Aging Disgracefully

Berger Gruner Veltliner
$9.99
Nice, fresh herb and citrus aromas. I love the liter.
It is the perfect size for a long meal with friends.

Anselmi San Vincenzo
reg. $11.99- on sale $10.99
Anselmi has the richness you enjoy, without oaky
notes that might obscure the wine's vibrant fruit.

RK Estate Riesling
$9.99
Need a light, refreshing, appley white for sipping before dinner?
This value from our favorite Mosel Riesling grower will fit the bill.

Soutomaior Albarino
$13.25
This wine is probably on our staff's top ten list every vintage.
It is from Galicia, a cool coastal region of Spain that
turns out whites of unmatched crispness and complexity.

Thevenet Macon Pierreclos
$15.99
Jean-ClaudeThevenet is a third generation vigneron whose winery
is located in the heart of the Maconnais, in the village of Pierreclos.
This exceptionally ripe wine is perfect with rotisserie chicken.

San de Guilhem Gascogne Blanc
$5.99
This tasty little grape makes fine dry table wine, with pithy citrus
flavors to the fore. Drink it on the patio, sitting in the big chair,
on a plane, on a train, with anything . . . .

Zardetto Prosecco
$9.99
What more can we say about this wonderful bubbly? Best $10
bubbly ever? Certainly a contender; perfect for all your celebrations.

Grand Prieur Cotes du Rhone
$9.99
Devilishly easy to drink. All Rhone spice and refreshing fruit.

Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon
$7.99
Smoky, savory aromas, a load of ultra-ripe dark berry flavors,
and richness to spare. At once velvety and robust, this red
pairs nicely with spicy, hearty meat dishes.

Vina Olagosa Rioja
$11.25
Classic Tempranillo aromas. This starts velvety and rich and
finishes with soft, mouth-coating tannin. An extremely good value crianza.

Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
$8.50
This is a delightful everyday red from Italian culinary guide
Gambero Rosso's 2003 Winery of the Year. You can relive
your vacation along the Adriatic with this satisfying red.

Now, you all know the sort of steel and grit I can bring to the table when our society needs me to help cut into a looming wine glut. However, even I have been able to get through only a portion of the box (well, it is the holidays: many, many other wines are competing for space on my palate). But I wanted to offer a few initial reactions since all of these wines have the potential (given their price) to offer tremendous value.

-The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is excellent, with deep but smooth fruit.

-I was slightly disappointed with the Gruner Veltliner. I felt that in mine the acidity dominated the other elements too much. I'll probably buy one more bottle, though. If only to be sure. (Well, why not?)

-I loved the Cotes du Rhone. They could get away with multiplying its price by three. Not complex, certainly, but very fun (say, with a big, rich roast).

-As for the Soutomaior Albarino....where have you been all my life? I had never even heard of the wine, but this bottling delivers outstanding value for money. And I don't even think that this was the right time of year for it. As we all know, the American South is what you get when you divide a swamp into states. I'm picturing this wine on one of those awful North Carolina July evenings, chilled way down and served with a wonderful, and refreshing, Vietnamese dish my wife makes (involving cold rice noodles/vermicelli, lettuce, chile peppers, fish sauce, bean sprouts and charcoal grilled marinated beef strips ....ooooooooooh ..... charcoal grilled marinated beef strips).