oak, leather and a bit of spice, with a long, oak-y, smoky finish. A great value bottle, perfect for drinking with roasts, barbecues and pastas.
2007 Farnese Primitivo, Puglia, Italy — $9.99
The Primitivo grape is the Italian grandmother of the Zinfandel grape, and exhibits many of the same characteristics, just milder.
This wine has a nice nose of mild oak, cherry and hazelnut. It also has a jammy, full body. It tastes of ripe red cherries, a few strawberries, oak and smoky dark chocolate, with hints of black pepper and anise. There is also a nice finish of oak and leather. This wine is a sure thing at $10, and great with steak, lasagne or rich marinara pastas.
2007 Finca Los Primos Malbec, San Rafael, Argentina — $10.99
With a neat nose of juicy plum, violet, soap and peat, this wine has a smooth, medium body, but big tannins. This palate involves cherries, blackberries, big oak, mud, moss and tobacco. The decent dry, oaky finish is great to pair with red meats, roasts, or stews (including rich, spicy chilli).
2006 Beringer “California Collection” Zinfandel, Napa, USA — $11.99
This wine smells like an Aero bar topped with Export A cigarettes. With a huge, rich body and beautiful jammy texture, flavours of blackberry jam, cherries, dark chocolate-covered raisins and espresso explode from this wine, with hints of white pepper and tobacco.
It has a finish of cocoa and subtle oak. In terms of value, this wine really is the creme de la creme. Drink it with heavier winter meals, like steak, hamburgers (real hamburgers), pizza, or rich pasta.
2007 Santa Rita “120” Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle del Rapel, Chile — $11.99
With a huge nose of plums, vanilla, oak and earth, these aromas carry on to the palate, with leather, cocoa and cloves. This wine has a full body, with huge tannins and good balance. Throw in the yummy finish of oak, cloves and vanilla, and this big and delicious wine is an easy favourite with steak and potatoes.
Love red wine? Hate red wine? To share your experience after trying these reds, post your thoughts on the “UVic Winos” Facebook page, or at Martlet.ca.
2 Comments
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Duncan Feb. 12, 2009, 2:41 a.m.
At first I was intrigued, then I rolled my eyes, then I laughed. Telling me that I should seek out these wines and immediately setting to describing them in terms of Fruit Roll-Ups, leather, and Aero Bars with cigarettes does not exactly set me running down to Cadboro Bay. Nice thought for the article though - although I would beg to differ, red wine becomes truly enjoyable at about $18 a bottle. In fact, there's a really nice Chilean Carmenere down at Caddy Bay that is worth checking out for that price...
Duncan Feb. 12, 2009, 2:41 a.m.
At first I was intrigued, then I rolled my eyes, then I laughed. Telling me that I should seek out these wines and immediately setting to describing them in terms of Fruit Roll-Ups, leather, and Aero Bars with cigarettes does not exactly set me running down to Cadboro Bay. Nice thought for the article though - although I would beg to differ, red wine becomes truly enjoyable at about $18 a bottle. In fact, there's a really nice Chilean Carmenere down at Caddy Bay that is worth checking out for that price...