Wine Review: Selections for shrinking wine-buying dollar

I do not wish to imply that I am a penny pincher, but I have been accused of squeezing a dollar bill so hard that I broke George Washington's nose.

Even though I am a wine journalist, I too buy wines and I too look for the best buys. With the disappearance of “Two Buck Chuck'' (Charles Shaw wines), the last of the quickly made, low-priced wines of dubious quality and the rise in consumer prices which we are currently experiencing, wine, which is often considered a luxury, will be among the very first to suffer.

As a wine journalist, although I cover the entire industry, my heart still lies with the consumer and affordable wine. With that in mind, I have searched out some excellent buys for your ever-shrinking wine-buying dollar. I also would like to remind the reader that the internet is a good place to search for wines. Another good choice is local wine shops: There are always some great specials, and they serve as an excellent source for wine information.

Orfila 2021 Classic Malbec ($13)
Since Argentina is located a good bit below us and is the home of some very well-made, affordable wines, I guess we could call it our wine bargain basement. This wine proves, without any doubt, that there are still well-made, affordable wines being made and many of them, like this one, come from Argentina. This malbec features the bold aromas and flavors of cherries and blueberries. The finish is exactly like the geography of Argentina: long, complex and fascinating.

Trapiche Oak Series Cask Argentinian Wines ($11)
The Oak Cask series consists of a malbec and a cabernet sauvignon, both of which are excellent wines. Their cabernet sauvignon is a very fine example of the variety that leaves nothing behind and is a fantastic buy for the money. The malbec is an Argentinean masterpiece and another wine that I feel could sell for much more.

Trapiche Medalla Series Cask Argentinian Wines ($14)
The Medalla series consists of a cabernet sauvignon, a malbec and a chardonnay. What is special about the Medalla series is that all of the wines under the label have spent some extra time in oak barrels to further age and to also pick up the flavors and aromas derived from oak aging. These wines, while affordable, are in my opinion, the equal to wine of the same varieties that sell for much higher prices.

E. & J. Gallo Winery
For many years, during the latter part of the 20th century, it was the wines of Gallo that were the best sellers in the affordable range, with their Hardy Burgundy being one of their most popular and a favorite of the college crowd. In fact, it was the Gallo Hearty Burgundy that was the first wine for many of the “just turning legal” youths and, believe it or not, Gallo Hearty Burgundy ($9) is still available. There is no one who would deny that, even though there has been wine made in California for centuries, that the name Gallo in the United States would become synonymous with wine. It took two Italian brothers, Ernest and Julio Gallo, to set the pattern and style for the modern American wine industry when, in 1933, they walked out of a library with a pamphlet on how to make wine. Their business idea was simple: Make sound wines and sell them at affordable prices, a policy that their heirs continue to follow today. Take a moment and Google “Gallo wines” and prepare to be amazed at the diversity and number of affordable wines they make or represent. In over 40 years of writing about wine, I have never found a Gallo wine that was not true to the variety, well made and true to the Gallo brothers’ original philosophy.

Wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.