Earlier this year, I took a trip to Portugal to visit one of the biggest wine producers there, Esporão. You can read all about that visit here. They have grown to be one of my favorite producers on the planet because they consistently create interesting, high-quality wines at very reasonable prices.

The wine I’m writing about today is produced by Esporão and is the debut vintage for this new addition to their portfolio. The Monte Velho name translates to mean “old hill” and is a reference to a grassy hill on the vineyard estate, where upon an old fortress sits. This is the fourth wine to be included in the Monte Velho line, the others include a red, white and a rosé, all of which are produced in stainless steel tanks. This one, however, is a Reserva, meaning it has been aged for 8 months in used oak barrels.

The vision Esporão had for the Monte Velho brand is to offer wines reflecting the character of the Alentejo wine region, but produce those wines at a budget-friendly price point. At this, they have succeeded wonderfully.

The Monte Velho Reserva Red is made from a blend of native Portuguese and international grape varieties, including Touriga Nacional, Aragonês (known outside of Portugal as Tempranillo), Syrah and Trincadeira. The grapes are all grown organically.

Tasting Notes

Some wines can be boring, this wine is not. One sniff of this wine reveals rich spice aromas, like nutmeg, allspice and black pepper complimented by rich blackberry, currant and plum aromas. It’s quite nice on the palate too, offering rich blackberry, black currant, wild cherry and spice flavors. The acidity is very vibrant. The mouthfeel is smooth. Tannins, with an Earl Grey tea characteristic, come into play on the mid palate and finish. Tart cherry, blackberry and spice flavors also linger on the finish.

Wine: Monte Velho Reserva Red
Varieties: Touriga Nacional, Aragonês (i.e., Tempranillo), Syrah and Trincadeira
Vintage: 2022
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Average price: $20.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The post Review: Monte Velho Reserva Red first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.

Chianti, as a type of wine, can be a little bit confusing to the average wine consumer. Why? Because there are a few different designations, each of which means something slightly different. You have Chianti, Chianti Classico, Chianti Rufina, Chianti Montalbano, Chianti Colli Fiorentini and the list goes on.

All of these different designations are defined by both the region of Tuscany where the grapes are grown as well as the types of grapes used and other stylistic guidelines. Additionally, there are designations such as “Riserva” or “Gran Selezione” that you might come across, which are also indicative of how the wine was made. The Chianti I’m exploring today is a Chianti Rufina Riserva.

Chianti Rufina Riserva

Made from a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo and other local grapes, Chianti Rufina Riserva is known for its bold flavors of dark fruit, leather and spices. The “Riserva” label means it’s been aged for a minimum of two years, which adds depth and complexity to the wine.

So, what sets Chianti Rufina Riserva apart from other Chianti? For starters, the Rufina region is known for its cooler climate and higher altitude, which results in wines with brighter acidity and more pronounced tannins. This makes Chianti Rufina Riserva a great pairing for rich, fatty foods like braised meats or creamy sauces. The wine’s structure can also make it a great candidate for aging. In terms of quality, Chianti Rufina Riserva is definitely worth exploring!

Frescobaldi Nipozzano

The specific wine I’m tasting today comes from the Castello Nipozzano estate in the heart of the Chianti Rufina region. The vineyards here are owned by the Frescobaldi family, which like many wine producing families in Europe, has a looooong history.

Frescobaldi’s history dates back to the 14th century, when the family was a prominent banking and trading dynasty in Florence. Over the centuries, they acquired vast estates and vineyards throughout Tuscany. Today, Frescobaldi is still family-owned and operated, with the 30th generation of the family at the helm.

The Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva is one of many wines from their portfolio.

Tasting Notes

The nose is nice and spicy with aromas like nutmeg, black pepper, cherry and blackberry. The palate brings bright cherry, raspberry, blackberry, black tea and spice flavors with a really nice, silky mouthfeel. The finish is relatively long, with berry flavors and a slight, tannic bitterness. This is a very food-friendly and delicious wine.

