The Martlet

Although recessions encourage consumption of low-quality beer and bathtub gin, a variety of satisfying but affordable wines on the market provide an alternative to consumers on a budget.

Wine is a healthier alternative to other spirits and has a vast variety of flavours and intensities to suit your particular palate.

According to Pamela Sanderson, a local sommelier from Victoria-based Cascadia liquor, the idea that expensive wine is best is far from accurate. For instance, due to extremely low land and production costs, most South American blends are often better quality at a cheaper price.

The first decision to make upon entering a wine shop is choosing red or white. Typically the darker a red is, the fuller its body, and it is more likely to have a strong oak flavor — and to be dry and acidic.

There are multitudes of whites offering intense flavours, while being easier on your head in the morning. If you’re new to wine-drinking, it’s recommended to start with sweeter whites and eventually move towards a lighter body of red such as a pinot noir or a malbec, and then to fuller reds. Rieslings and pinot grigios are usually sweet and juice-like as oppose to sauvignon blancs, which are typically dry and have a strong wood flavor.

Putting Sanderson’s word to the test, the Martlet took a look at three wines that cost less than $15. Here’s what we found.

Red Chilean cabernet

sauvignon/merlot blend by Cono Sur

This (1.5 L) bottle of red costs only $11.85 and, while inferior to the Fuzion because of its intensity and full body, makes a solid choice for meatier meals. If it’s quantity you’re looking for, the Cono Sur is your best bet — double the amount of Fuzion’s bottles, for only two dollars more.

Red Argentinean shiraz/malbec blend from Fuzion

Sanderson said that Fuzion is becoming a phenomenon, not only in B.C., but worldwide.

“It’s a high-quality, affordable wine from Argentina where it’s possible to make fine wine for less. It’s basically what Yellow Tail did for wine about six years ago, with a lot of success,” said Sanderson.

The Fuzion red blend (for $9.95) is delicious, and doesn’t taste the least bit cheap or young.

White chenin/torrontes blend from Fuzion

This white will also set you back $9.95 — including tax.

“The white [Fuzion] is particularly good, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience with wine,” said Sanderson. “It’s light and fruity — very inoffensive to the taste buds.”

Because it’s not too oaky and not too acidic, this wine is ideal for both a casual glass at home and a high-paced bus-stop chug.

It has a fruitier, crisp taste with a smooth swallow, making it appeal to people of all tastes preferences. Its juice-like quality helps it go down easy and, since it’s a lighter wine, it causes less of a hangover.

Even when paired with ichiban the white tastes marvelous, which makes it an ideal wine for experimentation.

Wines like this also make great spritzers when mixed with soda water and/or juice.

The perfect pair

When pairing wines with food, Sanderson has a few rules.

“Reds with red meat, whites with white meat,” she said, adding that the bigger the flavour of your food, the more prominent the taste of the wine should be.

For those with limited funds, foods such as pizza and pasta go excellently with reds, while Asian-inspired food is better suited with a white.

Sanderson said that champagne, while classically paired with salty items like caviar, can be paired with an inexpensive substitute like popcorn.

Wine doesn’t have to be swank and intimidating and it’s quite possible to get a perfect match of price and quality, so head to a liquor store and pick up a bottle.