Too Much Wine Means Lower Prices

Judging by the news of oversupply coming out of Europe and the U.S., wine bargains will abound in 2003, so there should be plenty more good buys to discuss as the year unfolds.

In this part of the world we haven't seen -- nor are we likely to -- anything resembling the Charles Shaw wine phenomenon that Californians have been enjoying. But the supposedly mysterious label selling at the Los Angeles-based Trader Joe's grocery chain is a good example of where prices may be headed.

"Two Buck Chuck" (as it was known in wine circles) sold moderately for months at $2 a bottle, then began to develop cult status in the autumn after a wine-trade magazine's tasting panel rated the Charles Shaw Chardonnay better than a $67 bottle that the magazine didn't identify.

Soon after, the Los Angeles Times reported that SUVs and mini-vans were backing up to Trader Joe's scores of stores and loading up the chardonnay by the case.

In fact the Shaw label is owned by the Bronco company, a California mass-marketer of inexpensive wines. With supply dramatically exceeding demand for regular, everyday wine grapes, it was easy for Bronco to make a bulk wine for less than $1 a bottle.

Add in a few more cents to cover the cost of the glass bottle and cork, and -- voila! -- an industrial-style producer can make a decent profit on a $2 bottle sold in large volumes. Well, at least it can within California, where the producer can sell direct to the retailer.

If that price scenario is still far-removed from the over-regulated B.C. wine market, worldwide over-production of wine grapes is not. It follows that we should be able to find bargains in all price ranges for years to come.

Now, back to today's budget-pleasing picks.

A couple of years ago I raved about a viognier from Chilean producer Cono Sur, and a local restaurant chain jumped in and bought up all the stock, effectively removing it from liquor stores.

The subsequent vintage was fair to poor, and not really worth buying. But the 2002 Cono Sur Viognier, made with a blend of Colchagua and Casablanca fruit, is well worth a return visit.

This viognier has an enticing honey/peach nose with floral mineral notes. On the palate it remains dry, with mineral citrus flavours and quite a fresh orange marmalade finish. It's delicious, well made and attractively priced.

Different but just as good is the KWV Chardonnay 2002, from South Africa. Its minimalist nature has style and flavour well beyond its price point. Look for a nutty/lees, buttery green-apple nose, with peachy floral undertones. I love the sophisticated palate with spicy citrus flavours and just a touch of vanilla and melon in the finish. Just when you're tempted to give up on the Cape, it makes a wine that turns heads. Buy this one by the case.

Portugal's Quinta da Aveleda (perhaps better known for its green wine, Vinho Verde) has had a lot of success with its Douro Valley red Charamba. Made from the same sturdy varieties that go into most port wines (touriga nacional, touriga francesa, tinta roriz and tinta barroca), the Charamba 1999 Tinto is aged in oak barrels for six to nine months.

Unfortunately the first bottle I tasted was unpleasant, and the second sample wasn't much better, showing a thin, acidic character one normally does not associate with well-made Douro reds.

A far better wine from the Portugal section is the Dom Freitas 2000, from the Setúbal Peninsula. It goes through a prolonged maceration that results in its intense, dark red colour and gobs of black raspberry fruit on the nose. This is a rich red, swimming in black raspberry, jammy fruit. The spicy licorice finish is dry and tannic, but it should soften up over the next year in bottle. Another promising New-Wave Portuguese red.

The Torres Sangre de Toro 2000 from neighbouring Spain comes at a great price, but with little of note in the bottle. The nose is an unpleasant dank mix of wet tobacco and spicy sausage meat. It is round and soft on entry, but the flavours are metallic on the mid-palate and acidic in the finish. This one is certainly not up to Torres' usual standards.

Another disappointing red was the Diego Murillo Malbec 1999 from Alto Valle del Río Negro, Argentina. The nose is vinegary, the flavours dry and earthy, and it's not much fun to drink. This is the second time I've found this wine sold here in substandard form. It's time for some fresh vintages.

INEXPENSIVE CHOICES, PART TWO

Wine: Cono Sur Viognier 2002, Colchagua/Casablanca, Chile

Price: $11.99

UPC: 7804320405407

Score: 15/20

Comments: Peachy, floral, mineral notes.

Wine: KWV Chardonnay 2002, Western Cape, South Africa

Price: $10.99

UPC: 748294044118

Score: 15/20

Comments: Amazing style for the price.

Wine: Charamba (Quinta da Aveleda) 1999 Tinto, Douro Valley, Portugal

Price: $9.99

UPC: 5601096611306

Score: 11/20

Comments: Thin and acidic.

Wine: Dom Freitas 2000, Palmela, Setúbal Peninsula, Portugal

Price: $15.45

UPC: 5608527000104

Score: 15/20

Comments: A tasty New Wave Portuguese red.

Wine: Torres Sangre de Toro 2000, Cataluna, Spain

Price: $9.95

UPC: 8410113003027

Score: 12/20

Comments: Not up to typical Torres standards.

Wine: Diego Murillo Malbec 1999, Alto Valle del Río Negro, Argentina

Price: $13.50

UPC: 604984111228

Score: 11/20

Comments: Disappointing.