OK, here I am, bright and early on a Monday morning.
I guess you could call this TOMMASO'S ROCK-BOTTOM LIST OF PALATABLE IMPORTS:
My best buy is a white that we discovered in a visit to Wellspring, the organic-deli-market chain. It's just a Vin de Pays de Cotes de Gascogne (southwest France) called Domaine du Rey, which had been marked down from $8.99 to $4.99, or $58 a case. Very dry but not sharp; not as much character as a good Chardonnay; but an excellent light white wine.
To go to another extreme, in a local store called Tobacco USA, I found a Spanish red, a 1995 wine called Hoya de Cardenas, at $4.99. Lots of woody taste from the oak barrels--not very complex, but a hearty, solid, table wine.
The Chianti I mentioned at one point is called Piccini, and when I found it for $3.99 a bottle I bought all the store had (twice, actually, when they restocked). The year was 1998. I would not serve this to a wine snob, but I would be perfectly happy to drink it any time with a good Italian meal.
Also at the Wellspring store we found a red, a Moulin a Vent, Domaine les Fines Graves 1998, that at $7.00 was well worth the money.
Some time back I bought a case of Chilean Chardonnay at ($6.30 a bottle discounted), label Veramonte, Alto de Casablanca, Estate 1999, that I think has a lot of character for a white. Wish I had a more complex vocabulary to describe it, but I don't
Finally, last night we were offered a Jacob's Creek, probably the best known Australian label now, Chardonnay, 2001, Southeastern Australian Vintage. A nice, clean-tasting dry white that I think our host paid about $7.00 for. I also liked the Jacob's Creek merlot that he served, but I am getting bored with all these merlots from everywhere. |
