Not All Cheap Wine is Cheerful

Columns like this can help point you in the right direction as can a trustworthy wine merchant or in-store consultant. But in the end it all comes down to taste and personal likes and dislikes.

Ten dollars doesn't get you much in the current wine world especially if the wine originates from a country with a strong currency like the United States or more recently the European Union.

The south of France leads the European charge for inexpensive wine along with regions of Spain and some southern Italian provinces but in 2003 all will be threatened by a soaring Euro, which will surely trigger price hikes by spring.

Today and next Friday I will look at a number of wines under $10 from Europe and other regions of the globe and as you can see by the results, some are a better value than others.

Here's what I tasted over the holidays:

Robert's Rock Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2001 by long time South African wine giant KWV hits the mark with an inviting bright red colour and a nose of spicy, jammy, peppery aromas with just a touch of volatile, high-toned fruit in the background. The textures are soft and round; the flavours a mix of dark berry fruit flavours, earth and just a hint of tobacco in the finish. KWV created the Robert's Rock brand to appeal to New World wine drinkers, i.e., the style is clean fruity and fresh. A solid everyday red that represents good value.

From Spain's well known sparkling wine house Segura Viudas comes the Vina Heredad Tinto 2000 grown at Penedès, Cataluna. Dried tobacco and prune aromas mark what is otherwise a fairly dull nose. On the palate there is a fair amount of dryness but it remains soft and round in the finish. Lean and low on fruit, it's not up to the same fruity standards of its highly regarded sparkling wine cousins. A light red best paired with simple pre-dinner appetizers.

French Beaujolais guru George Duboeuf has been dabbling further south in the Languedoc making a new series of varietal wines. Unfortunately the Georges Duboeuf Merlot 2001 opens with a dank wet leaf/garlic lees nose that finishes with a hint of rubber. It's much better on the palate with round textures and dry, earthy, plum fruit finish. Definitely Euro-style. A vigorous airing of the wine before serving should clean up the nose.

The Penascal Premium Tinto 2000 comes from Spain's vast, central, Castilla-Leon region. Look for a medium red colour that previews a warm, open nose flecked with leather, vanilla, cherry and tobacco highlights. Soft and round with a mix of old American oak, sweaty leather, cherry prune fruit and a smooth gamy finish. Another well made affordable mid-week red.

The usually reliable Lurton Mendoza Pinot Gris 2001 turned out to be a major disappointment, beginning with its "dirty" lees, sweaty cheese aromas and finishing with similar flavours on the palate. Lurton wines are highly respected for their clean fresh flavours but something is off here.

The finale takes us back to Spain and the Yecla region. The Castaño Monastrell 2000 has a very attractive spicy, peppery, black cherry fruit nose with a hint of spice. The fruit has a high-toned carbonic edge to it but it enters the palate warm and rich with plenty of silky soft tannins in the finish. Delicious and completely ready to drink. Beaujolais with guts. Great value.

WINES UNDER $10

Wine: Robert's Rock Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2001 Western Cape, South Africa

Price: $9.49

UPC: 748294420752

Score: 14.5/20

Comments: Spicy, peppery, dark fruit flavours.

Wine: Segura Viudas Vina Heredad Tinto 2000 Penedès, Cataluna, Spain

Price: $9.99

UPC: 33293651000

Score: 13.0/20

Comments: Dry, lean and dull.

Wine: Georges Duboeuf Merlot 2001 Vins de Pays d'Oc, Languedoc, France

Price: $9.99

UPC: 3351650000894

Score: 13/20

Comments: Simple, dry, earthy, plum fruit flavour.

Wine: Penascal Premium Tinto 2000 Castilla-Leon, Spain

Price: $9.99

UPC: 084159000166

Score: 14.5/20

Comments: Gamy, cherry, prune flavours. A tapas treat.

Wine: Lurton Mendoza Pinot Gris 2001 Valle de Uco, Tununyan, Mendoza, Argentina

Price: $9.99

UPC: 635335320211

Score: 11/20

Comments: Poor effort. Disappointing.

Wine: Castaño Monastrell 2000 Yecla, Valencia and Murcia, Spain

Price: $9.99

UPC: 8422443001208

Score: 15/20

Comments: Delicious, affordable, everyday red.