Best Buy Means Quality At Any Price

But what is a best buy? If, like me, you believe best buys are about value, that means the moniker could include wines of all prices.

That's a far cry from the inexpensive, under-$10 wines that are normally thought to be the best-buy or bargain wines you should be snapping up in retail stores.

Post-9/11, there has been a glut of inexpensive labels never seen before, but the question remains, how much of a bargain are they? In short, they are about as much of a bargain as you might expect, after the provincial government piles on its 117-per-cent wine levy, follows that with another special 10-per-cent liquor tax and then collects another seven per cent of federal goods and services tax.

You figure it out -- how much of that $10 you spend on your favourite wine represents anything to do with the cost of the juice in the bottle? Could it be a dollar? Possibly, but chances are it is less than that, and that gives you an idea of how difficult it is to uncover the next best buy.

Faced with such a dilemma, what can consumers, looking for a bargain, do? No matter where you shop, the secret to discovering best buys is to begin with a wine that tastes of the grapes it is made from. After that, it should reflect the terroir it originates from.

There's really no limit on price, but if you can find some winners at the low end of their price bracket, you may have just found yourself the elusive best buy.

Today we look at six very serviceable best buys that should help ease the credit-card crunch this month and get the new year off to an inexpensive start. It should be noted the wines will be around for months, so you can work your way through them before you make a final decision about which best buy appeals the most to you.

First up are two sauvignon blancs with personality that exceeds their price point. The Terra Andina Sauvignon Blanc 2003 has a smoky mineral, grapefruit rind and grassy demeanour on the nose. The palate is crisp with similar citrus/grapefruit flavours and a slightly smoky lees finish. A fine match for mussels and clams.

The Lindemans Bin 95 Sauvignon Blanc is yet another example of what a screwcap can do for an ordinary white wine. Love the fresh, smoky, floral, mineral, gooseberry, citrus aromas on the nose that you wouldn't get with a cork closure. It's round on entry with mineral, grapefruit rind and grassy flavours: Simple, fresh and tasty, and, in my view, good value for the money.

The new home of the mid-week inexpensive red might be Spain. In this case, it's the Castillo de Liria 2002. Grill some sausages, because there is no red wine that doesn't taste better with sausages. Pour a glass of this peppery, pruney, dried cherry, chocolate-scented and -flavoured wine. If you like the first bottle, the second will still keep your total bill under $16.

At $19, it's not easy to think of the Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 as a bargain, but the Mendoza, Argentina red delivers a lot of flavour for the money. Look for spicy, cassis, smoky, saddle-leather aromas with a touch of coffee. It's youthful with some dry tannins, but the textures are soft and rich with more smoky, coffee, cassis, black cherry fruit flavours. Steak is the match here.

Chilean merlot is hardly heartthrob territory, but if more of them were like the Miguel Torres Merlot Santa Digna 2003, heads would turn. I like the rich black cherry, rootsy, minty aromas with a mix of smoky dill and cardamom underneath. The textures are soft, round and supple with ripe black cherry, plum, dill, and spicy vanilla flavours. Good acidity, great fruit flavours and a velvety structure make this a winner for the price.

The Selection Delas Syrah 2003 is the kind of French wine that stirs the emotion, the kind of wine we know they can make but wonder why they can't do it all the time. The nose has an attractive spicy scent of white pepper and black fruit. Look for youthful raspberry, licorice, black fruit flavours that finish clean and dry. This is classic lean Euro-style syrah with a slightly dry, meaty undercurrent that is very food-friendly.

Weekend Tasting: Best Buys

Wine Terra Andina Sauvignon Blanc 2003, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Price $12.95
UPC 830212000105
Score 86/100
Remarks Dry crisp fresh white for oysters, mussels or clams.
 
Wine Lindemans Bin 95 Sauvignon Blanc 2004, South Eastern Australia
Price $11.49
UPC 012354081826
Score 86/100
Remarks Lightweight, fresh seafood white under screwcap. Good value.

Wine Castillo de Liria 2002, Valencia, Valencia and Murcia, Spain
Price $7.99
UPC 8410310602702
Score 85/100
Remarks Peppery, dry, soft with lightweight spicy cherry/chocolate fruit.

Wine Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, Mendoza, Argentina
Price $18.95
UPC 707319096020
Score 87/100
Remarks Steak wine with peppery, smoked black cherry and coffee notes.

Wine Miguel Torres Merlot Santa Digna 2003, Valle del Curicó, Chile
Price $18.90
UPC 8410113005182
Score 88/100
Remarks Classic Chilean merlot with dill, cardamom plum and vanilla.

Wine Sélection Delas Syrah 2003, France
Price $15.49
UPC 3359950090997
Score 87/100
Remarks White pepper nose with raspberry, licorice, black fruit flavours.