Estremadura Cerejeiras 2005

Price: $4.49 @ the Wine and Cheese Cask (Somerville, MA)
Recommended by: the sale rack!
Comments: This Portuguese wine is pretty unimpressive. It reminded us of Three Buck Chuck and is quite acidic. (Well duh, it is under $5! What did we expect!?!) It got a bit better as we drank it, but we still would not recommend it. Perhaps it would be a bit tastier with some food (pizza?). Sadness.
Rating: 5/10

August Kesseler "R" Riesling 2004

Price: $10.99 @ Wine and Cheese Cask (Somerville, MA)
Recommended by: Our wine blogger friends at Wine-O-Rama recommended Rieslings from the Rheingau region.
Comments: In fairness to the folks at Wine-O-Rama, they recommended Rieslings from the Rheingau region that were over $13. However, this less expensive wine is surprisingly good, particularly for the money. Our first sips revealed flavors of apricot. As we drank it, however, flavors of green apple and lime dominated. It's not too sweet, but it is definitely a Riesling. This wine probably goes great with spicy food, but we're just pairing it with a bad movie on a relaxing Sunday evening!
Rating: 7/10

Chateau d'Oupia Minervois 2005

Price: $8.99
Recommended by: wine seller at the Wine and Cheese Cask (Somerville, MA)
Comments: Zut alors! This wine is tres mal! But what should we expect from a French wine under $10? It is fruit-forward with strawberry and plum tastes, and a bit of pepper spice, but there is no finish at all. (This wine is a blend of 60% Carignan, 30% Syrah and 10% Grenache.) We will definitely not be partaking of this wine again. If you want a decent red blend under $10, make a run for Espania!
Rating: 5/10

Michael Pozzan Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Price: $13.99 @ Luke's Liquors
Recommended by: We really enjoyed the Beringer Knights Valley Cab, so we wanted to try this one.
Comments: Oh, happiness! This wine was a nice surprise. It's a young wine, but it doesn't taste immature (that sounds pretentious, doesn't it?). This wine exhibits a complex flavor dominated by cherry, blueberry, and plum. It's a fruity wine, but not overly so. Instead, it is very smooth and balanced; really amazing for the price!
Rating: 7.5/10

Smoking Loon Pinot Noir 2005

Price: $8.99 @ Luke's Liquors
Recommended by: the price
Comments: Paying less than $10 for a domestic Pinot Noir is a little scary. When Rob poured the wine into the decanter, we were not reassured. It looked a bit watery. The initial taste wasn't bad, however. But that's as good as the wine got. It has light flavors of strawberry and cherry, but there is little spice to give it an extra oomph. We will not be in a hurry to try this again.
Rating: 5/10

Foris Gewurztraminer 2003

Price: $14.99 @ Luke's Liquors

Recommended by: We wanted to try an Oregon Gewurz

Comments: We had this wine with Indian cuisine, and it was a perfect match. The spiciness of the food really brought out the spice in the Gewurz. The Foris is a bit flowery with a hint of citrus, which together hide the dryness of this wine behind sweet flavors. It's not as spicy as the Chateau Ste. Michelle, but it is definitely worth trying. If you are new to Gewurz, try the Chateau Ste. Michelle, but if you want to try a new American one, we recommend this!

Rating: 6.75/10

Marqués de Cáceres Crianza Rioja 2003

Price: $9.99 @ Luke's Liquors
Recommended by: on sale at Luke's!
Comments: We've had a fair number of Spanish reds now, and this one rates in the middle. It has a nice raspberry flavor and a decent, lasting, dry finish, but it lacks some complexity. We prefer Vina Alarba and Cortijo Crianza, to name a few Spanish blends.
Rating: 6.25/10

Meridian Merlot 2004

Price: $6.98 @ Gary's Liquors
Recommended by: the price
Comments: The best thing we can say about this wine is that it is worth the price! Of course, it didn't cost very much. However, we're stuck on a troubling question: is it any better than 2 buck Chuck? It's a toss up. This wine is your basic merlot. The taste is pleasant and simple, but it certainly won't blow you away. It's a good pizza wine that we'd consider having again, but we're not in a hurry to do so.
Rating: 6/10