Wine: Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva
Varieties:  90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Merlot
Vintage: 2020
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Average price: $20.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The post Review: Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.

For several years I’ve been screaming from the tree tops about the incredible deals to be found on Portuguese wines. And for me, “deal” does not just mean “cheap.” From the time I started this website, back in 2007, my mission has been to find wines that are both inexpensive and excellent! The wines produced by Esporão are the perfect example of what I want to help consumers discover.

Visiting Alentejo

If you really want to understand the wines from a specific region of the world (or a specific producer) there’s no better way to gain perspective than to go there. I know from experience that no matter how much I read or watch videos about a region, I never really wrap my head around it until I go there. So, in early April, I traveled to Portugal and visited the Esporão winery in Alentejo — an easy 2 hour drive from Lisbon.

My expectation, driving out to Alentejo (pronounced ah-len-TAY-zhoo) was to find a dry, brown landscape with small areas of green created by cork trees and vineyards. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lush, green landscape everywhere, although this is uncommon and was brought on from an unusually rainy spring. In fact, they had so much rain that the reservoir near the winery was filled for the first time in eleven years!

Nonetheless, setting foot into the Alentejo felt like I had landed on another planet — one that is similar to the earth I know, but different. Walking through the cork forests of the region feels distinctly different from what we Americans experience when we step outside. And those cork forests bring life to the Alentejo.

Some say that the Alentejo is rich in poor soils. But yet life thrives here. It’s just different from the life you see in other parts of the world. There clearly is an ecosystem here, relying on symbiotic relationships between different species of plants and animals. This is not a place to impose the nature you want, but a place to work with the nature that exists. Biodiversity is crucial to creating healthy soils here, and that reality is reflected in how Esporão manages its vineyards.

Sustainability at Esporão

I spent a couple hours talking with Esporão’s Chief Winemaker, José Luís Moreira da Silva, about what’s been happening at the winery and his focus for the future. What struck me most was that he came across as a shepherd of sorts. Someone with an obligation to be a caretaker and a nurturer for the winery versus someone to mandate how things get done. At the same time, he is creating change, with a slow, methodical approach.

Esporão has recently been using the tagline “slow forward,” and while I normally don’t give much consideration to a brand’s tagline, this one seems appropriate for how José Luís leads his team. He clearly has a vision for how Esporão should continue to evolve, while also having a pragmatic perspective that change takes time. To move forward is a slow process.

It has taken time to get where they are today. All of Esporão’s owned vineyards are organically farmed, which required years of transition time. Although their vineyards are already certified organic, they continue to evolve their farming practices to improve soil health by increasing biodiversity and trying different approaches to adapt to climate change. For example, they are changing the orientation of some some vineyards and interspersing trees within the vineyards to provide shade to the grapes.

In some ways you could say what’s old is new again. The continued journey to enhance sustainability has resulted in the return of methods employed by growers generations ago. Some of Esporão’s vineyards are returning to field blends, where different grape varieties are planted and harvested together. They have found that the vines in these blended vineyards are more resilient than those in mono-variety blocks.

Cover crops are also being increasingly used at Esporão, where native wildflowers, herbs and other plants are allowed to grow between rows of vines. This helps in a few different ways. It helps cool the vineyards, which is critical in a hot region like the Alentejo. The roots of these plants help the soil retain moisture and create an environment for beneficial microorganisms. And as you walk through the vineyards you can smell the fragrances coming from these plants, which ultimately will impact the flavor of the grapes, creating a “garrigue” effect.

The majority of the trees on the property are olive trees. In fact, olive oil makes up 20% of Esporão’s revenue. Their olive oil is also organic, and very tasty.

Any vineyard with a good biodiversity program also needs animals. At Esporão sheep and bats contribute to the ecosystem, controlling pests and adding fertility to the soil.

