Staff Picks for Spring Under $20
Bodegas Lagarde, “Teia”, Malbec & Petit Verdot, Mendoza – 20221 $14.96 for a limited time
Such a delicious, everyday wine! It has a lot of aroma and flavor components and at the same time it’s smooth and easy to drink. On the nose, you can notice ripe red fruit. On the palate, the Malbec grape gives rich, fruity notes. The Petit Verdot grape adds smoothness and a bit of earthy notes. Tannins and acidity are well balanced together. For its smooth structure it’s a good food partner; you can pair it with red meat, burgers or simply with pasta. We always talk of comfort food. Experiencing this wine, we can definitely talk of comfort wine at a very reasonable price! – Andrea Fraccari, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultant
Montsant, Capçanes “Peraj Petita”, Kosher – 2022 $16.99
Tucked away in the hills behind Tarragona lies the small village of Capçanes. Although viticulture here dates to the 13th century, in 1933 five local families banded together to form the coop Celler de Capçanes, and together they’ve kept their winemaking traditions alive. Kosher since 1995, the winery operates under the supervision of the Orthodox Union. Made from a blend of Garnacha, Cariñena,and Tempranillo (some from very old vines) this wine comes in both mevushal and non-mevushal versions (see back label). Both are fantastic, with the non-mevushal showing bright cranberry and earthiness and the mevushal more dark fruit and soft plums. As there is some sediment, decanting is recommended. – Amy Miller, Sales Manager
Field Recordings, Fiction Red – 2022 $19.99
Some people believe that blends are not as good as single varietal wines. Maybe in blends you can’t taste fully the characteristics of a single grape but in a blend the result can be harmonious and fully satisfying. Each varietal in a blend brings its own good quality. This wine is a blend of eleven grapes, where Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Petit Syrah are the most used. Andrew Jones worked for a long time in a vine nursery and spent a lot of time planting vineyards for farmers. He knows the Central Coast in California very well and found the places where the grape varieties used in this wine grew the best. This wine shows great quality, it’s full-bodied and fruit forward. Simple and intense at the same time, showing notes of blueberries, blackberries and a bit of licorice. Delicious. – Andrea Fraccari, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultant
Mont Gravet, Côtes de Gascogne – 2022 $12.96
The tariffs have taken away a lot of the value to be found in French wine. When I say value, I mean a wine under $10 a bottle that outperforms your expectations. Here is very nice example of Côtes de Gascgogne Blanc, made from the wonderfully aromatic Colombard grape. Bright, fresh, and floral, this is a very pleasant wine that is more balanced than the acidic citrus fruit bombs that are typically found in Southwest France. – Josh Mizrahi, Sales Manager
Albariño, Pazo Torrado – 2022 $16.96
Bring on the warm weather, and with it, naturally, light and fresh whites like this! As the predominate grape of Rias Baixas in Spain’s steep, coastal northwest., Albarino already has a devout following because of its versatile nature. If you are already a fan, Pazo Torrado is a fantastic value. If not, welcome to the club. A burst of white peach, apricot and lemon zest hit me first, followed by more subtle notes of white flowers. Vibrant acidity makes for a dry, refreshing finish. This is a wine for your next party that is sure to please the entire crowd. And that is in itself an accomplishment worth toasting! – Doug Yacka, Operations Manager
Krasno, Goriška Brda Orange – 2022 $19.96
This is a beautiful, fresher-style of skin-macerated white wine (orange wine). The Goriška Brda region of Slovenia lies on the western edge of the country along the jigsaw-like border with Italy. The blend of grapes used for this wine are 40% Ribolla Gialla (Rebula), 30% Malvasia, 30% Sauvignonasse (Fruilano) which sees ten and one month of skin contact respectively. The is made in a fresh and fruit forward style of orange wine ready for crushable drinking. Bright notes of ripe apricots, quince and dried mango counterbalance savory notes of dried thyme and a chalky minerality. Peach and walnut-skin like tannins offer a complexity and pleasant bitterness that plays well off the bright, tangerine peel acidity. Just a really delicious wine that you can pair with a variety of lighter fare. – Matt Goodyear, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultant