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Wine Guide 2003

10 wines that won't break the bank

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
November 12, 2003

If you are still feeling the economic pinch, you don't have to abandon good wines for holiday gift, party and dinner celebrations. Here are 10 bottles for under $10, selected by wine buyers across the area, that should impress your hosts or your guests:

2001 Albada Garnacha "This is 100 percent granache from old vines, with a lot of great intensity of black fruits and peppery spice, accompanied by a long finish and vanilla and toasty oak. It's a really good holiday wine." Price: $9.79. -- Chuck Huffaker, Grape Vine Market

Alpendre "It's a really crisp, dry, complex white wine from Portugal that has a nice acidity offering white peach tones and a slight green almond nuttiness. It's great with cheeses and salads with tangy vinaigrettes." Price: $6.99 -- Sean Walsh, Central Market Westgate

Campo de Borja Borsao 2002 "This Spanish red is big and smooth and spicy, with hints of chocolate. It's a great value for the money. It's been one of my favorite wines for a long time." Price: $7.99. -- Karen Dante, The Cellar

Cuvee de Pena "This is an unwooded red wine -- nice and clean and crisp. It's a great, great party wine, and it goes with a variety of foods. Price: $7.99. -- Stephanie Zuzanek, Whole Foods - Gateway

Delas Cote-du-Rhone "It has a spicy finish to it, which I think goes particularly well with Texas or Mexican cuisine. For our holiday time, it's affordable and it has great flavor." Price: $9.99. -- Bill Legge, Four Points H-E-B (RM 620 and RM 2222)

Firesteed Pinot 2001 "This is an Oregon pinot noir. Oregon is the hot spot for pinot, and Firesteed is among the best medium-priced pinots. They're making good Burgundian-style, medium-body pinots that can go with anything on the holiday menu, from a New York strip to turkey and dressing." -- Price: $9.99. Chris Crawford, Reuben's Emporium

Los Cardos Malbec 2002 "It's the first South American wine (Argentinian) in that price range that made us stop in our tracks. It's very full in body. It's rich and dark, with dark berry fruits and no hard edges." Price: $5.99. -- Michael Housewright, Austin Wine Merchant

Maison Galhaud "Our No. 1 selling wine is an old vines granache, from about as far south as you can get and still be in France. It's a remarkable wine for the price. It's quite full-bodied, with lots and lots of blackberry flavors, with a little bit of cherry and a really nice acid structure. It's an excellent complement to a wide variety of foods." Price: $7.99. -- Al Gilhousen, Wiggy's

Monte Antico Toscano 2000 "From Italy, this is a medium-bodied sangiovese-merlot blend. It has wonderful ripe berry and spice flavors, and it's very food adaptable." Price: $9.99. -- Mark Tiedeken, Market Wine & Spirits, Round Rock

Smoking Loon Merlot "It's a nice little California merlot with a great package. It is a bright fruit merlot, not quite as dry as some others. It's a good, user-friendly merlot for folks just starting to like red wines." Price: $7.99. Kristy David, Reuben's No. 22 (Congress and Stassney)

drice@statesman.com; 445-3859

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