Why does all of this matter? I’ve visited a lot of vineyards and wineries over the years. I can tell you from experience that the producers with the most consistently delicious and interesting wines are doing the types of things that Esporão is doing. Creating sustainable vineyard practices that improve soil health and improve the quality of the grapes, resulting in better wine.

And they do all of this at scale! Esporão has the largest footprint of organic vineyards in Portugal and they are one of the largest in all of Europe. That scale enables them to produce wine from organically grown grapes while keeping prices consumer friendly.

Excellence from Vineyard to Bottle

I asked José Luís about his approach to winemaking. He commented that early in his career he was obsessed with technical perfection, but through years of experience realized there was always something coming through in the wines that he could not control. That something came from the grapes.

Like many of the world’s greatest winemakers he knows that great wines can only come from outstanding grapes. Winemaking begins in the vineyard and his vision is clearly to create healthy vineyards that will bring something special to the wine. While not his words, I thought of his approach as letting the grapes lead the way.

The winemaking facilities at Esporão are also spectacular. I’ve visited enough wineries in my life that sometimes it starts to feel like if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. But Esporão has some unique features.

Their red wine production building is an adobe structure, with mud walls that help maintain the temperature in the building. The center of the room has large, granite lagares — which are open vats, where wine is pressed, traditionally by foot stomping. The building also features several large concrete tanks and ceramic amphorae for ageing wines. These vessels allow for micro-oxygenation of the wine during ageing, unlike stainless steel or wooden barrels. That, of course, changes the flavor profile and texture of the wines produced in these vessels.

Once again, the “what’s old is new again” idea comes to mind. Amphorae as wine ageing vessels dates back centuries, and was used by Romans who once made wine in this same region. These are not small either. The amphorae are taller than me. One amphora still in use at Esporão dates back to 1655! It clearly shows evidence of repairs over its lifetime, and makes one wonder about the journey that vessel has had over the centuries.

Underneath the winery is where the cellars exist to store barreled and bottled wine. And these cellars are jaw-dropping. They were created using the machines that bored tunnels for the Lisbon subway. You can imagine the scale. Of course, being underground, the cool temperature in these cellars is critical for wine storage in a region as hot as Alentejo.

Tasting the Wine

I tasted over a dozen of Esporão’s wines during my visit, focusing on the wines from their portfolio that align with my target price point ($25 or less), offering the greatest value. Every one of the wines I tasted was very good, but of course there are always some standouts.

Bico Amarelo and Ameal Vinho Verde

Although I was visiting Esporão at their main winery in Alentejo, they have vineyards and produce wine from other parts of Portugal as well. Vinho Verde is in the northern part of Portugal, which is cooler and rainier than Alentejo. The name, Vinho Verde, represents both the name of the region as well as the style of these wines. Vinho Verde translates to mean “green wine,” which is a reference to the fact that these wines aren’t aged extensively before bottling and release. These wines are about freshness. They tend to have a lower alcohol level and generally aren’t meant for ageing (although there are some with ageing potential).

Vinho Verde wines are sometimes thought of as inferior or low quality wines, but it’s unfair and untrue to classify the whole category in this way. While some Vinho Verde producers make lower quality wines, doing things like adding an effervescence via artificial CO2 injection, Esporão is not one of those producers. These are quality wines!

Bico Amarelo is one of their Vinho Verde brands and they offer both a white and a red Vinho Verde. The suggested price of these wines is $14, which is very reasonable. The White Bico Amarelo is made from a blend of Loureiro, Alvarinho and Avesso. To me, this is a classic Vinho Verde. It’s very aromatic, light bodied and exudes freshness.

