Some Wines That I Have Been Enjoying On My Own

The below wine notes are for some outstanding value wines that I enjoy regularly. These wines are stable values each vintage year, and are consistently really high quality in their own right. When you see these wines, buy them! L’chaim!

Terra Di Seta Chianti Classico 2009 (Tuscan red wine made from 95% Sangiovese grapes)

Both because of the price and the quality (price quality ratio or QPR) this wine is one of my favorite wines across the entire kosher selection. It is widely available and it is extremely well made. It is very food friendly, pairing well with everything from pizza and pasta to chicken and beef. The nose on the wine is exploding with dark notes of baker’s chocolate, rich mocha, and hints of blackberries in the background. The mouthfeel is lush, as the wine is extremely soft. The tannins on this wine are full “integrated” which make it extremely easy to drink. The wine is medium bodied with notes of black berries, red berries, blood orange, and cinnamon running through the palate. The taste of the wine stays with you for quite some time, giving it what winos call a “long finish”. This vintage of the wine is becoming harder and harder to find, but the current vintage (2013) is similar in my view and retails for between $16 and $18 per bottle.

Scores

My Overall Score: A-

My Value Score: A/A+ for this vintage in particular

Oscar Quevedo Duoro 2014 (Portuguese red wine from the Duoro region)

This wine is a dry wine from the home of Port, one of the most well-known varieties of sweet dessert wines in the world. The wine is a blend of Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz grapes, two Portuguese varietals. The wine has a lovely nose of dried cherries and freshly turned earth. The nose is reminiscent of the nose of a well-made pinot noir. After some aeration, some notes of smoked meat emerge as well as some dark fruit, plum and blackberry predominantly. The mouth is interesting with a red fruit profile, a bit of a cherry cola type feel and the oddest note of mustard seed. The wine has a very nice acidity level which makes it pair well with richer foods, and well integrated tannins. The taste of the wine closes with hints of black pepper spice and some black olives as well. Tasting this wine was a bit of a wild ride with tastes and flavors from all over the spectrum, but on the whole fun to drink and nice with a meal. Also the price is nice $15-$16!

Scores

My Overall Score: A-

My Value Score: A-

Chateau Nerbsson 2012 (French red from the Bordeaux Region)

This wine is a fairly simple entry-level table wine, which is nice enough to be enjoyed with meat meals on occasion, but not one that I was overly enthralled with. The nose is nice with raspberries, saddle leather, coffee, and a bit of caramel oddly enough. The mouth is fairly bland with some odd tropical fruit notes, and earthy notes. The mouth does not live up to the nose on this one. I would love to smell this wine, but not so much to drink it. It is also a bit unstructured, with very little tannins or acid to speak of. Felt a little loose. This is a nice enough mid-week wine, perhaps best enjoyed with some Shabbos left overs. $15

Scores

My Overall Score: B

My Value Score: B/B+

While I liked some of these wines better than others, they are each very decent in their own right. If you like to drink a glass of red wine with dinner, these would serve really well. The Oscar Quevedo and Terra Di Seta, are nice enough to even serve as a nice alternative to the average Shabbos wine fare. A bit out of the box and really well made. This forum is about discovery and tasting, so I urge you to go out and get some!