Nice $ 15.00 Zin

This winery is in San Benito county where the summers get really hot. There's some good Pinot, Syrah and Petit Syrah grown there as well as Sangiovese. For my taste, the Zin from that area is the star and this De Rose 2008 Cienega valley is a really tasty drink. At first it seems a bit thin and light but with time it starts really opening up-maybe decanting it and waiting an hour would help. By the time you are finishing the bottle you'll be wishing you had bought two. It is better to stop at one bottle as this wine is no joke at 16.2% alcohol ! I'll give it 8 1/2 swiggs and you can find it at New Leaf markets.

Budget Italian red

This isn't bad.....it's not exceptional but at $ 4.99 it doesn't have to be. This Epicuro Salice Salentino 2009 Riserva is a good weekday wine- not overly rich or impressive but pretty likeable, especially after it has been in the glass for a few minutes. At first taste I thought it was a non-descript generic dud ,but after a few sips it began to take on an identity-not the typical earthy Italian food-wine identity but an almost California fruitiness. If you are calling out for pizza this will do....it's maybe even a little better than that. 6 swiggs, from Trader Joes

rioja on sale

Not often does a wine like this one show up for less than $ 10 at the local market - I bought it and had it with dinner last night. For $ 8.99 the 2009 Rioja Vega is a decent dry table wine that isn't super impressive on first taste but gets better as you drink it-always a sign of a plus-5 swigg wine. I'm not sure that Shopper's Corner has any more of this but it is worth a look. I'll give it 6 swiggs.....not exceptional but definitely worth a try, especially if you are growing tired of Calif. offerings.

Regional French red

Eery once in awhile Trader Joes gets a limited amount of small production wine from the south of France. I just liked the label and had a Minervois before that I had enjoyed so I decided to try this one, Chateau Vaissiere. It is really nice, drinks well for a 2011 and at $ 9.95 is a nice departure from Calif. reds. It isn't super bold but it has plenty of flavor and isn't as bone-dry as you would think. I'll give it 7 1/2 swiggs and recommend it highly for folks looking for something that is a departure from the norm.

New years eve lineup

Here it is, our humble little NYE selection. We had a few guests over that were really keen on Zins. We started with a split of Schramsberg sparkling wine, then went on to the Storrs central coast 2008 zin....a great drink. Not to be outdone  we also opened up a Wilson 2010 Molly's vineyard zin , a great compliment to the Storrs. The last bottle was the Unti 2008 grenache, something a little less intense to finish off the night. I was in bed by 10:15........when you have wines with  15% alcohol it can make for a short evening ! Cheers, the Swiggtator.

Cab from Mendoza delivers

There's a lot of buzz about the Mendoza valley in Argentina producing great reds-the classic Bordeaux varietals. Me, I have not had many of these wines and despite the critics going nuts over them, I have not really been impressed....that is until now. The Cassone Mendoza 2009 Cabernet is excellent-not only that, it is only $ 8.99 at Shopper's corner in Santa Cruz -this makes it into my 'weekday' price level . The wine is complex and not overly sweet like some Aussie and Calif. reds so it pairs well with main dishes rather than dessert. I'll give it 8 1/2 swiggs and say that it merits weekend status in spite of it's sub-$ 10.00 price.

Piedmont on the cheap from Trader Joe's.

Here are two Italian reds from very well regarded areas that usually are out of my price range.
Wine # 1 is the 2008 Barolo from Rocca Dell'Olmo. This might not be the deep rich Barolo that you would pay $ 40-60 for, but then it is $ 13.99 so you won't have a reason to complain. It isn't really complex but it is a nice dinner drink for the money. I'll give it 7 swiggs.
Wine # 2 is also from Rocca Dell'Olmo but it is a 2009 Barbaresco-lighter, fruitier and has a lot more going on flavor wise. I really feel that this is the killer deal of the two, only $ 9.99 and definitely more attractive than the Barolo. I really liked the black cherry flavors and depth of the wine, even though it was a lighter body and color than the Barolo. Normally, I would pick a Barolo over a Barbaresco hands down but this is an exception. I'll give it 8 swiggs-definitely the pick of the litter.