The Red Bico Amarelo was something new to me (and new to Esporão, with this vintage), a red Vinho Verde. When I first saw it, I thought it was a rosé, although the color is slightly darker than a true rosé. It’s made from a blend of Espadeiro, Padeiro and Borraçal, which are all native Portuguese grapes that you’ve probably never heard of. They certainly are grapes I’ve never tasted (I keep records of that). Fermentation is done with whole clusters of the grapes, which is evident with the pleasant, albeit subtle, tannins from this wine… which is otherwise very fruity. Fresh red berry aromas and flavors are most of what you’ll get from this wine. It’s more fruity than a rosé yet lighter and fresher than your standard red wine. This would be a nice red wine for a warm summer day. It reminded me of a carbonic macerated Pinot Noir I tasted once, which was a really interesting wine.

The Ameal Loureiro has long been one of my favorite Vinho Verde wines. You may notice the year on this one is 2023, while the Bico Amarelo wines were both 2024. Loureiro has bright acidity and good structure, giving it some ageing potential. While it’s delicious to enjoy immediately, you can also age this one for 10-15 years. It presents itself similar to a Riesling, with intense aromatics, vibrant acidity and good minerality. The vineyard where the grapes for this one are grown is still transitioning to organic, and sits along a forest of walnut, chestnut and stone pine trees. This is my “go to” Vinho Verde choice. The suggested retail price is $18.

Assobio from the Douro

Assobio is Esporão’s entry level brand of table wines from the Douro region. The suggested retail price is $13 for each of these. The grapes for these are sourced from other growers and are not from Esporão’s owned vineyards. Unlike most of the wines in the Esporão portfolio, these do not come from organically-farmed vineyards. Nonetheless, they are delicious wines at exceptionally good prices.

These wines come from higher altitude vineyards. If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you probably already know my preference for high altitude wines. The reason is that high altitude regions tend to have a significant diurnal shift (i.e., the change in temperature between daytime and nighttime), which helps elevate the acidity level in the grapes. That higher acidity creates more vibrant, fresh tasting wines.

The vision for these three wines was to create gastronomic (i.e., food friendly) wines, using grapes native to the region. They succeeded at delivering on that vision.

The white Assobio has pronounced citrus characteristics and outstanding freshness. The rosé offers similar freshness with a touch of tannins, which make this rosé more food-friendly than some others. The red version delivers ripe berry aromas and flavors and a silky mouthfeel. It’s a very elegant wine for this price point!

Murças Minas

Murças Minas was definitely one of the standouts. I’ve tasted prior vintages of this wine and loved them. This one wowed me.

Also from the Douro, the grapes for Murças Minas do come from a vineyard owned by Esporão. Therefore from organically grown grapes.

All the grapes come from a single vineyard, with altitudes from 110 – 300 meters. The name, Minas, translates to mean fresh water spring and is a reference to five springs that exist on the hillside where this vineyard resides.

The wine is made from a blend of five native grape varieties: Touriga Franca, Tinta Francisca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão and Tinta Roriz.

The grapes are foot trodden in granite lagares and left there for natural yeasts to begin the fermentation process. The wine is aged in concrete vats and neutral oak barrels, which helps develop the rich mouthfeel of this wine.

This is a really elegant wine, with lush berry flavors. While the suggested price point is toward the upper end of my target range, at $23, it’s still a very good value.

Monte Velho

The idea behind the Monte Velho brand is to create wines that reflect the traditional winemaking of the Alentejo with budget friendly prices. These are intended to be everyday wines, not splurge wines. The suggested retail price for the white, rosé and red is $13, while the Reserva Red is $18. Once again, all of these wines are bargains at these prices!

The white is bursting with peach aromas and flavors, which is characteristic of the Antão Vaz grape used in this blend. Arinto, Roupeiro and Gouveio are the other grapes used. This is an excellent wine.

The rosé is a classic rosé. If you like rosé, I expect you’ll love this one. It’s dry, with bright acidity, freshness and pleasant aromatics.

The red is very aromatic, with ripe berry flavors. It’s a very approachable wine.

The Reserva is spicy and vibrant. I have a bottle of this one at home and will soon do a detailed write-up specifically about this wine.

