2008 Bitch Grenache – $9

You have probably seen this in the wine shop and thought, “With a name like that it can’t possibly be any good.” But you would be wrong, it’s actually a nice little Grenache. The back of the label is funny, they printed the word “bitch” 68 times in a row, then added, “ and bitch some more” for a total of 69 bitches. No other information other than what is required by law. Sourced from the Ebenezer region of the Barossa Valley in South Australia and made in a “drink it now” style. so it sees no oak. The alcohol content is 15.5% and in Australia the posted alcohol content has to be within 1.5% of the actual alcohol content, so it could possibly be 17% alcohol. The 2006 vintage of this wine got 90 points in Wine Spectator.

The color is a see thru cranberry red with orange highlights. The nose is fruit, but not fresh fruit, more like a bag of pungent fruit flavored hard candy. The mouth feel is light and oily, the flavors stick to the parts of your mouth the wine hits. It tastes of candied fruit, with spice reacting with your tongue. The finish is cherry Dr. Pepper, the finish lasts a long time, but the intensity fades fast. There are two main flavors competing for your attention, the sweet candied fruit and hot cinnamon spice, think strawberry Jolly Rancher followed by an Altoids. This may not be a wine you would want to pair with dinner, it would be better served with dessert or skip the food altogether and have it after dinner

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.

2007 Ring Bolt Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon – $15

Beautiful and treacherous Western Australia’s rugged southwest coastline is littered with shipwrecks, one of them being the Ringbolt, sunk in the late 1800s in the vessel’s namesake Ringbolt Bay, at the Southern end of the Margaret River wine region.

Hailing from there, this Aussie Cabernet Sauvignon is just as rugged! The nose is typical of Cabernet Sauvignon grown in this type of cool and rugged climate  – beautifully complex aromas of Swiss dark chocolate, a Starbuck’s Venti no-whip mocha, violets, cassis, cedar, black and green peppers and dried Autumn leaves  . In the mouth it begins with dark fruit before teasing with ripe berries and creamy oak on a looong finish.

A good wine at twice the price! This wine is bold and can handle lamb, chili or spicy Mexican food no problem!

2007 Ringland Ebenezer Shiraz – $18

We reviewed the 2006 Ebenezer Shiraz a few months ago and loved it, the 2007 Ebenezer is even better. This is classic Barrosa Valley Shiraz, it is the kind of wine that put Australia on the wine world map. At $17.99 it is an incredible value, I dare you to blind taste the Ebenezer with Shiraz’s selling for three or four times it’s price and see if you can identify this as the under $20 wine. The grapes are sourced from the premier Ebenezer Vineyard and Chris Ringland is a world class vintner. The color is a classy ruby red, the nose is rich dark fruit, the taste is black cherry, blueberries, plums and a touch of spice with smooth tannins, the mouth feel is lush and the finish is looooooong smooth cherry vanilla. You can pay more for a Shiraz, but the Ebenezer will hold it’s own in any company.

Get it here or call (847) 776-1000 for an awesome deal.

2007 Yangarra Shiraz

Man I love Australian wines! I have a hard time remembering the last time I had one I didn’t like. This one’s no exception. It has a real Goth feel to it – dark garnet – the color you wouldn’t want your daughter to wear when she goes out. Smells like you built a bonfire in a meadow – toasted wood and violets tease you into your first sip.

Then you take a taste – POW! It smacks you in the face with its intense, hearty dark fruits. Then as if you said the safe word, it backs off and finishes with a smooth mellow velvety texture.

The girl next to me took my advice and tried some too. She said, “The finish on this wine feels like silk lingerie slipping over my thighs”. You bet I gave her my card. Someone who enjoys wine as much as I do? And owns lingerie? And has thighs?

Get it HERE for $19.99.

2008 Cooralook Pinot Gris – $13

This Pinot Gris is produced by Kirby Family Vineyards from the Victoria region of Australia. This is a food friendly wine, it’s just the thing to take to your favorite Asian BYOB Restaurant. The nose is floral and the taste is light citrus. Very crisp and clean, the acidity is well balanced, just right to refresh the palate.  I like the taste of this wine, not overly fruit forward, but somehow very enticing. At 14% alcohol, it is a little heavier than most white wines (no wonder I like it).  At $12.99, this is a very well priced wine, it packs a lot of punch.

Wine glut in Australia and the USA

The worldwide economic downturn is turning out to be a boon for frugal wine drinkers. There is a surplus of quality wine juice available, since they are bottling less wine due to a softened demand. The last time there was a glut in the wine market, 2 Buck Chuck emerged. Remember when that stuff was actually good? Well a wine surplus was responsible for that.

In the following years the wine market tightened and what went into 2 Buck Chuck was not nearly as good. Well the glut conditions have returned and someone is going to buy all that fruit for an extremely low price. Bargains are coming, but just when and where are yet to be seen. Keep your eyes open and check back with cheapwinefinder, because the 2009 under $20 wines should be very, very good!

2008 Woop Woop Shiraz

One of my favorite entry-level (read: cheap, as in under $10 in some places) red wines that hits you up front with intense dark fruit, mellows mid-sip into a nice black licorice, then finishes with a black peppery and spicy bang. Think Pam Grier in Foxy Brown. And just like Foxy, this wine’s almost too hot to mess with – coming in at 15% alcohol content! Take that beer drinkers who think drinking wine is wimpy.

Woop Woop is Outback slang for “the middle of nowhere”. So next time you’re looking for some bang for your buck out in the middle of BFE, I mean Woop Woop, stick with this and you won’t mind so much.

Get it HERE.

2006 Ebenezer Shiraz Chris Ringland

Chris Ringland is the winemaker for Marquis/Phillips, R Wineries and others. He makes two wines under his own name, one costs $400.00 and the Ebenezer that clocks in at $19.99. This is a big bold classic Barossa Valley Shiraz, and this one can drink like a $100 wine. It’s still young and you can wait one or two more years till it hits its peak, but it’s tasting very good right now. It hits all its marks, great nuanced taste, nice mid-palate, long delicious finish and a lush mouth feel. Bring this one over to the friend who only drinks high-end California cabs and merlots and watch the look on his face when you tell him what you paid for it. I liked the 2005 a little better than the 2006, and I can’t wait until the 2007 is released, this  is a ripper.

The name Ebenezer comes from the Ebenezer Vineyards in Barossa Valley. It is one of the premier Shiraz vineyards in Australia, and wine made from fruit from this vineyard seldom is available for under $20.