Copyright 2013: Wine Press NW
By Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman
It’s midweek, and you are rushing to get dinner on the table. It’s not a particularly special meal, but a nice red wine could help make it a bit more memorable.
This is the perfect time to bring out a tasty but inexpensive red.
It’s becoming more and more difficult to find high-quality red wines for $15 or less, but they are still out there, thanks to the vigilance of some winemakers to continue to produce wines of value and substance.
Here are several value-priced red wines we’ve tasted recently that are well worth stocking on for those Tuesday night dinners. Ask for them at your favorite wine merchant or contact the wineries directly.
Waterbrook Winery 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $14: Leave it to this longtime Walla Walla Valley to continue to produce high-quality, high-value reds after three decades. This luscious red opens with aromas of Bing cherry, strawberry, fresh thyme, clove and brown sugar, followed by flavors of chocolate, coffee, plum, blueberry and pomegranate.
Washington Hills 2011 Merlot, Washington, $10: Priced for everyday enjoyment, this red begins with a nice approach of red cherry, red raspberry, cranberry, vanilla and white pepper. There’s a smooth follow through of ripe raspberry, cherry and plums with mild acidity and a chocolaty finish, thanks to seven months in American oak.
Sagelands Vineyard 2010 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $13: There’s no shortage of fruit in the nose with its hints of cherry pie crust, vanilla and strawberry fruit leather. Thankfully, there’s a match on the entry to the palate. Plums join the other flavors as the acidity stays ahead of the moderate tannins.
Sawtooth Winery 2011 Syrah, Snake River Valley, $14: One of Idaho’s oldest and largest producers continues to release some of the Gem State’s finest reds. This opens with aromas of black currant candy, white pepper, plum sauce and oak, followed by flavors of blackberry jam, ripe boysenberry and dark chocolate. It’s all backed with bright acidity and moderate tannins.
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Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue run Great Northwest Wine. To read more of their wine findings visit www.greatnorthwestwine.com.