November 10th, 2005
Value Vinos for the Holidays

We all love wine for the holidays, but often our wallets are stretched to the limits as we exceed our budgeted purchases for gifts and still want to have parties for family and friends. Everybody is looking for good values in wines, wines costing under $15, preferably under $10. So that means we have to drink plonk?

Hardly. Plonk is never acceptable. Watch out for goofy wines with cutesy names and critter logos on them. Some, of course, are fine. But all too often they're a load of sugar and oak from oak chips that were soaked in the wines and utterly lack integrity. And you'll never get them to pair well with food.

Rather than wines with bogus oak, look for wines that have been made in stainless steel. They don't have the additional expense of high-priced barrel fermentation, but that's fine. Some wines have no business being vinified in oak anyway. So why not enjoy those? Others that may have been vinified in old, used, and thus neutral, oak barrels can be better, and less expensive, than wines subjected ill advisedly to being aged in heavily toasted barrels so that at the end of the process, oak is all you taste. These won't go with food anyway, so why waste your money?

I am happy to report that sticking to a budget when it comes to wine purchases for the holidays is, at least in my view, a lot easier than sticking to a budget when buying gifts for friends and family. Have a look at these selections, which are available in the Atlanta area, and you'll get a good running start on the subject.

Jane Garvey

Select Retailers for finding or ordering these wines.

Sandy Springs

All sorts of exotic appetizers: Ikura (salmon caviar) with a dab of Mexican crema agria or crиme fraоche; pickled shrimp; grilled bacon-wrapped shrimp; ramaki (grilled bacon-wrapped chicken livers and water chestnuts); teriyaki; sweet-spicy Asian dishes; Chinese barbecued ribs; full-bodied well-seasoned dim sum such as Chinese pork buns; crab Rangoon, sesame chicken, wings, fried chicken fingers with honey-mustard sauce. It's a long list, but you get the drift.

Wholesaler: National Distributing Company
404-696-9440
$10

Medium-bodied dry white wine; medium golden straw in color. Intense, attention-grabbing aromas of fresh grass, gooseberry and grapefruit; flavors tinged with a bit of gooseberry. Some residual sugar rounds out the mouthfeel. Sweet fruit flavors but enough acidity to supply a crisp finish. Probably not a style that will please everyone, but very New Zealand in spirit. Serve moderately chilled, about 50-55 degrees, in tall white wine glasses.

No puny flavors, please. Intensity like this wants flavors that will stand up to it. So spicy collard greens, grilled chicken breasts with honey mustard mayonnaise sauce, chicken, seafood, and vegetable dishes with mild curry; Asian-influenced fare with such flavors as lemongrass, mild Thai coconut curries, Chinese five-spice powder, and exotic fruits.

Wholesaler: United Distributors
678-305-2710
$10

Medium-bodied dry white wine; medium straw in color. Aromas of Fresh, clean aromas of apple, citrus, with an initial aroma of honey; followed by crisp, clean mineral-kissed (stony) flavors of green apple, like biting into a really crisp Granny Smith. Four hours of skin contact leaves a sensation of tannin. Good acidity. Moderate alcohol, 11.5%, making it a good meal starter.

Aperitif with pickled shrimp, tiny crab cakes or crab puffs, cocktail potatoes stuffed with sour cream and chives. Also creamy seafood terrines and mousses, such as crab and red pepper and smoked salmon dill mousse from Summer Sweet (available at DeKalb Farmers Market), scallops wrapped in bacon, grilled, with mustard mayonnaise

Wholesaler: United Distributors
678-305-2710
$12

Full-bodied dry but very fruit-focused red wine; deep reddish purple. The 7% Viognier boosts the aromatics, supplying a floral note. Dark and red berries mingle on the palate, and the spice note adds interest. Mouth feel is lush and silky, with good fruit tannins. Really ripe forward fruit, but balanced. American oak for 12 months, but it doesn't overrun the big fruit. Extraordinary value.

Well-seasoned red meats, such as braised short ribs stuffed with garlic or braised lamb shanks with rosemary and garlic, also roasted meats such as rack of lamb or duck, grilled meats, such as steak or ham steak; well-seasoned game, stews, casseroles, legume-based dishes with tomato and spice, firm aged cheeses.

Wholesaler: National Distributing Company
404-696-9440
$12

Medium-bodied dry red wine; deep purple red. Aromas and flavors of red and black raspberries, lots of spice. Easy silky tannins. Deep, lush flavors, but not over-the-top. Blend of Grenache (60%), Syrah (30%), and tiny amounts of Mourvedre, Cinsault and Carignan. Judicious use of carbonic maceration (whole berry fermentation) preserves fruit flavors but wine doesn't get "bubblegummy." A longtime personal favorite, it goes with lots of foods. Best at cellar temperature, about 55-60 degrees, in large-bowled glasses. A screaming good value. If you beat it for this money, call me. This large cooperative involves nearly every grower in the Chusclan Valley, which is located in the southern Rhone on the west side of the Rhone River.

A whole host of foods: Peppered liver pаte; roast turkey with traditional bread or chestnut stuffing, roast duck with raisin bread stuffing, grilled or roasted Cornish game hens brushed with melted wine-based jam; baked ham, pork confit (tasted with the wine at Anis Bistro & Cafe), pork tenderloin or loin roast stuffed with prunes, braised lamb shank.

Wholesaler: Atlanta Wholesale Wine/NDC
404-696-9440
$8

Available at Embry Village Wine & Spirits, Roswell Beverage (2004 vintage), Beverage Mart (Windward), DeKalb Bottle House (Briarcliff & Clairmont).

Medium-bodied sweet white wine; medium greenish straw color. Intense aromas of rose petals and honeysuckle, with substantial litchee nut in the flavors--the classic profile for this grape type. Touches of ginger and other spice add complexity. Voluptuous mouthfeel and supremely long finish that just won't quit. Beautifully balanced. In the 2004 vintage, still available in some stores, the finish is a bit short and the intensity isn't nearly the same, but it's still quite good. Gewurztraminer (pronounced geh-VIRTS-trah-mee-nair) does best in Alsace, France, and Germany, but also is grown in Spain, Chile, California and, apparently, South Africa, although rarely there. Low in alcohol, 11.5%, the wine is moderately (4.5) sweet, for a late harvest. It's best served at cool temperatures, about 60 degrees. Then all the flavors register. Amazing value.

Gewurztraminer goes with more foods than one might think: But give it strong flavors to work with, such as mildly seasoned Indian dishes, even if a little heat comes through; lightly curried chicken or potato salad, sweet and spicy Chinese fare. Strong creamy cheeses, such as French Muenster. Not-too-sweet desserts such as pumpkin roulade, pumpkin creme brulee, pumpkin or sweet potato pie, creamy plain cheesecake. Don't overlook Thanksgiving turkey, either.

Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits
494-367-9463
$9