Five Vineyards is the budget label of Okanagan powerhouse Mission Hill, and their Chardonnay handily displays the calibre of wine they can produce for $20.
On the lighter side, but smooth and nicely balanced, the 2021 vintage is just off dry and crisply quenching.
Flavours of apple, pear and peach are complemented by classic hints of butter and oak, while a notable touch of citrus maintains a spirit of refreshment. This would be particularly good with pork, poultry, and vegetarian dishes.
Although it’s still debated, many people believe Primitivo, a grape indigenous to the south of Italy, is the grandfather of Zinfandel (supposedly cuttings were shipped to California during the Gold Rush and then mutated).
Cheekily using that history, an Italian winery named Orso Bruno rebranded their Primitivo “Old Vine Zinfandel.” They could just as plausibly call it Darned Delicious.
Smooth, full bodied and oozing flavours of plum, cassis, and blackberry alongside mocha notes, this Bruno is eager to please. Food friendly, not overly jammy, and offering a long and seductive finish, it’s quite a buy at $22.
The enticingly named Silk & Spice is a very popular red blend from Portugal. Velvety and quite fruity but not overly sweet, this flavour-rich wine treats the palate to notes of blackberries, plum,and cassis as well as chocolate, licorice, pepper, and spices – it’s like a Cabernet with exotic aspirations.
Soft in the mouth and offering lots of complexity, Silk & Spice represents real value at $23. This would go a treat with everything from lasagne and chili to a richly dark beef bourguignon. Available at Everything Wine.
Penfolds is one of Australia’s oldest wineries and their flagship offering, Grange, currently sells for a whopping $1,000.
Notably more affordable at $35 is their creamy and dryly savoury Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon, named in honour of Max Schubert, the winemaker who launched Grange in 1951.
Redolent of dark fruits and lifted with chocolate and spice notes, this is a fresh, assertive and deeply satisfying wine, one that gets even more interesting by the second or third glass. Maybe grab a couple for the cellar.
All prices include tax.
