Thursday, January 14, 2010

Cheap Wine Challenge

I must admit that I had to go and seek a bottle for this challenge. I admit to not buying a of under $10 wine these days and when I do I tend to drink it right away. Rarely is it around to age. Now under $15? More of that thanks to Kermit Lynch.

So I hit a wine store in San Francisco in a neighborhood called Laurel Village. The store, Wine Impressions, is one that I had shopped at before but not in years. It is not my usual neighborhood, but errands called. After explaining my quest to the merchant: under $10 and widely available, he suggested several bottles. I opted for red and his top choice a 2007 Altano Duoro from Portugal. With tax, I came in with $.18 to spare.

The label tells me that the wine is 70% Tinta Roriz and 30% Touriga Franca coming in at 13% alcohol. Upon opening color is quite dark. Nose is "light" with some fruit flavors but also pepper and spice. It actually complements my meatloaf sandwich quite well. I'd say it is light to medium bodied with a relatively short finish. Keep in mind that I have had a lot of big wines lately (see Ridge ttl) so my palate may be off-kilter.

With more time I could probably find an under $10 wine that I prefer, but this one works well for what I call a Tuesday Night Wine: the bottle that you open knowing you want a glass or two but will not fill that bad if you do not finish all of it.

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