Wine Suggestions

Blackstone Merlot Just a few slurps of this supple and juicy red and you will see why Blackstone has become one of the nation's best sellers in the Merlot category. $9.95

Boutari 1998 Santorini ($12.99)
Pale straw color, with ripe melon and citrus scents. Crisp and fresh flavor, citric fruit and rather full-bodied for a white. Very tart acidity hangs on with ripe fruit in a long finish.

Cabernet sauvignon is high-test heart medicine: All red wine is good for your heart, in moderation. But it turns out that one particular red--cabernet sauvignon--has more of the key ingredient than the others. Cabernet has high amounts of an antioxidant called resveratrol, which can protect against heart disease by lowering your levels of bad while increasing your good cholesterol. "Grapes that originated in the Bordeaux area make more resveratrol to fight off a fungus that thrives in the moist climate," says Jean-Paul Broustet, M.D., a French cardiologist. Our bargain pick for cabernet is Ernest & Julio Gallo, $5 for 750 milliliters. (Men’s Health September 1999 – www.menshealth.com)

Chateau Mas Neuf 1997 Costieres de Nîmes ($7.99) Slightly hazy dark ruby color, with appetizing red-fruit, black-pepper and subtle herbal aromas. Full-bodied and bright, fresh fruit and crisp acidity on the palate. A good, rustic table red, fine with food.

Cols de Vents A lively, delicious mouthful of dark berry fruit, and one of the best values we have found from this southern French appellation in the last 12 months. $8.95

Due Torri - Pinot Grigio ($8.00): Fruity dry white made exclusively from Pinot Grigio grapes. Very enjoyable.

DOMAINE DES ENTREFAUX 1998 CROZES-HERMITAGE ($12.99): Very dark ruby, with plummy fruit and fragrant black pepper on the nose and palate; herbal scents of thyme and sage over ripe black
fruit, with soft tannins and lemon-squirt acidity. Good balance in a very good food wine.

DUPEUBLE 1997 "CUVEE KERMIT LYNCH" BEAUJOLAIS ($9.49) Dark garnet, with pleasant, delicate scents of berries and plums, and no banana at all. Ripe fruit and tart acidity in balance on the
palate, with a hint of bitter almond in a long finish. Good fruit, good balance, a fine value.

Frescobaldi 1997 Remole Chianti ($9.99)
Dark ruby with an orange glint. Very spicy aroma, cinnamon and cloves, over good red-berry fruit. Crisp, fresh and tart, a hint of tannins; lemony acidity and juicy black-cherry flavor; a benchmark Chianti at a very fair price.

MARC BREDIF 1996 VOUVRAY ($13.99): Clear, pale straw color, with apple and pear aromas surrounded by earthy, musky Chenin Blanc fruit. Ripe and fresh, slightly sweet and very tart; evokes cooking apples with a slice of sharp Cheddar cheese. The wine's piercing acidity makes it a good palate cleanser with roast chicken.

MONMOUSSEAU 1998 CLOS LE VIGNEAU VOUVRAY VAL DE LOIRE CUVEE AMP ($9.99):
The conventional wisdom holds that 1998 was a very poor year indeed in Vouvray, with autumn rains soaking the vineyards and diluting the grapes. Monmousseau seems to have dealt with the situation nicely, though, with a wine that's a delicious quaffer if not entirely typical of Vouvray. Very pale straw in color, it offers fresh and appetizing citric aromas, lemon-lime and tangerines. Crisp and bright citric fruit on the palate is bone-dry and lemon-tart, with a fresh citric tang in a long finish.

NAPA RIDGE 1996 NORTH COAST (CALIFORNIA) PINOT NOIR ($10.99): Clear garnet, with a ripe scent full of the characteristic cherry cola of California Pinot, with spicy oak playing a ground bass without dominating the tune. Sweet oak is a little more evident on the palate, but fresh if simple Pinot fruit carries the day. LABEL NOTE: Watch for a new name for this brand in coming vintages; while there's no official word yet, regulatory agencies are starting to make noises about labels like "Napa Ridge" that carry a regional name without qualifying for that region's formal appellation.

