No matter how much money you have, everyone wants a bargain. I know several lawyers who bill more in one hour than I can hope to take home after a whole day, and yet they are always asking me for tips on what cheap wine to crack open for a weeknight BBQ.
Well, you bastards, here are my two top picks:
- D’Arenberg 2006 “D’Arry’s Original” ($19.95, Australia, Vintages #942904) is – quite simply – the best value red wine in the LCBO. Yes, it costs twenty bucks, but it tastes like something much more expensive. Not only that, because it is part of the Vintages Essentials program, D’Arry’s can be found at almost every Liquor Store. If you have no idea what wine to buy, you simply cannot go wrong with this beauty.
The fact that this wine is from Australia may turn some people off: the Aussies have been earning themselves a bad reputation for huge, jammy monsters in the “modern style.” However, Francis D’Arenberg Osborne has been making wine in the McLaren Vale since 1943, and the wine radiates a classiness and sophistication that has nothing to do with these young upstarts. In fact, D’Arry’s Original is so old school, it is still pressed by foot.
The 2006 vintage is a 50/50 mix of spicy Shiraz and fruity Grenache. Distinctive raspberry flavours predominate, but the main feature is a full, smooth and mesmerizing texture. There are hints of lavender and rosemary, but the complexity is understated, a trait which usually comes with a big price-tag. The whole package is fresh and medium-bodied, making it delightfully gulpable. 91/100.
- Avaleda Vinho Verde ($8.95, Portugal, LCBO #5322) is the white wine that I choose to drink on my porch while I watch my girlfriend doing yard work. Vinho Verde is a light style of wine that is bottled and drunk when still young – hence the name “green wine”.
There are several brands of vinho verde at the LCBO, but Avaleda makes the best. Like all vinho verde, it is crisp and refreshing with just a hint of spritz – but unlike its competitors, the Avaleda also shows off traits you wouldn’t normally expect in something under ten dollars: a streak of minerality, and a fine ribbon of vanilla-like flavours to add complexity. Drink it cold, and enjoy the righteous taste of frugality.
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca