2008 Monasterio De Las Vinas Garnacha/Syrah Blend – $7

Okay, we outdid ourselves this time.  We found another wine from the Cariñena region of Spain that is a ridiculous steal.  This 70% Garnacha 30% Syrah blend – aged 3 months in American oak – has a nose of strawberry and raspberry jam.  On the palate you get orange, raspberry and a little spicy pepper, with a finish that lasts and lasts!

It’s great with ribs and pizza and comes in at 13% alcohol.  It also scored an amazing 91 points with the Wine Enthusiast. You really need to buy this one by the case!

Sourced from a single vineyard, the “Monasterio de San Jose”, where for centuries monks produced wine. Nowadays, this is a large production wine made for the American market, but they really got it right. The Quality-Price Ratio (QPR) is off the charts for this one.

2008 Big Woop Red Wine $13

A full one liter bottle, makes this Grenache, Shiraz and  Petit Verdot Red blend a Big Woop. Ben Riggs is the winemaker and he also makes our favorite $8 Red Wine, Woop Woop Shiraz. Sourced from McLaren Vale, Riverland and the Limestone Coast of Australia, with a 14.5% alcohol content.

The color is a deep dark red with crimson highlights. The nose is unexpected, pencil shavings, cedar moth balls, light menthol, leather and red fruit. What’s going on with cheap wine, all these aromas used to be the exclusive right of the expensive stuff. The mouth feel is very full, a bit of an explosion of taste. The flavor is ripe dark fruit with a dose of the Shiraz spice at the end. Nice long finish of raspberry iced tea.

The Big Woop Red Blend is a tasty little wine. You don’t expect a whole bunch from something called Big Woop, but this wine delivers beyond expectations.

2008 Agostón Garnacha Syrah – $10

OK first of all you know our stance on wine with cute little critters on the label (we’re looking at you Yellow Tail, Long Neck & Tall Horse). Yeah usually horrible! But a wild boar isn’t exactly cute, plus a friend is really pushing for us to review Little Penguin Shiraz, so we might as well start somewhere.

This 60% Garnacha, 40% Syrah screw top blend hails from the Cariñena region of Spain which aside from giving the Carignan grape its name is right next to Calatayud in the shadows of the Ibérico mountain range. It gets its name from the wild boars that would sneak down into the vineyards at night to feast upon the grapes like – well, pigs.

It’s a light bodied, see-through crimson in the glass and noses like the black currant iced tea you get at Egg Harbor or Maggiano’s. A sip gets you raspberry and black cherry that fades into a nice wild herb and cocoa finish. It’s juicy and relaxed even at 13.5% alcohol.

This wine is like Lucky Charms, it’s magically delicious. Drink it all by itself to see what I’m talking about or drink it down with grilled steak skewers, Firecracker Shrimp or the Buffalo Wild Wings #4.

2006 Razor’s Edge Shiraz – $9

Every time I pick up a valued priced Shiraz, I go on the internet and find that it got 90 plus points from some national wine publication. This McLaren Vale Shiraz is one of Robert Parker’s Best Buy’s of Australia. From what I could find about the Razor’s Edge, it’s made primarily for  American tastes. There is not much information available about how long it is aged in oak, etc.. on the internet for this wine.

The color is your textbook Shiraz, deep, dark, opaque burgundy red. The nose is interesting, it is not all fruit, there is mushroom, earthy notes and dark fruit (that’s the McLaren Vale influence).  The mouth feel is slightly watery, but it does fill your mouth with flavor. Tart cherry juice and chocolate are the main flavors, but not candy sweet, now I see why these wines get 90+ points, who does not like chocolate covered cherries, it’s a very luxurious flavor. The finish is blueberries, it does not last a long time but it is pleasing.

I think I understand why all these inexpensive Australian Shiraz’s get these high grades, they taste great. That’s got to be one of the most important aspects to wine. Australia has a way with the Syrah grape. Lush, tasty wine is almost second nature with Australian Shiraz. Yes, the Razor’s Edge does not have all the layers and complexity of the the best Shiraz, but you can’t argue with “it tastes great”.

2006 Carhartt Vineyards “Chase The Blues Away” Rosé – $10

A small production Rosé (250 cases), Estate Produced and Bottled in the Santa Ynez Valley all for ten bucks. Carhartt Vineyards is a 10 acre family owned Estate on a mesa in the Santa Ynez Valley (Santa Barbara, California). The Rosé is a blend of Syrah and Merlot and the wine is aged six months in neutral French oak. To simplify things, a rosé is red wine grapes turned into wine using white wine methods. The grape skins are left in the vats for a short period of time at the beginning of fermentation. The wine gets a bit of color, but not much in the way of tannins.

The color is a very clear peachy, orangey red. The nose is bright fresh fruit, strawberry shortcake, I even think I detected a bit of whipped cream and raspberries. The flavor is smooth, crisp and light fresh, creamy red fruit. Not too sweet, very refreshing. The alcohol content is 13.6%, but it tastes much lighter.

It is winter in Chicago, but the “Chase the Blues Away” Rosé has me thinking of warm weather. A very nice choice for a lazy summer evening, this is a bottle that goes down nice and easy.

A small production wine, but you can find it at Lush http://tiny.cc/Qepbb

2006 Domain Menada Tcherga – $10

This is a first for me, a wine from the Thracian Valley Region of Bulgaria. A red blend of 70%Merlot and 30% Rubin (a cross of Syrah and Nebbiolo). The name Tcherga refers to the folk craft rugs made in that region (check out the label to see what those rugs look like). The wine is aged for 8 months in French and Bulgarian oak.