Estola Reserva La Mancha 2001

Price: $5.99 @ Trader Joe's
Recommended by: no one!
Comments: Reviews of this wine on other sites offer strikingly different pictures. While some find it mediocre and inoffensive, others find it watery and bad. Of course, in either case, we don't recommend this wine very highly. It has a fairly bearable flavor, but one that doesn't last very long at all. The dry finish is not too bad, but that's the best we can say about it. What a shame--we usually like Spanish wines. For the money, you can do better with Señor Dos Buck Chuck!
Rating: 5/10

Schwarzböck Grüner Veltliner 2002

Price: $7 @ Blanchard's
Recommended by: We liked the Grüner Veltliner we tried at a restaurant.
Comments: We didn't know much about this wine, but after reading a few sites online, it sounds like this wine is up and coming. Grüner Veltliner is the most produced wine in Austria, and it's a really versatile wine (apparently it can be paired with artichoke and asparagus). We found it to have some characteristics of Sauvignon Blancs and especially Gewurztraminers, with its fruit and spice. This particular Grüner Veltliner is very smooth and dominated by flavors of apple, almost giving it a "cidery" taste. For the price, it's definitely worth trying, and we look forward to trying other Grüner Veltliners.
Rating: 6.5/10

Craftsman Neszmely Gewurztraminer 2005

Price: $8.99 @ Wine Galley
Recommended by: never had a Hungarian wine before
Comments: This wine is a nice, dry Gewurztraminer. It has subtle floral aromas and honey flavors with a hint of citrus (maybe pineapple?) and a soft acidity. This is a wine to have with food, namely spicy dishes. We enjoyed it with our spicy Indian food, and it was a great pairing. I don't know if we will be in a hurry to get this wine again, however, since we enjoy some other comparably priced Gewurzes more (especially Chateau Ste. Michelle).
Rating: 6.5/10

Cortijo II Crianza 2000

Price: $11.99 @ Gary's Liquors
Recommended by: We liked the Cortijo III, so we wanted to give this a try.
Comments: This Spanish blend (70% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache, and 10% Mazuelo) is a fabulous wine for the money. When I first tasted it, I thought it was at least a $20 bottle. It's really smooth and complex, with a mixture of fruity, spicy, and tobacco flavors. The fact that it's aged 7 years can't hurt! We will definitely be enjoying this again.
Rating: 7.25/10

Cortijo III Tempranillo 2005

Price: $5.98 @ Gary's Liquors (W. Roxbury)
Recommended by: enjoyed at a friend's party
Comments: We first tasted this wine at our neighbors' New Year's party. I thought maybe we had just had so much alcohol that everything was good. But, upon the second tasting, this wine is good, especially for the low price. It's nothing to rave about, but it's a great everyday Spanish wine (100% Tempranillo). The flavor is a straightforward cherry and raspberry, with a short but smooth, dry finish.
Rating: 6.25/10

Las Brisas 2005 Rueda

Price: $13.00 @ Solera
Recommended by: Atlantic Fish Co. (wine flight)
Comments: Dios Mio! Me gusta los vinos de Espana! Here's another Spanish wine we really dig, but this one is white. Without knowing it was from Spain, we would have guessed it was another great Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. However, this one is only 50% Sauvignon Blanc with the other half consisting of Verdejo. The result is a wine that demonstrates all of the characteristics of a great Sauvignon Blanc: crisp, complex, citrusy, grassy. It has flavors of lemon, grapefruit, peach, and green apple. Yummy! The smell also carries a bit of kiwi. It goes great with seafood and we look forward to having it again soon. Viva la Espana!
Rating: 7.75/10

Moulin De Gassac Le Mazet Red 2005

Price: $9.00 @ Solera (Roslindale)
Recommended by: Boston Globe
Comments: We enjoyed this wine, but it is very different from the New World wines we typically drink. It is an organic red blend (35% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 25% Carignan, 10% Cinsault, 5% Alicante, and 70% of the fruit is hand picked) with a nice fruit flavor (mostly strawberry) but it's not overpowering. Its earthy flavor, spicy opening, and dry finish are what make this wine distinct from other fruity reds we've tried. We suspect this wine would be wonderful with a few years' aging.
Rating: 6.5/10

Paringa Sparkling Shiraz 2004

Price: $10.99 @ Wine Gallery
Recommended by: Wine merchant at Blanchard's (JP)
Comments: So it's just like you'd hope it would be. A rich, flavorful, Australian Shiraz, but with bubbles. Lots of little, happy bubbles. And these bubbles accentuate the fruity Shiraz flavor (raspberry and blueberry), which is anything but subtle to begin with. It rocks. And what could make it better? It's a wicked pairing with dark chocolate. This may not be an everyday wine, but when we're in the mood for this distinctive wine, it is fantastic.
Rating: 7.25/10

