Saturday, February 23, 2013

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

Monday, February 11, 2013

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.