Esporão Colheita and Reserva

These are the flagship wines from Esporão, the Colheita and the Reserva. They are red and white blends, representing the ideal of Alentejo wines, made from 100% organically-grown grapes. We are into the premium tier here, but we’re still within a very reasonable price range.

Colheita is a word you’ll see on some Portuguese wines. It technically translates to mean, “harvest,” but you can also think of it as “vintage,” representing the year of harvest. The Colheitas have a suggested retail price of just $18.

An interesting fact about these wines, starting with this vintage, is that they are bottled without a foil capsule over the cork. Why? To be more sustainable. The foil capsule does nothing to preserve the wine and is purely aesthetic. José Luís shared with me that he has wanted to make this change for a while but there has been resistance from consumers (which I interpret to mean, importers and distributors). He said that it saved 5 tons in aluminum. I haven’t fact checked that, so I’m not sure if it’s an exaggeration but regardless, it saved a bunch of aluminum.

This release is a first step to test reception of the capsule-less bottles. I think it’s a great idea. It’s also an example of the pragmatic approach to change José Luís appears to take. It’s not just testing the idea, but giving others time to become comfortable with the change.

As I reviewed my notes from tasting these wines, I noticed the word “fantastic” kept appearing. All four of these wines knocked my socks off.

The White Colheita is quite elegant, with citrus, apple and tropical aromas and flavors. Like a broken record, again I have to applaud the fresh expression of this wine.

The Red Colheita has a really nice mouthfeel. The wine goes through concrete tank aging, which likely helps develop that texture. It’s quite aromatic too, showing very good spice and berry aromas and flavors.

Reserva is the oldest brand in the Esporão portfolio. The suggested retail price for either is $24.

The White Reserva is a blend of Antão Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro in a classic style. 25% of the wine is aged in new French and American oak. This is a little less oak than was used for this wine just a few years ago. The restraint is a good move, in my opinion. Classic elegance is what you get here.

The Red Reserva is 100% aged in barrels. The blend is a combination of native and international varieties, including: Alicante Bouschet, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, Aragonez (Tempranillo) and Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine offers complexity, featuring a nice combination of red fruit and spice aromatics and flavors. The mouthfeel is spectacular.

The post More than Value: Excellence at Esporão first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.

Over the years of reviewing wines on this site, I’ve featured a lot of wines from Domaine Bousquet. Simply put, I’ve become a fan of theirs for creating high-quality, delicious wines at a great value, while also following world-class sustainability practices. While they consistently release really good wines, the Gran-Cabernet Sauvignon that I’m highlighting in this post is a stand-out from their lineup! It’s an absolutely delicious wine.

Sustainability and Community Impact: A Closer Look at Domaine Bousquet’s Commitment

Domaine Bousquet holds a far-reaching vision that extends beyond winemaking. From the beginning, their vineyards have been grown organically, a choice that reflects their commitment to the environment. This sustainable farming approach promotes the health of the soil, the vines, and, importantly, the people who tend the vines.

The winery has made substantial efforts to ensure economic sustainability for the surrounding community. This includes funding the construction of a new road, providing better access for employees, deliveries, and tourists, and implementing a workforce training program.

In addition to this, Domaine Bousquet has initiated several other projects that have transformed the Tupungato economy. Today, the wine industry is a significant part of the local economy, and Domaine Bousquet is proud to have played a key role in this transformation.

All this is not just lip service either. They are committed to sustainability and have acquired a number of third party certifications to verify their efforts and hold them accountable to them. Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC), Certified B Corp and Eco Cert are just a few of those certifications.

As you sip on a glass of Domaine Bousquet wine, you don’t just savor a fantastic wine; you become part of a broader mission. A mission that supports organic farming, community development, and above all, the crafting of exceptional wines.

Making Domaine Bousquet Gran-Cabernet Sauvignon

The grapes for this wine come from Domaine Bousquet’s original vineyard in the high desert of Uco Valley in Argentina’s Mendoza region, is where sand and rare access to water come together to create magic.

