From finding good, and relatively inexpensive wines it was a pretty awesome December leading into Christmas and New Year’s. At my local liquor store, I could be found hovering over the Spanish and Portuguese Vintage aisles a fair bit. A couple of the Portuguese finds, both under $20 Canadian dollars could be in the wine finds of the year category. I might have to call these Wine Finds of the Month as they seem to become more regular. Good for all of us. Great wine at lower costs – really good for all of us during these inflationary times. We did splurge with a $50+ Mondavi at Christmas and a $27 Sangiovese Cab Sav from Italy for New Year.
I hope that you enjoy my thoughts and should you venture out to find some of the following for yourself that you enjoy as much as I did and still am!
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Hacienda López de Haro Crianza 2018: $15.95 What you can Expect: A medium to dry, very flavorful red wine that provides a nice long finish. Received 91 points from Decanter World Wine Awards in 2021. A steal at $16. Stocked up for my day-to-day house wine for a while anyway. A $20 version from 2016 is available, not tried it yet. |
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Borsao Berola 2017: $18.95 What you can Expect: If you have a Christmas Day wine you should have a Christmas Eve wine too, right. A full bodied smooth rich red full of red fruit flavor. 91 points from Josh Reynolds on vinous.com. I have a few of these stored away. |
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Coutada Velha Signature Red 2019: $15.95 What you can Expect: Bang for your Buck here my friends, another that I have stocked up on. A blend of Aragonez, Trincadeira and Cabernet Sauvignon, medium in body, rich color and flavors of black fruits. A very impressive bottle. |
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Bergamota Private Selection 2017: $16.95 What you can Expect: Another steal. Let this one breath to bring out its ripe rich structure, cherry, vanilla and chocolate come at you in this full-bodied Portuguese blend. Have a few of these put away for years ahead. |
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Cono Sur Bicicleta Chardonnay: 2020: $11.95 What you can Expect: For 11 bucks I couldn’t resist taking this Chilean Chardonnay for a ride. A smooth ride it was. Light crisp and dry, very flavorful. Well worth it! |
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Viña Aquitania Chardonnay 2018: $19.95 What you can Expect: You will note the wonderful fruity aromas right away. A full bodied and flavorful Chardonnay. Well worth a few extra bucks. |
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Umberto Cesari Liano: 2018: $27.95 What you can Expect: Awesomeness, so much so that we had to have 2 bottles on New Year’s Eve. We had it with rack of lamb, but suitable for any meats or just anything at all. Full bodied, very smooth and very flavorful. |
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Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019: $54.95 What you can Expect: A little pricey but everything that you would expect from a Classic Cab from the Classic Mondavi Family. Very full bodied with a firm texture, a little wow in your mouth. A red meat wine but it does not mean that you can’t enjoy it with whatever suits your fancy. |
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