Red Wine Guide

Just cracked open a bottle of Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  I got it at my local grocery store for $19 (it was on sale).  This was one of the wines that first made me fall in love with Napa Valley Cabernets.  It’s not as good as it was back then (in the late 80s and early 90s), but for the money, it’s fantastic.  The sale is over, but I’m going to watch for it to come back again, and next time, I will buy a case of this.  I think there are some better cabernets in the price range of the regular price ($27), but for $19, it’s hard to beat the Mondavi.

The Hess Cabernet, which cost $23.99 in a neighborhood wine store, is a fabulous cabernet sauvignon for the money.  We are always pleased with the result when we try this wine.  Granted, there are other wines in this price range that are good, but we think this is a great value cabernet for everyday drinking.

Well, our experience so far with the 2005 vintage has been mixed.  We are pleased, however, with the 2005 Chateau Charmail from Haut-Medoc.  It has a full body, with plenty of flavor.

You can taste the Bordeaux soil, which makes this wine better than average.  You can also taste hints of creme de cassis and licorice.  The color is great as well.  This is a wine that is drinkable now (2008), but will only get better with age.  It bodes well for the vintage.  We will keep you updated as we try other Chateaux.

The editors of Red Wine Guide are canvassing Provence this week looking for more red wine bargains. So far, the best we’ve found is a little winery in Les Baux that makes the powerful Coin Cache wine. Read about it in the Les Baux section of the guide.

We’re also investigating some Bandol offerings and will update the site with some of those names.

We are visiting Aix en Provence, St Remy, Les Baux, and Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This region is crawling with low-priced wines of outstanding quality.

This site is dedicated to enjoying red wine. We endeavor to give you tips on great wines for the money. Keep in mind, though, that wine is a very personal experience. You may not like the same wines we do. We just encourage you to try different wines until you determine what you like. Also, don’t listen to “the experts” about which wine to pair with which food. Wine is about enjoyment, so just drink the wines you like. If you’d rather drink white zinfandel with your steak than a good Bordeaux, just do it and don’t worry about what other people think. Wine can be lots of fun if you just drink for the enjoyment of it, don’t worry about what people think of you, and try to find the best wines for the least amount of money! Hopefully, our Red Wine Guide will help you do just that. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, Barolo, Bordeaux, Bandol, Burgundy, or merlot.

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