Continuing this post into the new year, we start with a couple of go to inexpensive South American Wines bought at Trader Joe’s. This blog will continue well into 2025 with entries which exemplify “bargains” no matter where they might have been purchased. Most of the time, I will include wines that are particularly good but, at the same time, include some average or mediocre wines for context. Most of these wines will be under $10 but sometimes even a wine costing twice that is a bargain if the quality is stratospheric and the prestige and rarity would have expectations at a much higher cost.

TASTED 12/10/2024

Although I’m not much of a fan of “natural” wine, organic, biodynamic and sustainable all make sense to me especially in the context of wines that exemplify terroir. Seeing 2022 Green Fin California Red Table Wine made from organically grown grapes CA (12% abv) $4.99 at Trader Joe’s I figured what the heck? WHAT A SURPRISE!! I haven’t tasted a wine like this in thirty years. This is a real throw back to the California wines of the 1970’s and the Australian Shiraz’ of the 1980’s. The instant that it hits one’s nose a flood of spicy, smoky, toasty, sweet oak demands attention. This is the sort of wine our old friend Bob Burns used to refer to as “plank juice”. Although the oak dominates all aspects of bouquet, flavor and finish, after a few sips a very pleasant citrus peel, berry jam and simple grapiness takes over. This is not a wine fore everyone. But, I thoroughly enjoy throwing back a gulp or two with gusto while savoring casual meals or by itself with Monday Night Football.

TASTED 12/7/2024

Perhaps I jumped the gun transitioning to 2025 when it is still 2024, but, the thread I’m on now will probably linger into the new year. With our favorite meal (shown above with Tre Donaldson flying over Iowa defenders), we opened a couple of wines from Trader Joe’s. One we’ve enjoyed many times in many vintages and another that we had not seen before. Malbec is typically Alice’s favorite cheap red so when she spotted a 3+ year old, single vineyard rendition from the prestigious Uco Valley of Mendoza signed by the winemaker, she was intrigued. So was I when I was unloading the wines and felt the weight and heft of the bottle. It has the look of an expensive wine. 2021 Belhara Estate Malbec Valle de Uco Mendoza ARGENTINA (13.5% abv) $8.99 looks much more promising sitting on the shelf than open and poured into one’s glass. It is without flaws but also without much character. Nice deep color, good varietal aroma, a pleasant spice on the tip of the tongue and a clean dry finish make it pleasant enough. Yet, the ones sold at Aldi, Trader Joe and Costco for under $6 are just as good and many in the $6-$8 are vastly more interesting and memorable. So, I won’t be buying more of this one until the new vintage comes out. Secondly, we opened the new vintage of one my absolute favorites and it did not disappoint. 2023 Panilonco Cheif of Lions Carménère Reserva Viña Marchigüe Valle de Colchagua CHILE (13.5% abv) $4.99 always commands attention no matter the context or pairing. After tasting the Malbec, I feared that my taste buds might be sleeping but, I assure you, this Carménère woke them up. Barely over a year old, this richly colored deep dark wine explodes with precise varietal aromatics, bright cherry-like nuances with a complex composty finish. Though maybe not quite as big as some previous vintages, this is still a knockout rendition of Carménère, especially for five bucks! I’ve probably answered this question before, but I’ll do so again here because this is a frequently asked question. How is it that a wine can be labeled “Reserva” when it is barely over a year old? Unlike Spain, where the word Reserva on a wine label delcares that the wine not only harvest from a very good vintage and the grapes were fully ripe at harvest but also dictates an aging regime. Throughout South American, Reserva on the label simply indicates fully mature ripe fruit with no stipulation regarding the broader vintage comparison nor any aging requirement. Yet, this is hardly meaningless. Anyone who has tried to make wine from grapes at 20 brix versus grapes at 22 brix (approximately 1% difference in natural alcohol) will attest that the extra week or two the grapes hang on the vine make a monumental difference in wine quality. I wish we had some sort of nomenclature addressing this in Michigan vinicultural regulations.

Enjoy in Good Health,

A Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner