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THE WINE TASTER
By Robin Garr
The Courier-Journal, Nov. 1, 1989
Here's an antidote for wine snobbery: Have you tried Blue Nun
lately?
That's what I said ... Blue Nun.
Starting with the 1986 vintage, which is currently on the market, the
simple, sweet German white wine that many of us admired in college days as an
upscale version of Annie Green Springs has undergone a major makeover,
doffing her old-fashioned habit in favor of sleek new attire.
More important, the wine in the bottle is much improved. It's light,
fragrant and still slightly sweet, but the sugar is balanced with crisp
acidity to make a beverage with the fresh sweetness of fruit, not the cloying
sugary quality of candy.
It's fine for sipping alone, but it wouldn't make a bad match for fried
chicken or a light pasta dish, especially if you have a taste for soft drinks
with your meals or sugar in your tea.
Finally, it's still available at bargain prices. It's generally
available at retail for $5 to $6, but it can be found for as little as $3.99
at discounters such as Liquor Outlet in eastern Jefferson County.
It's a pleasure to rediscover a decent inexpensive wine because, after
all, most of us can't drink expensive Bordeaux and $20 Chardonnay every
day.
So for this week's column, I've sought out a number of good, everyday
table wines that cost, at most, $6.
There aren't many prize-winning nectars in this neighborhood, but it's
quite possible to find inexpensive wines with some individual character. Too
many $5 specials are merely innocuous, and I'm not interested in innocuous
wine.
Oddly, this restriction eliminated most of the inexpensive white wines
I tried. Save for the Blue Nun, white wines in this price range tend to be
forgettable at best. (I'm still looking for exceptions and will return to
this theme when I've found a few).
There are plenty of appealing, old-country-style red wines in the
bargain basement, though, including some exceptional French Rhone wines and a
low-rent Algerian red. If you're willing to sacrifice complexity and that
elusive element called finesse in exchange for hearty, inexpensive wines to
accompany spaghetti or pizza, you'll want to consider the following,
particularly the higher-rated labels:
(4 stars) La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Ventoux, 1986. (Coat dew Van-too.) This
bargain Rhone wine has been a favorite through many vintages. It's a bright
garnet color with a delicious aroma of fruit and fragrant black pepper. Its
flavor is full yet smooth, with good fruit and attractive spice; it could
pass for a far more expensive wine. ($4.59)
(3 1/2 stars) Blue Nun Rheinhessen Qualitatswein Liebfraumilch, 1986.
(Leeb-frau-milk.) This clear, bright greenish-gold wine offers a delicate,
appealing scent of apples and peaches with pleasant musky and flowery
overtones. Its fresh flavor is filled with light fruit, and its slight
natural sweetness is well balanced with cleansing acidity. ($3.99)
(3 stars) Le Sable Medea (Algeria) Cabernet Sauvignon, 1985. (Cab-air-nay
So-veen-yawn.) This is a clear ruby-red wine, unusually pale for a Cabernet,
with a slightly perfumed scent of fruit. Ripe, refreshing fruit adds interest
to a tartly acidic flavor that's a bit rough for sipping alone but perfect
for quaffing with pizza or picnic fare. ($2.99)
(3 stars) Bandiera Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 1986. Offering a bit more
style than the Algerian red but at twice the price, this clear, dark-ruby
wine adds appetizing scents of vanilla and spice to its cedary Cabernet
aroma. The wine's flavor is simple and a bit soft, but it gains appeal from
fresh, juicy fruit. ($5.75)
(3 stars) Chateau d'Aigueville Cotes-du-Rhone, 1988. (Coat dew Roan.) This
clear, bright-garnet wine has a perfumed, almost flowery aroma and a simply,
extremely grapey flavor that's more in the style of a Beaujolais than a Rhone
wine. Never mind such finicky distinctions; it's a fine red to accompany
fried chicken or, perhaps slightly chilled, for Indian Summer sipping.
($4.99)
(3 stars) Ernest & Julio Gallo California White Grenache, 1988.
(Greh-nahsh.) If "blush" wine is your choice, it's hard to do better than
this pretty, salmon-colored beverage, especially at the price. It boasts an
inviting scent of orange blossoms and a fresh taste with light sweetness well
balanced by crisp acidity. ($3.49)
(2 1/2 stars) Sebastiani Sonoma County Zinfandel, 1986. If you like your
Zinfandel dark, red and powerful, this tannic and hotly alcoholic (13.8
percent) ruby-red wine may be right for you, but it should be mellower after
a year's aging. In its youth, harsh, puckery tannin and alcoholic heat
overpower its abundant, berrylike fruit. ($4.99)
(2 1/2 stars) Ernest & Julio Gallo California Sauvignon Blanc, 1987.
(So-veen-yawn Blawnc.) A marked quality of fresh green peppers dominates the
smell and taste of this idiosyncratic straw-colored wine, but it's fresh and
crisp and would make an interesting match with cheese or robust-flavored
seafood dishes. ($3.49)
"The Wine Taster" appears every other Wednesday in the Louisville
Courier-Journal Food Section. Wine and Food Critic Robin Garr rates table
wines available in the Louisville area, using a one- to five-star scale
determined by quality and value. Send suggestions or questions in care of The
Courier-Journal, 525 W. Broadway, Louisville, Ky. 40202, call (502) 582-4647,
or send a message to 76702,764.