Recession Busters

Recession Busters

r r rExceptional  r rExcellent rVery Good

Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.

Here is my monthly list of bargain-price wines that sell for $15 or less while offering great value.

— D.M.

Recession Busters

***Exceptional  **Excellent *Very Good

Loading...

Comments

• Weigh In
• Corrections?

Personal Post

(Deb Lindsey/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

More on this Topic

• Wine by the keg
• Recession Busters

Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.

Here is my monthly list of bargain-price wines that sell for $15 or less while offering great value.

Fattoria Colsanto Ruris 2008

**

Umbria, Italy, $11

A blend of sangiovese, merlot and sagrantino, this red surprised me with the quality it offered for the price, though with this importer I should have expected no less. The wine is from central Italy, with a nice balance between the sometimes tart acidity of Tuscany and the fatter, sun-baked flavors of the south. And there’s something about sagrantino, even at 10 percent of the blend, that gives the wine an intriguing lift.

Siema: Available in the District at Cork & Fork; on the list at Jack Rose, Primi Piatti, Siroc and Vento. Available in Maryland at Balducci’s, Cork & Fork and Cork 57 Beer and Wine in Bethesda; Finewine.com in Gaithersburg; Rodman’s in White Flint; Ye Old Spirit Shop in Frederick. Available in Virginia at Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean, the Italian Store in Arlington, Market Street Wines in Charlottesville, Rick’s Wine & Gourmet and Whole Foods Market in Alexandria, various Wegmans locations; on the list at Assaggi Mozzarella Bar in McLean, and Cafe Assorti and Il Radicchio in Arlington.

Finca os Cobatos Mencia 2010

**

Monterrei, Spain, $15

Mencia, the red grape of Bierzo in northwestern Spain, has become trendy in the past few years, and the wines are not in great supply, so they rarely meet my $15 Recession Busters threshold. This example hails from Monterrei, a smaller region that sits just atop Portugal’s northern border in Galicia. It tastes somewhat grapey for its youthfulness, but there’s a puppylike charm to this wine. And it shows the spicy black-cherry, white-pepper character that led many to wonder whether mencia might be a forgotten clone of cabernet franc. (Genetic testing has shown that the two varieties are unrelated.)

Nice Legs: Available in the District at MacArthur Beverages; on the list at Estadio and Veritas. Available in Maryland at Cork & Fork in Bethesda; on the list at Pazo in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean, Cork & Fork in Gainesville, Unwined in Alexandria and Belleview; on the list at Farrah Olivia and Kora in Arlington.

Essay Chenin Blanc 2010

**

South Africa, $9

This charmer has mass appeal; it’s slightly off-dry, with very ripe fruit, an attractive price and good availability. It’s gulpable on its own and also suitable for any weeknight dinner when a white wine is called for, which is probably why it’s so popular with restaurants for their by-the-glass programs.

Bacchus in the District and Maryland: Available in the District at 1 W Dupont Circle Wine & Liquors, 1500 Market, Broad Branch Market, Capitol Supreme Market, Chat’s Liquors, Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, Georgetown Wine & Spirits, Magruder’s, Modern Liquors, P&C Market, Potenza Wine Shop, S&S Liquors, Whole Foods Market Glover Park and P Street; on the list at Agora, Cedar, the Diner, Floriana, Granville Moore’s, Masala Hut, Rosemary & Thyme’s, U St. Grill, Vinoteca. J.W. Sieg in Virginia: Available at Balducci’s in Alexandria, the Vineyard in McLean; on the list at Brabo and Majestic Cafe in Alexandria, Eventide and Samuel Beckett’s in Arlington.