Inexpensive white and red house wines

I am always on the lookout for house wines. You know the wine you open on Wednesday night or after the first bottle is gone and your friend doesn’t look like they intend to leave anytime soon. House wines are an important part of any wine drinker’s cellar, and they need to meet certain criteria.

First, house wines need to be good, if not great. Even if it is Wednesday or your friend is overstaying his or her welcome, you still have to drink the stuff and it might as well be something that you enjoy. For house wines, I prefer a light-medium to medium bodied white and a medium-full bodied red. Full bodied wines are more difficult to pair with food and are frequently too much for a follow-up bottle.

The acid level in a house wine is also important. The acid needs to be somewhere in the middle, with enough acid for food, but not too much. We often serve our house wines before or after dinner and too much acid is not a good thing in a cocktail wine.

My last rule for a house wine is that it cannot cost more than $15, and I prefer they cost less than $10. The cost restriction is the one that makes looking for house wines the biggest challenge. If I could spend $20 a bottle, this would be no problem, but as you approach the $10 mark, things get difficult.

My suggestions for house wines

NV Fiano di Avellino DOCG ($6) – This wine made from the Apaina grape was traditionally a sweet wine. Modern winemaking techniques produce an elegant, dry wine that features aromas of hazelnut or German chocolate cake. The wine is smooth in the mouth with enough acid and a medium long finish. This offering from Gaetano de Forino is a great buy and a wonderful wine.

2007 Cupcake Chardonnay ($10) – I found this wine at the 1st Annual Wine Bloggers Conference. When we tried it, the entire table concluded that this is a fun party wine. Creamy citrus flavors are suspended in a slightly sweet, medium body wine that delivers. The wine has enough acid to stand-up to food, but so much that you cannot enjoy this wine by itself.

2007 Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes Chardonnay ($10) – Les Charmes is the most imported white wine from Burgundy and with good reason. The wine is produced from a single vineyard where some of the vines are nearly 100 years old. Made without oak, the nose is floral with slight hints of minerality. In the mouth, the wine is medium bodied with a clean and crisp feel. This is another wine that will serve well as an aperitif or as a part of a wonderful dinner.

2006 Stump Jump White ($10) – d’Arenberg produces this wine from grapes grown in the McLaren valley. The blend made from Marsanne, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling is a consistent winner. With a floral nose, good acid, and a medium long finish, you might find this wine to be your go-to wine for mid-week.

2006 Protocolo Tinto Vino de La Tierra de Castilla ($6.25) – This wine made from 100% Tempranillo shows dark fruit and earth with dusty tannins. This is a really good wine for the price.

2006 Bodegas y Viñedos Jalón Viña Alarba Old Vines Grenache Calatayud ($9) – I love Grenache, and finding an old vine Grenache for under $15 is hard to do, and finding one under $10 is almost a miracle. This inexpensive, light bodied Grenache shows red fruit and berries with a medium long finish.

I hope you enjoy these wines as much as I did, and if you have a house wine you want to share with us, chime in.

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