Pio Cesare 2005 Barbera d'Alba

Medium-dark red color.

Vanilliny oak dominates the smell, with cherry, plum, and peach.

The flavor, too, is splintery with oak, and here, too, stone-fruits lurk behind the trees.

Refreshing with tart acid. It's not an unpleasant bottle but for $19.99 I'd prefer more fruit, less wood.

Indaba 2007 Western Cape Chenin Blanc

Very pale straw color, visibly petillant.

Smell of grapefruit peel, apricot.

Quite dry, grapefruit, peach, quite petillant, long finish. Wonderful fun and the perfect solution to weariness for the too-buttery malolactic Chardonnay style.

Very satisfying, full-bodied dry white for $12.99. A bargain compared to most wine, a bit pricey compared to the Barton & Guestier 2007 Vouvray.

Peter Lehmann 2005 Barossa Shiraz

I aerated this after opening.

Dark purple/red color

First thought on smelling this is that it's a Cabernet clone, but, breathing deeper the distinct Syrah qualities become more apparent. Smells of cigar-box cedar, black cherry.

Tastes of plum, black cherry, black pepper, oak, perhaps a bit of bacon. A very enjoyable wine for $14.99. I think this'd suffer if not allowed a bit of air.

Dry Creek 2007 Clarksburg Dry Chenin Blanc

Pale straw color.

Melon smell, citrus, trace of oak.

Bone-dry melon fruit, grapefruit, fruit flavors prominent.

A bargain for $12.49! While I greatly enjoy off-dry Chenin Blanc, I also find this absolutely dry style quite wonderful.

Giacosa Fratelli 2005 Barbera d'Alba Bussia

Near opaque dark red color.

Smell of prune, plum, and black cherry, with pencilbox cedar.

Black cherry and plum flavor, oak, long finish. Refreshingly tart.

An impressive, easily enjoyed, wine for $19.99.

(Bussia is a vineyard in Monforte d'Alba)

Lindauer non-vintage Brut

My exploration of modestly-priced sparkling wine moves to the antipodes:

Golden straw color with very vigorous bubbles.

Smell of fresh-baked bread, grapefruit that's just missed quirting in your eye.

Fruity citrus flavor, toast, refreshing bitterness.

$14.99 for this new-world fizz represents a bargain worth repeating.

Mulderbosch 2007 Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc Steen op Hout

Very pale straw color, slightly greenish.

Mild melon smell, citrus rind, spice.

Barely off-dry melon flavor, grapefruit, lime, pineapple. Very slightly petillant. Although gently cooled in a Vacu Vin "Rapid Ice Wine Chiller" sleeve rather than the refrigerator, this gained considerable flavor as it warmed in the glass and lost a trace of bitterness in the finish.

An exciting, entirely acceptable bottle, for $14.99. I find South African Chenin Blanc equal or better than anywhere else that grows it. I shall have to more fully investigate how US growers do.

Goats do Roam 2006 Coastal Region Rosé

Lighter than any red, but darker than any other Rosé I remember.

Full smell of raspberry, red cherry.

Red cherry flavor, strawberries, and raspberry, a little bit petillant. Full-bodied.

A bit simple, but entirely enjoyable celebration of fruit. When I began drinking wine, South Africa was the source of harsh grassy Sauvignon Blancs, innocuous Chenin Blancs, and nasty Pinotages. Things have improved considerably. This is a blend of Shiraz, Pinotage, Cinsaut, Grenache, Gamay and Merlot. Everybody in the pool!

At $13.49, I feel I made a good buy. Goats do Roam (Fairview) also makes Rhone-like red and white wines which I intend to sample.

Morgante 2006 Sicilia Nero d'Avola

I aerated this vigorously before drinking.

Medium dark red color.

Prune and black cherry smells, black pepper and oak.

Ripe black cherry flavor, plum, something spicy, maybe cinnamon?

Mostly harmless. Tangy acid makes it a nice accompaniment for a pasta/tomato/romano dinner.

For $16.99, I probably would not buy again, but I might seek out some more Nero d'Avola.

Gruet non-vintage Brut Blanc de Noirs

Medium straw color with vigorous bubbles that raise a surprisingly persistent white head.

Toasty citrus smell, there's a scent of bread-dough.

Grapefruit flavor, toast, hints of oak stay in the background.

An entirely creditable sparkling wine for $15.99 that avoids the too-sweet character of many budget wines. I'm pleasantly surprised. I'd buy this again.

While this is "produced and bottled by Gruet Winery Albuquerque New Mexico," there's no indication that the grapes are from New Mexico or from any particular place. Perhaps they're from two non-contiguous states. If I remember, the wine label laws forbid naming those states.

Kanu 2006 Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blanc has long been grown in South Africa, commonly called Steen.

Pale straw color, hint of a greenish tint.

Peach smell, rather faint.

Fruity tart but dry flavor, peaches and pears, melon and grapefruit.

Not a bad bottle for $13.49, classy and subtle, but I could complain about insufficient concentration. I'll continue looking for other Chenin Blancs and have a few lined up for that purpose in the next month or so.

I contend that the only reason Chardonnay is a respected major white while Chenin Blanc is largely ignored is that it's so much fun to say (and to drink!) Pouilly-Fuissé.

La Posta 2006 Mendoza Malbec Angel Paulucci Vineyard

Malbec is the grape of Cot, “the black wine of Cahors”, once widely used for illicitly darkening wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone in vintages that warranted it. As Malbec, it became the informing grape of the Argentine red wine market.

I aerated this wine and let it settle for an hour before drinking.

Opaque, purple/red at the edges.

Raspberry smell, with plum and cherry, and oak.

Plum, prune, and black cherry flavors, ripe fruit balanced with plenty of acid, restrained used of oak.

I was pleasantly surprised with the wine and don't regret paying $17.99. I'll investigate Malbec further before buying this again, but I'm not greatly opposed to doing so.

Barton & Guestier 2007 Vouvray

Vouvray is a classic white from the Loire Valley made from the Chenin Blanc grape.

Pale yellow color, cloudy with near-microscopic bubbles.

Peach smell, beery on opening, apricot smell by the end.

Peach and apricot flavors, off-dry, grapefruit zest, slightly petillant. Forgive trendy wine-speak, but acid is lively.

Vouvray is also seen in bone dry and quite sweet versions. Knowing what's what before opening the bottle is often a challenge.

A wonderful bargain for $9.99. I've got a number of New World Chenin Blancs lined up to try, none as cheap as this bottle was.

Domaine Ste Michelle 1998 Columbia Valley Luxe

Pale golden color with small bubbles. Looks like nothing else so much as mass-market American lager, but raises less of a head.

That unsettling resemblance does not, thankfully, extend to the aroma, which is toasty citrus with distinct oak. As the glass warms, an appealing floral note emerges.

Oak's quite apparent in the flavor, it's the first thing to greet the palate. Afterwards, there's lemon and grapefruit, sweetness at the end. As the floral smell develops so do hints of peach and pears flavors.

The oak wants to be better integrated, as it is it stands too alone, too much what defines this wine.

I prefer the $14.99 Blanc de Noirs to this $19.99 bottling.

Altos de Luzon 2005 Jumilla

Dark purple/red color.

Smells of plum and cedar,

Wood dominates the flavor, less prominent are stone fruits and

The next day wood is still prominent, but plum and black cherry are more easily tasted.

The wine is 50% monastrell (mourvedre), 25% cabernet sauvignon, 25% tempranillo

At $15.99, this doesn't especially please me.