Where are the Wine Bargains?
Autumn is a time when wine distributors host holiday trade shows for retail wine buyers. At these extravagant, overblown affairs, hundreds of wines are displayed and thousands of small portions poured – all for a milling, sniffing, sipping, spitting and pontificating crowd of restaurant sommeliers, party store owners, supermarket buyers, writers and uncategorized others.
People say they wish they had my job all the time, but the truth is that attending trade shows can be daunting.
After all, wines reveal themselves best and most enjoyably through contemplation and careful consideration. The ritualistic three- to five-second look, swirl, smell, slosh, spit, score process can’t be rushed. Nevertheless, there are so many wines to be evaluated, so we endure the trade show circuit, trying an awful lot of bad wine along the way so you won’t have to.
Of course, there is a lot of good wine out there, too, and this is the time of year when I look at the big picture: What’s hot? Who are the rising stars? What is trending down? And, where are the best values?
Right now, you’ll get the best value out of wines from Chile and Argentina. Their well-made wines at all price points are clean, fresh, varietally correct and well-balanced, with bright fruit and zippy acidity.
For a white, try Argentine Torrontes – lovely floral and stone fruit aromas and a refreshing, palate-cleansing finish. For a red, Argentina’s Malbec and Chile’s Carmenere are the signature varieties but excellent Cabernet, Merlot, and Pinot Noir are easy to find. Some brands I like: Cono Sur, Maipe, Ventisquero, Terra Andina, and Morande.
On the domestic side you cannot beat wines from Washington for value and distinctiveness. We recently devoted an edition of Jim Hiller’s Wine Club to Pacific Northwest wines.
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Columbia Crest, Red Diamond, Hogue, Covey Run, Chateau Ste Michelle and Snoqualmie offer outstanding depth of flavor and solid, honest value.
- Eric Novak, Hiller’s Wine Buyer
