I've chosen four wines under 20$ I recommend you check out in tomorrow's Vintages release.
1. 2015 Chateau La Rose Sarron, AC Graves, Bordeaux, France at $17.95
This white blend of 50% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Muscadelle will be a nice rich almost "waxy mouthful" wine perfect for poached fish. We have all had Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand with it's intense fresh cut grass, gooseberry and some have have described as "cat pee" aromas. This will be a medium to fuller body white with similar characteristic notes to a strict Sauvignon Blanc, but, with more muted green and gooseberry notes offset by more honeycomb and Meyer lemon. The Semillon grape will certainly add the lanolin, honeycomb, waxiness to the wine to smooth out the sharper Sauvignon Blanc. I would pair this with perhaps a poached salmon in a dill sauce, perfection! #SommTrick = The green notes of grass from the Sauvignon Blanc will match the green dill and the waxy/oily Semillon will match the smooth buttery fish.
2. 2016 Kellerei St. Magdalena, Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige, Italy at $17.95
This Pinot Grigio grown at over 1,000 feet into the northern Italian mountains, in Alto Adige, will certainly peak your palate especially that it is priced under $20. Expect some ripe fruit like Asian pear and granny smith apple with a tiny bit of blanched almonds and crushed rock or wet stone minerality. The acidity in this wine should be quite present due to it's higher elevation allowing for warm days and cool nights creating quite the diurnal temperature shift, perfect for acidity preservation. I would pair with a nice roasted chicken, Swiss Chalet anyone? #SommTrick = While the acidity will be quite present, the tinge of blanched almonds will add a slight soft feel to your palate, perfect for a succulent richer tasting roasted chicken.
3. 2015 Bastide Miraflors Syrah, Veilles Vignes Grenache, AP Cotes du Roussillon, France at $19.95
This 70% Syrah (Shiraz) and 30% Grenache blend from the south of France should offer a warmer climate, purple coloured rich red wine perfect to pair with richer BBQ'd meats. There is no oak in this wine so instead of baking spices and/or leather that you would get from oak, expect a more pure expression of the grape and the Terroir. I love sipping wine from the south of France because it's bottles like these under $20 that make it all worth while. I would pair this with a nice homemade burger, perhaps topped with peppercorn crusted bacon and pepper-jack cheese. #SommTrick = The natural spice from the Syrah grapes should match well with the peppercorn bacon.
I love a good Carmenere from Chile, even though it's native land was Bordeaux before phylloxera wiped it out. Fuller bodied, blend of flavours from blackberries to plum, touch of green like bell pepper and complex smokiness and spices from aging in oak, delicious. I would pair this with a steak, grilled meats or a heavy lentil stew for the vegetarians. To really impress your guests, grill a nice steak served with some Chilean Pebre (salsa) on top. I have had this bottle before and while it may not be "Purple Angel", for less than $20 all I have to say is "Sold!" #SommTrick = The green cilantro in the Pebre will match the slight green note in the Carmenere
This weekend looks like a cool, but sunny one, perfect for cracking the BBQ open.
Happy Sipping,
Ryan Sullivan
