Latest Trip To The Wine Warehouse

It's easy buying good wines. It's easier still buying great wines. Simply open the wallet and lay down the green (or plastic). Sometimes you pay a lot. Other times you pay a lot more...

We try to find decent everyday red wines to have with dinner at prices that will not break the bank (budget). If it's under $20 dollars we give it a good look. If it's under $10 we pick it up, and if still interested after reading the description, we take it to the Warehouse folks and ask for their personal take. Usually they have tasted it and offer feedback using wines we like for comparison.

Some we really like and buy on a regular basis. Others we like and buy a few times and then move on. Still others, we never buy again. The thing we have noticed is our taste preferences change subtly but the variation in what we like is relatively consistent. A heavy tannin Cabernet ranks highest but can be hard to find under $10. The problem is they start under $10 but as they are discovered, their price soon moves into the teens. And up and up... So we explore the Merlots and the blends and (the Cabs) always looking for the next best "value" red.

Our latest purchases are coming from Argentina and Spain more so than California. Italy is still finding its way to the table as well. Do not take this to mean that we do not like California wines. We do. And French, and Portugal, and, well you get the idea. We are having trouble finding Australian wines we like that meet our price limit although some Shiraz or Syrah grape blends are excellent (Shiraz or Syrah are names for the same grape). If you are from Australia and reading this just understand we are not giving up! Australian wines are huge.

Two grapes, Tempranillo and Malbec, are standing out right now and can be found for under that magic $10 price. Vintage years 2002-2005 are very prevalent. They do not have the body of a Cab nor are they as light as a Pinot or as fruity as a Chianti. We would liken them more to a Merlot. Look also for Tempranillo and Malbec's blended with Cabernets and coupled with the Syrah. We expect the price of these wines to climb.

Those darn rising prices. That which prompts our never ending search for the next best affordable, drinkable red. Under $10 of course...