McManis Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Price: $10 @ Gary's Liquors; this is a very popular wine, so it shouldn't be difficult to find.
Recommended by: Description at the wine store enticed us
Comments: It's finally cold in Boston! And alas, we've broken out a new Cabernet to keep us warm. This one was a really nice surprise, as it does not taste like a $10 bottle of wine. It has a bold cherry, vanilla, and coffee flavor, and for a young Cab wine the tannins are not harsh at all. We should note that it has a very smooth, relatively long finish. Karie did not like it quite as much as the Casa Lapostolle Cabernet, but Rob liked it a bit more. For the price, it really can't be beat.
Rating: 7.5/10

Sunday Night Wine Flights

Tonight, to celebrate Rob's birthday, we ate at the Atlantic Fish Co. on Boylston St. (close to the Boston Public Library), and with our very excellent meal, we had an opportunity to try six different white wines. (No, we didn't get full glasses of everything, they were part of wine flights, with three wines in each group -- a great idea. We wish more restaurants offered these.) We tried the Aromatic, Spicy Whites and the Dry & Flinty Whites.

Aromatic, Spicy

• Gruner Veltliner, "Lois" Loimer, Austria -- fresh apple scents and spiciness lead to exotic fruit and crisp acidity (this wine was great -- really dry and paired nicely with the seafood dishes we had)
  
• Riesling, Eroica, Chateau Ste. Michelle/Dr. Loosen, Columbia Valley -- graceful and subtle, with stony green apple and delicate apricot flavor, finishing dry but with a caramel note (this was good, but nothing special -- Rob thought it was too sweet; I reminded him that it was a riesling)
  
• Viognier/Marsanne, "Hermit Crab," d'Arenberg, Australia -- exhibits fresh flower and tropical fruit aromas, palate is immediately fruity, with strong tropical and stone fruit flavors (this had a really nice spice to it -- it was tied with the Austrian wine for our favorite in this flight)
  

Dry & Flinty

• Sauvignon Blanc, Redcliffe, Marlborough -- aromas of citrus, gooseberry and melon with intense flavors of passion fruit and mango followed by racy acidity (this was a good, classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but not as good as Drylands, Matua, or Villa Maria)
  
• Sauvignon/Verdejo, Las Brisas, Rueda (Spain) -- fruity and grassy aromas with mineral notes and dry flavors of white peach, apricot, lemon, and lime (this wine was surprisingly good; it had pronounced Sauvignon Blanc flavors but with some additional complexity and dryness)
  
• Sancerre, Guy Saget, Loire -- flowery aromas with mineral characters followed by fruit flavors of citrus, golden aple, pear, and a clean, crisp finish (this French wine was different from the Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand and Napa, but it was steely and flavorful and worth having again)
  

Red Diamond Merlot 2003

Price: $8.99 @ Gary's Liquors
Recommended by: great price, and we wanted to try another Washington State merlot.
Comments: For the price, this is a great wine. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised. However, after we found out that this wine is produced by our friends from the Ste Michelle winery, it made perfect sense. We've enjoyed all of their wines that we've tasted. This is not a hugely complex wine, but it has a nice cherry flavor and a smooth, pleasing finish. If you don't usually drink red wine, this might be a good one to start with. Order some pizza and enjoy.
Rating: 6.75/10

Wine Spectator 2006 Top 100

The Wine Spectator recently published their Top 100 list for this year, and of course most of them are out of our price range, but there are some under $20. We've tried a few of them, including #37, Matua Sauvignon Blanc. Here are a few that we've made a note to try at some point:

16. Langmeil Shiraz Barossa Valley Valley Floor 2004 - $23
43. Yangarra Estate Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre 2004 - $25
52. Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer 2004 - $19
64. Jacob's Creek Shiraz Reserve 2003 - $16 (this is now in our wine rack)
65. Greg Norman Estates Cabernet-Merlot - $15
67. Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Campo de Borja Tres Picos 2004 - $12
79. Johannishoff Riesling Kabinett 2004 - $17
80. Benton-Lane Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2004 - $22
84. Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2003 - $22
91. Chateau Gigault Premieres Cotes de Blaye Cuvee Viva 2003 - $14

So many wines, only one liver!