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 Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha – $16

Grenache is THE GRAPE of Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape – you know – the Rhone blends. It’s a grape that gets you lightly colored, soft yet FULL wines chock full of strawberry and raspberry. While not particularly rich or complex, Grenache is one of the world’s most widely-planted grapes, and it gives up a unique character wherever it’s planted.

Well, in the up-by-Rioja “Campo de Borja” region (no, not Victor Borge, he was the Great Dane, not the Great Spaniard) of Spain (well, all of Spain), it’s known as Garnacha. This one from Borsao’s Three Peaks (Tres Picos) is deep violet in the glass, insanely smoky in a good way – like someone lit a Cohiba full of black pepper and flowers dipped in Indian spices right next to you.

Taking a sip (or nibbling on Jillian Michael’s shoulders), you get awesome body in your mouth (apologies to Jillian, had to give Megan Fox a break). Blackberry, raspberry and strawberry give way to a long silky finish of cocoa. I have no doubt this thing would be $50 if it came from France and was called Grenache.

Drink by itself or with turkey chili or pork chops.

Chateau Chateau Skulls – $17

Old World Wines vs New World Wines, Terrior vs Manipulated, Earthy vs Fruity. There has been a bit of a shift happening in the wine world, Australian wine sales are off 23%, stores that used to stock 100 different Aussie labels, not stock half that amount. There has been a backlash in the Wine Press, Australian wines are often described as “fruit bombs” or “over extracted”. I don’t quite get the change in attitude, Australian wines are every bit as good now as they were when they were the hottest wines going. So, times and tastes change and R winery is rolling with the changes. The Chateau Chateau series of wine is intended to show the terroir, the effects of Australian soil and weather conditions on the Grenache grape. They have a line of single vineyard vines all done in an “Old World” style. Skulls is the entry level wine for Chateau Chateau and has a very cool label, look at it one way and it is a surreal painting of a man falling from a tree, look at it again and it is a human skull.

Skulls is a french style blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mataro (another name for Mourvedre or Monastrell) no oak, aged in stainless steel. This is the entry level wine and it is not single vineyard,but sourced from vineyards all over South Australia. The nose is nice jammy cooked dark fruit with a touch of spice, the color is a see thru burgundy. The flavor has dark fruit in the lead, but it has mushroom, stewed meat element too. A very interesting transition on your palate from fruit to the savory flavors and then a nice long finish. All the flavors are well blended, nothing jarring, a slight bite from the tannins at first but that goes away with the second sip. All the delicious fruit you would expect from an Australian wine, but it still has that French funky, earthy thing going on, the best of both worlds.  Interesting flavors and the label is pretty cool, this one is a winner.

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 D’Arenberg The Stump Jump GSM – $8

A Rhone blend sourced from multiple vineyards from all over South Australia, Grenache 50%, Shiraz 29% and Mourvedre 21%. It’s an Aussie wine so it has a screwtop. 89 points WA, but Vaynerchuk hated it, gave it a 71. So, we will see who is right.

The color is a see-thru plum red. The nose is a fresh baked rhubarb/strawberry pie, just after you used a menthol inhaler, opens up your sinus’s and makes your mouth water at the same time. Tastes of cherries, strawberries and a hint of milk chocolate. The spice from the Shiraz is definitely there, the tannins are very light. It has a long lingering finish, not as yummy as the initial taste, but it does go on. Mouth feel is light, kind of like 1% milk. I think Wine Advocate got this one right. It’s a tasty approachable wine at a nice price

2008 Orleans Hill WELL REaD Organic Red Table Wine – $6.49

A Trader Joe’s exclusive wine, organic, vegan friendly and no sulfites detected certified. Made by Orleans Hill Winery using Grenache, Sangiovese and (their words) a splash of Syrah.

The color is a see-thru ruby red, the nose is kind of funky, half stewed strawberries and half medicinal. The mouth feel is a bit light, the taste is of dark fruit, plums, blackberries and Nestle Quick cocoa powder. There is a bit of a jolt in the back of the palate from the tannins and the oak, nothing too obtrusive and the tannins do smooth out with each additional sip.

There’s a lot to like about an organic, no-sulfite wine that costs only $6.49, it’s not bad tasting either.

2007 Les Heretiques Red Blend – $10

A Syrah, Carignane, Grenache blend from the Languedoc region of France (price $10). The nose has that barnyard smell (does that smell like what I think it smells like?) and is a rougher style than you usually find. But that is it’s charm, this is no “New World” wine made for the American palate, this is an Old World red table wine. Low alcohol (12.5%) and unfiltered (expect some residue in your glass). Made from 100 year old vines, this tastes of another time and place. This the kind of wine the bank robbers in Killing Zoe were drinking the night before the heist. Not fancy French wine, but French wine for everyday people.