WINE: Finding good wines at great prices is what everyone dreams of. Mary Dowey uncovers a few.
Winespeak sends my husband into a catatonic trance. Like a lot of people, he loves drinking wine but couldn't care less about carbonic maceration or malolactic fermentation, never mind micro-oxygenation. Instead, by focusing on taste he can guess the price of nearly every wine that passes his lips with uncanny accuracy. When he's wrong about a wine I like, erring on the high side, I'm delighted. It usually means we have a bargain on the table.
Much as I enjoy visiting postcard-pretty wine regions, meeting winemakers and sampling bottles that cost as much as a pair of snakeskin boots, the thing that excites me most is stumbling on wines that taste more expensive than they are. I'd even say the fundamental objective of this column (and of most readers) is to uncover wines of quality at unexpectedly modest prices.
Strange as it may sound, given the multitude of bottles that wine writers delve into, it's not easy to find these value virtuosos. Weeks can pass with barely the whiff of one. Far more wines taste cheaper than they are than the other way around these days, as the lower end of the market expands with pretty poisonous cut-price bottles while producers, middlemen and merchants aim for more comfortable margins on the better stuff.
But there are still some giddy moments when quality turns out to be way up and pricing agreeably down. Here are some recent discoveries that deliver value, tasting much swankier than their prices suggest. Let's hope the producers don't see this and decide to get greedy. mdowey@irish-times.ie
SPRING BONANZA: Our Argentine bottle of the week is just one of a host of special offers in Dunnes' big spring wine sale. Other bargains include a selection of the popular Laurent Miquel varietals from the Languedoc (any three bottles for €20); the slightly swankier Laurent Miquel Nord-Sud Viognier 2002/2003 and Syrah 2001/2002, down from €9.99 to €7.99; Clos Malverne Pinotage Reserve 2001, down from €11.49 to €9.99, and the Sauvignon Blanc 2004 from the same excellent South African estate, down from €9.99 to €8.99 (a fresher buy than the 2002 vintage, also in the sale). Hurry, though: it's already halfway through, finishing on March 30th.
WINES WORTH MORE THAN THEY COST:
WHITE: Clarence Hill Riesling, McLaren Vale 2002. Good Aussie Riesling is a treat, but, my goodness, many of the beauties at the recent Australian wine fair cost a whack. Smooth, concentrated and supremely stylish, this very well-priced effort suggests they shouldn't. It's nicely developed, too: Riesling benefits from a bit of bottle age. From Listons, Camden Street, Dublin; Octavius, Sligo; Grenhams' Vineyard, Ballinasloe; McCambridges, Galway; Salthill Liquor Store; Old Stand, Mullingar; about €12.95.
Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Delegat's 2004. Most wines from Marlborough, New Zealand's most prestigious region for Sauvignon Blanc, sell here at €15-€19. Crisp and zesty all the way through, with cool grassy and grapefruit notes, this newcomer offers typical Kiwi charm at a much more realistic price. From Superquinn; Corkscrew, Chatham Street; Donnybrook Fair, Donnybrook; On the Grapevine, Dalkey and Booterstown; Bennetts, Howth; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Wicklow Wine Co; and others; about €12.99.
RED: Tarragona Gran Reserva Baturrica 1998. As supermarkets tend to champion young wines (often far too young), it's a pleasant surprise to see this mature Spanish red at Lidl - at a knockdown price. It's a very pleasant drink, soft and plummy with lively acidity and gentle spice. Drink up soon: this is not one to keep. From Lidl, €6.99.
SWEET: Château Jolys Jurançon Cuvée Jean 2001. Until a couple of weeks ago I'd only ever tasted the dry white wine from Château Jolys (very nice, too). Its sweet big brother from the under-recognised region of Jurançon, in southwestern France, is a beauty, combining honeyed richness with palate-cleansing lemon freshness. Given that sweet wines like this are expensive to make, it is a steal at the price. From Winesdirect.ie: full bottle €13.65, half bottle €10.72, minimum purchase six bottles (which may be mixed).
BOTTLES OF THE WEEK: Santa Isabel Malbec Reserva, Mendoza 2003. This luscious, damsony Argentine red is still a youngster, with a rich layer of spicy oak, so the minute you open it, throw it into a large jug, then pour through a funnel back into the bottle. This quick manoeuvre is well worthwhile. The flavours and texture will open up and soften miraculously with exposure to the air. Even at the normal price it's a terrific bargain. The special offer makes it unmissable. Best with meat. From Dunnes Stores, €9.79; on offer in its spring wine sale (see panel, left): buy two and save €5.
Viña Salceda Rioja Crianza 2001. This vintage is a reminder of what a suave, utterly likeable wine Salceda Rioja can be. Raisins, plums, dates, figs, vanilla, spice . . . The aromas from the glass are so gorgeous you'd nearly be content just to sit and sniff. But not quite, I hope. A silky texture, harmonious flavours and round tannins make this a delicious mouthful - the sort of wine that exerts a subtle charm all evening long. Fantastic value. Enjoy with lamb, roast chicken or waxy cheeses. From Molloys; Nolans, Clontarf; Cheers-Gibneys, Malahide; Bunch of Grapes, Clonee; Pettitts in the south-east; Jayes, Ennis; O'Donovans, Cork; and many others; about €12.99.