OAK GROVE CHARDONNAY 1997: ($8-$10) Smooth slightly sweet taste with hints of vanilla.

Rosemount Estate A delicious, slurpable Australian red that can only be described as immediate gratification in a bottle. $7.00

Sartarelli 1998 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi ($9.99) Clear straw color. Fresh, light melon, pear and citric aromas and flavors; dry, crisp and tart, ripe melon flavors persist in a long, clean finish with a light touch of bitter almond. In the generally bleak realms of modest Italian whites, this one shows surprising character; but drink it up soon, while the freshness lasts.

Thomas Mitchell 1998 South Eastern Australia Marsanne ($8.99) Clear straw color, with luscious fresh melon and mango aromas. Crisp and juicy white fruit flavors follow the nose, with a pleasant hint of bitter almond in the finish. An stylish use of this white Rhone varietal from Australia, and a particularly good value

Tiamo 1998 Rosso Puglia ($6.99) A blend of 55 percent Sangiovese (the Chianti variety) and 45 percent Primitivo (the grape that's thought to be a twin or at least a sibling of Zinfandel), this unusual and highly affordable red wine from Apulia in the "boot heel" of Southern Italy is designated "Indicazione Geographica Tipica," a relatively new Italian designation indicating a wine made of grapes and in a style considered typical of its region. Very dark ruby in color, it shows ripe sour-cherry aromas with spicy notes of chocolate and cinnamon. Tart and fresh, red-fruit flavors are structured with zippy acidity; light-bodied but lasting, it's a well-balanced table wine and a very good value indeed. U.S. importer: Winesellers Ltd., Skokie, Ill.

VILLA CAFAGGIO 1997 CHIANTI CLASSICO ($13.99) It's a clear, dark ruby in color, with ripe black-cherry and spicy oak aromas, "classic" Chianti indeed. Full, fresh tart-cherry fruit flavors are framed with soft tannins and tart, lemony acidity. Black fruit and zingy acidity persist in a long finish. Clean and fresh, enjoyable now, but this is one Chianti that will reward time in the cellar.

Viña Alarba 1998 Old Vines Grenache Calatayud (Spain) ($5.99) Dark ruby, with a light, fresh aroma of black cherries and a delicately herbaceous "stemmy" quality that develops with time in the glass. Crisp red-fruit flavors and fresh-fruit acidity with a whiff of fragrant black pepper. A light but well-balanced wine, pleasant for quaffing or washing down simple food.

Cloudy Bay 1999 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($19.99)
Pale brass color, with a clean and appealing aroma of fresh jalapeñoes. Its full flavor is crisp and fresh, juicy white-fruit flavors and delicious green chile peppers without the heat.

Villa Maria 1999 Private Bin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($11.99)
Light greenish-gold in color, its aromas offer strong green chilies and an aromatic edge that suggests alcohol or new oak. Ripe and tart, herbaceous flavors follow this nose; it's very good but in a "blind" side-by-side tasting shows neither the balance nor the intensity of the Cloudy Bay.

BORGO BUON NATALE 1997 TOCAI FRIULANO ($10)
The name sounds mighty Italian and so does the grape, but this clear, straw-color wine is from Podere dell' Olivos in California's Santa Barbara County. It boasts remarkable scents: conifer aromatics, pine and cedar, dancing with ripe white tropical fruits like mangoes and kiwis. Full-bodied, dry and crisp on the palate, fresh-fruit flavors are framed by bracing acidity. Another must-have for the Anything-But-Chardonnay crowd.

MARQUIS DE JOLIENNES 1997 CHATEAU DE CHAMIREY MERCUREY ($21.99)
Clear straw color, with a clean and refreshing scent of ripe cooking
apples nuanced by earthy aromatics. Full-bodied, fresh fruit flavor is
structured with mineral elements and crisp, tart acidity. It's an
impressive wine, and although it's hardly a bargain-bin item at
$20-plus, that's still a steal for a fine White Burgundy of this
quality.

Policies, Usage, & Disclaimer Statement