Cheap & Easy

Ideal for a week night, these are tasty value wines that we found at the local grocer (Kroger/Whole foods). By cheap, I mean generally in the $8-$12 range. Easy means both easy to find and easy to quaff.

• Kona Baru 2005 Cabernet from Chile – $8.50 – dense in color, big round tannins, hint of spice and raspberry. The bottle is easy to identify – the label is upside-down and yellow. We even found this wine at a Kroger in a small town (Piqua) in Ohio as well as here in the Atlanta area
• Santa Julia 2006 Organica Cabernet from Argentina – $8. don’t be afraid of going organic (that’s a subject for a different post…Quivira makes a helluva organic zin)
• 337 2006 Cabernet from Lodi – $11. One of my wife’s recent faves…her palate is far superior to mine
• Sombrero Rojo 2006 Tempranillo from Spain Rioja region – $11. This was a big hit at my wife’s Pampered chef party we hosted this week
• Marques de la Concordia 2006 Signa Tempranillo -$10 and
  Marques de la Concordia Crianza 2004 Rioja $14 – both from Spain and both found at Harry’s/Whole foods. Let breath for an hour and serve slightly chilled (5 minutes in the fridge). Both went well with grilled Sea Bass and kabobs
• Columbia Crest ‘Two Vines’ 2005 Merlot-Cabernet blend - $9.
• Waterbrook Columbia Valley 2005 Melange – $12 – 40% Merlot, 32% cab, 18% sangio, 7% cab franc, 3% syrah. very tasty table wine for week nights.
• Washington Hills 2006 Cabernet (80%/15% Merlot/5% Cab Franc) -$9. The Merlot makes it more drinkable and less bold than traditional cabs.

This initial list of recommended cheap & easy wines includes only reds (we’ll add whites soon). In addition, most are either foreign or from the Northwest US, providing a nice departure from the typical California fare.

Please share any ‘cheap & easy’ recommendations or comments