Recession anti-depression! Great value California Riesling and Italian red wines
With no end yet in sight for the falling economy, we’re always looking for more good wine values to help us through the hard times. Neil recently put up a great post on his favorite white and red house wines, which by his definition must cost less than $15 and preferably less than $10. Continuing this tradition, I want to tell you about a nice white and red I bought the other night that both cost under $15.
2007 Loredona Monterey Riesling ($10)
This nice buy was a California Riesling that had 13% alcohol, a semi-dry personality, and a nice touch of acid. This wine wore a complex tropical perfume, but in a nicely subtle way. Hints of lemon meringue, white peach, winter melon, and green apple were on the nose. In the mouth, there was a medium body, and the acid allowed this wine to be a nice aperitif or a dinner companion. I don’t drink many California Rieslings, but the higher alcohol present in this semi-dry wine was a nice change. For the price, I will definitely go to this wine again.
2004 Sella and Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva ($13)
When dinner was winding down, I switched to this very nice DOC red from Italy. On the nose, this wine had a typical Italian character of dusty earth, red fruit, and slight oak, but it also had a very distinct petroleum character which I adored. In the mouth, there is a fantastic amount of acid and nice fine tannins that perfectly balances the 13.5% alcohol. I find myself craving this wine on a regular basis now, and I have since reveled in its perfect match with a thin-crust sausage and peppers pizza from a favorite local pizza joint, Salvation Pizza. Though it costs a little more than the Riesling, I can’t help but drink this wine all the time as my favorite lower cost Italian red.
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