The vineyard, nourished by Andean breezes, benefits from a desert-like climate marked by significant day and night temperature differentials. The predominantly sandy soil of this vineyard results in low fertility — a factor that induces desirable vine stress while maintaining good drainage. Rainfall, while scant at an average 8-inches or less per year, is supplemented by invaluable groundwater from Andes snowmelt. This groundwater irrigates the vines drop-by-drop.

Their process employs hand harvesting, careful selection of clusters and grapes, cold maceration, fermentation with selected yeast, 100% malolactic fermentation, and aging in French oak for 10 months — each step is taken with precision and with a singular aim — to craft a wine that speaks of its origin, that echoes the passion and labor poured into its making.

The result? A wine of extraordinary caliber.

Tasting Notes

Lush blackberry, black cherry, cassis and vanilla aromas give this wine a beautiful nose. The palate offers a silky mouthfeel with delicious flavors much like the aromas: blackberry, cassis, black cherry and vanilla. The acidity is vibrant. It has a long finish with dark berry flavors.

This is a stellar Cabernet Sauvignon. While it is at the upper end of my “bargain hunter” price range, it drinks like a wine that could sell at twice the price, or more.

Wine: Domaine Bousquet, Gran-Cabernet Sauvignon
Varieties:  85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec
Vintage: 2021
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 94
Average price: $25.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The post Review: Domaine Bousquet Gran-Cabernet Sauvignon first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.

Wine makers and wine connoisseurs often talk about terroir. This is the idea that the place grapes are grown influences the characteristics of wine produced from those grapes. Many factors go into terroir, like daytime and nighttime temperatures, soil composition, rainfall, sunlight, etc. Some would even argue that people are a part of terroir, which makes sense as vineyard management practices can vary from region to region.

Those who know wine really, really well can sometimes recognize the region of a wine simply by smelling and tasting the wine. Some wine professionals, like Masters of Wine, are trained on how to recognize a wine’s terroir. Needless to say, this is a not an easy feat for most of us. However, if you want to take on this challenge I’d suggest you start your journey with Sauvignon Blanc.

In my experience, Sauvignon Blanc is the most expressive grape when it comes to terroir. You can often guess what region a Sauvignon Blanc is from due to its distinct regional personalities. Those from New Zealand tend to be more grassy and vegetal, those from Chile have more tropical fruit characteristics, those from Loire Valley in France are more elegant and those from California are more bland (I’m kidding about that last one… or maybe not).

Some regions, however, are less known than others. Uruguay is one of those regions. It’s also a region that produces some world class wine, but many in the world haven’t yet discovered that fact.

Sauvignon Blanc in Uruguay

Sauvignon Blanc is the second most widely planted white grape variety in Uruguay — Ugni Blanc being the most planted. I have not yet had a lot of Sauvignon Blanc from Uruguay, but I’m going to guess that this one from Familia Traversa will reflect the terroir of the region.

The vineyards for this wine are in Montevideo, in the south of Uruguay and only 15 kilometers from the Atlantic coast. That Atlantic influence is one of the unique factors influencing the terroir here.

This wine was fermented in stainless steel, which results in a wine that more purely reflects the grape and the terroir than some other production methods might. I would describe this as an elegant Sauvignon Blanc, with restrained tropical and vegetal notes. It’s also a style of Sauvignon Blanc that features some mineral characteristics.

Tasting Notes

The nose of this wine offers gentle and pleasant aromas, like peach, yellow delicious apple, melon, lime and herbs. It’s soft and elegant on the palate, delivering flavors like peach, apple, melon and flinty minerals. The mouthfeel is smooth and slightly creamy. The acidity is vibrant but not over the top. It finishes medium-long with soft mineral and fruit flavors.

