the cellar
t says: g and I have two of those mini-fridges dedicated for wine – one that stays in our apartment in Philly, and one located off-site in a far more secure, undisclosed location. Actually, these two are our third and fourth of such fridges as the the first two both died on us (but this time I have extended warranties!) I’d say that g and I have a very modest collection of wine (~48 bottles): some fancy bottles we’re saving (at the aforementioned undisclosed location – far beyond the reach of my impatience), some cheap bottles for weekday drinking, and some bottles we have on hand in case we go out. We’re going to put our “go-to’s” here, because we feel like these wines really grabbed our attention with the combination of flavor, texture, availability, and most importantly, price.
DRY WHITE:
–2011 Henri Bourgeois “Petit Bourgeois” Sauvignon Blanc (France, Loire Valley; $9.98 at wineworksonline.com – n.b. the website has the wrong label) This wine is intense. It’s petrol, it’s burnt rubber, it’s un-burnt rubber. Chances are that if you like this wine, you also don’t mind the gasoline smell at a gas station. We believe there is simply no $10 white wine that is more interesting, more refreshing, or more good-er than this one – especially on day 2 after opening (day 1 is a little … shall we say: austere). <g&t 91>
–2011 Nisia “Old Vines” Verdejo (Spain, Rueda; $11.98 at wineworksonline.com – n.b. the website spelled it wrong) This wine is far more people-friendly than the Petit Bourgeois above – and it retains enough good qualities to make wine snobs happy, too! Hooray! (g&t 89-90)
OFF-DRY WINES:
–2011 Dr. Loosen “Blue Slate” Riesling (Germany, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer; $14.98 at wineworksonline.com). I realize that the linked review is for the ’09, but I assure you the ’11 is almost-as-good. <g&t 90>
–2011 Hexamer “Spätburgunder Weissherbst Halbtrocken”Rose of Pinot Noir (Germany, $15.98 at wineworksonline.com). The best rose I’ve had in a while – good fruit and a touch of sweetness that’s well-balanced against a clean citrus. I’d drink this every day if I could! <g&t91>
DRY RED:
–2009 Sughere di Frassinello (Italy, Maremma; $17.98 at wineworksonline.com). Even though it’s been out for a while, you can still find this wine around. It’s a go-to red that is pretty-much-guaranteed to make people say “that’s pretty good”. It’s losing some of its fruit over time, which makes me really sad, so I’ll have to find another dry red really soon. <g&t 90-91>
