Wines Under $8? Three Good Ones

      In my job as Wine Manager at Walt Churchill’s Market, I taste an incredible amount of wine.  It is fun to taste all the cool and interesting wines out there.  But there are also times when it isn’t fun at all – when tasting wines under $10.  
     Out of about 100 wines, 50 will be undrinkable, 45 will be acceptable but boring, and 5 will be surprisingly good. These are the wines I bring in and promote.  If you are on a budget, try these three wines.  You won’t be disappointed.

Protocolo 2009 Tempranillo

$7.99

     I’ve been drinking this wine for about a decade and it has always been delicious, but the 2009 vintage takes it to a new level.   The grape is Tempranillo and the country is Spain.  In fact, this wine represents Spanish wine to me.  If you were walk into a Tapas bar anywhere in Spain and order the house red, you’d likely be served something like this.
        In style the wine walks a line between the traditional oak-aged wines of Spain and the modern smooth-fruit style. A good option for a ‘Tuesday Night’ wine, but an even better choice for simple meals.
     I’m not alone in discovering this wine.  Wine Enthusiast awarded this wine “#2 Best Value Wine of the Year.”  Wine Spectator gave this wine 89 points.  High praise for a humble price.

Marchese Montefusco 2010 Nero d’Avola

$6.99

     The hot sun and cool breezes of the Mediterrean Sea make Sicily a great place for full-bodied jammy-style reds like Nero d’Avola.  Nice purple colors and jammy blueberry fruit and nice tannins.  A perfect red wine for BBQ, or red meat, or of course hearty Italian dishes.

RiverView 2008 Chardonnay

$7.99

     Chardonnay is the 2nd hardest category to search for value wine and so most people stick with mass-brands like Yellow Tail and worse.  That is really a shame because, even with Chardonnay, good wine is available if you know where to look.
     RiverView delivers a nice balance of oak, fruit, butter, and smooth texture. In short, this Chardonnay has everything you are looking for and even competes well with many brands in the $10 to $13 range.

*All wine prices at Ohio Retail.