Top 5 Wines of The Past 26 Weeks

Wonderful Pinot Noir:

Winery: Oyster Bay
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Price Paid: $18.99
Vintage: 2006
Area: New Zealand, Marlborough
Alcohol: 13%
Overall: Absolutely delightful Pinot Noir, this is the second bottle I have had.


Top White Wine

Winery: Pewsey Vale
Varietal: Riesling
Price Paid: $13.41
Vintage: 2008
Area: Eden Valley, Australia
Alcohol: 12.5%
Purchased: Sam’s Club

Overall: OK, we are on a roll. Like last week, this once again is a very good inexpensive wine that I would buy by the case. This is a dry Riesling with just a touch of sweetness and the right amount of acidity to balance it out. I do like dry wines...


Best Bargain and a Personal Favorite:

Winery: Venta Morales
Varietal: Tempranillo
Price Paid: $7.99
Vintage: 2008
Area: La Mancha (largest wine growing region in the world)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Overall: A Great Buy, I bought half a case. Perfect summertime wine!

Best Inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon

Winery: Sacred Stone Cask #5, Pietra Santa Winery
Varietal: Meritage
Price Paid: $8.79, list $10.99
Vintage: Best bet 2005, no year listed but called Cask #05
Area: Across California, Winery located in Hollister, CA
Alcohol: 14.6%
Purchased: Bella Vino
Overall: Unbelievable bottle of wine for this price. Good fruit and even a hint of spice and herb at the end. It was good the second day with Sunday roast beef dinner. It tastes like a real red wine and not some insipid concoction as is often the case at this price point. This is perhaps the best quaffing wine I have had. Great everyday drinker, great for a party, great for a cookout, neighbors… The blend supposedly changes year to year based on the best grapes they find available.

My Vote For Top Wine Over the 26 Weeks

Winery: Bodegas Juan Gil
Varietal: Monastrell
Price Paid: $12.00
Vintage: 2007
Area: Jumilla, Spain
Alcohol: 15%
Purchased: By a Friend

Overall: A delicious wine made from a different varietal, dark fruit, spicy, a bit of herb and high alcohol that in spite of the alcohol went down very easily. Very balanced as the winemaker states.