The color is crystal clear see thru burgundy red. The nose is strawberries, blueberry and spice. Nice mouth feel. The flavor is very bright fresh fruit, gobs of vanilla, very light tannins, the oak is lightly evident in the back of your mouth.The finish fades a bit too soon, but is a very nice combination of chocolate and vanilla. A very tasty wine.

I was expecting Bulgarian wine to be too sweet and too simple, but  I was wrong. This is a good tasting new world style wine. Put Bulgaria on the wine world map, the Tcherga is a well made wine.

2002 Finca Flichman Reserva Shiraz – $5

Finca means both vineyard and winery in Argentina, the Reserva designation indicates that this is estate grown and bottled. The Vineyard is located in the Barrancas region of Mendoza Province. Flichman is owned by a large wine conglomerate from Portugal and has been producing wines in Argentina since 1965. The Shiraz was stored in oak barrels for 6 months. this wine retailed for between $12 and $17 when first released, but now that it is toward the end of it’s shelf life, the price has come way down.

The color is deep dark opaque crimson red. The nose is smoke, violets, spice drops and red plums. The mouth feel is slightly watery, the oak and tannins are evident, but under the surface. The taste is muted dark fruit, the name says Shiraz, but this is not like an Australian wine. Not a fruit bomb, but blueberries, hints of tea, plums and stewed fruit. The finish is lengthy with bits of vanilla and cranberry juice. The Finca Flichman would stand up to a steak, but would also work for lighter food. You can really get a lot of wine for your money with South American wines.

2004 Montroche Georgina Cuvee Syrah – $5

A Syrah blend from the Costieres de Nimes in the Languedoc region in France. It is a Vin de Pays du Gard wine, Vin de pays means “country wine” which is the French wine classification above “table wine” but below the AOC classifications. The bottle does not list all the grapes in the blend, but Grenache, Cinsault and Mouvedre are typical ingredients in Languedoc blends. The half the wine is stored in oak barrels while the other half stays in stain-less vats after six months the two halfs are reunited and left to rest, then half the wine is put back into oak barrels for another five months. The wine has oak for flavor, but not a lot of oak for cellaring, so this wine is at the point where it needs to be drunk before it starts to go downhill.

The color is a deep opaque crimson, the nose has a touch of mushroom, but also fresh strawberries and chocolate mints. A very soft wine, the tannins are very light, the fruit tastes young, fresh berries on the tip of your tongue. The finish is long lasting and tastes of black licorice and cherries.

This probably isn’t a wine that initially sold for $4.99, but wines from this region normally are good for 5 to 6 years, so the wine seller had to sell it before it was too late. Also if you are looking for value, “Vin de Pays” wine do not command the same prices that Bordeaux and Burgundy do, but can be very enjoyable wines.

2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz – $7

Yellow Tail is one of the reasons we started this website. There are so many interesting under twenty dollar wines available, but virtually undiscovered, while Yellow Tail was 1/10th of all wine sales. There is nothing wrong with Yellow Tail Shiraz, for the price it’s fine. It’s available everywhere, cheap and it has a reliable taste, it’s kind of the McDonald’s of wine. Compared to the other mass produced wines it holds it’s own, but put it up against wine that sells for a few bucks more and Yellow Tail can’t compete. So head to your local wine shop, tell the help there that you want a bottle of their best under $10 wine, give it a try, find your new go-to everyday wine. There are some really exciting, well priced wines out there, start drinking your way through as many as you can. If price is the #1 consideration in your wine buying, then Yellow Tail isn’t a bad choice. But otherwise save your pennies and find a wine with a little “wow” factor.

Oh, I almost forgot, the review: The color is deep dark red, the nose is cherries with a bit of alcohol. It tastes of tangy cherry juice with a hint of sour green stick flavor popping up now and again. Even though the cherry flavor is slightly sour the over all taste is a bit sweet. No tannins to speak of and the finish is nondescript. A very drinkable, but simple wine.

R Wines Bitch Bubbly – $9

Now here’s something a little different, a sparkler made from Grenache with some Shiraz added into the mix. R Wines has been making their regular Bitch Grenache for a while now and it has always been a popular wine for women to give to their female friends. Turning that Grenache into bubbly is a brilliant idea. R Wines is a collaboration between Dan Phillips (who is one of the people who put  Australian wine on the map) and Chris Ringland ( who is commonly referred to as a “Rockstar” winemaker). These guys know wine and when they come to a vineyard looking for grapes for a new project, growers greet them with open arms. R Wines make some of the most consistently excellent, value priced wines on the planet.

It’s got a 1970’s soda pop top and not a cork and cage like most bubbly, so bring a bottle opener. The Bitch Bubbly is a very easy to drink Sparkler, sweet, but not too sweet, loads of ripe sliced strawberries in a bowl of fresh milk. The body is light, bubbles take the flavor to your taste buds then disappear. I found that the bottle was empty very quickly, it’s one of those fun wines that entice you to take the next sip and then the next. Not super complex and not a substitute for a French Grower/Producer Champagne, but a fun, party wine. Good times in a bottle, Bitch Bubbly should be included in your New Years Eve plans or maybe just your tuesday night plans. It’s always time for a little bubbly.

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