Wine: Familia Traversa, Sauvignon Blanc
Varieties: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2024
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 86
Average price: $16.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The post Review: Traversa, Sauvignon Blanc first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.

One of the best strategies for finding great wine at great prices is to focus on regions that are under the radar. What I mean by that is regions that consistently produce good wine, but for whatever reason most people haven’t heard about it yet.

Uruguay is one of those regions that I’ve been talking up for the past couple years, but I’ve been focused primarily on their red wines and more specifically, Tannat. I’ve written reviews on a number of Uruguayan wines and when people ask me for recommendations, Uruguay is usually the first thing I mention.

While I do love Uruguayan reds, they also produce some exceptional white wines which can also be found at very good prices. They produce a few different varieties of white wines and Albariño is one of their shining stars.

So… what makes Uruguay special? It’s a very unique country for wine production because of the Atlantic influence. Think about it, pretty much every major wine producing region in the Americas is on the Pacific side and therefore has a Pacific influence. But Uruguay sits on the Atlantic side of South America. This location, and its oceanic influence, moderates the temperatures and creates a significant diurnal shift, which is great for growing wine grapes. The soils in Uruguay also contribute to the wine here, although the soils vary in different parts of the country, creating different nuances in the wine from those regions.

Familia Deicas, Atlántico Sur Albariño

This Albariño, produced by Familia Deicas, was made with grapes from two different vineyards. One of those vineyards, in Juanicó, has soil composed of clay and limestone. The other vineyard, in Sierras de Garzón, has soil based on decomposed granite. These different vineyards result in two different wines that can be blended as the winemakers see fit.

Additionally, they harvested the grapes for this wine at different stages of ripeness, also resulting in wines with differing characteristics. This gives winemakers lots of options for crafting the final wine.

After fermentation, the wines are blended and then stored in stainless steel tanks with lees stirring for several months. This helps stabilize the wine while enhancing the aromatics. The end result, pure deliciousness.

Tasting Notes

The aromas are spot on for what I expect from an Albariño: peach and citrus are the first aromas to stand out, but there are also some floral, melon and flinty mineral notes. It’s absolutely delicious on the palate, delivering rich peach, lemon and melon flavors, along with a touch of salinity. The acidity is vibrant enough to give a fresh, crisp quality but it’s not over the top. The mouthfeel is smooth, although more zingy than silky. It finishes relatively long, with peach and citrus flavors.

Wine: Familia Deicas, Atlántico Sur Albariño
Varieties: 100% Albariño
Vintage: 2024
Alcohol: 12.3%
Rating: 90
Average price: $20.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The post Familia Deicas, Atlántico Sur Albariño first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.

Gaia is one of the wine brands produced by Domaine Bousquet, a producer I’ve written about extensively here. Pretty much every time I write about Domaine Bousquet, I talk about how they’re doing the right things (in my opinion) when it comes to making wine. And so, I’ll do that again.

The name, Gaia, is a reference to Gaia the earth goddess. Domaine Bousquet has said that the idea of Gaia was an inspiration to them since the inception of the winery, and they’ve demonstrated that through their actions.

Their vineyards are located in a high altitude desert in Mendoza, Argentina. More specifically, they’re in the Gualtallary district of Tupungato. The climate in this region is ideal for growing grapes with organic practices and that’s what Domain Bousquet does. But they go beyond the bare minimum needed to be considered organic. They follow regenerative organic practices, which actually improve soil health, and they’re one of only a handful of vineyards globally that are certified as Regenerative Organic (ROC). 

Their sustainability practices also go beyond environmental, to focus on the community and the people working in and around their vineyards. In 2022 they became a certified B corporation. In order to attain B Corp certification, Domain Bousquet had to demonstrate their commitment to an  inclusive and regenerative global economy, for the benefit of people and communities around the world and for the good of our planet.

All of that is great, but a winery also has to create delicious wines and Domaine Bousquet also delivers on that, quite consistently! And as a part of their commitment to sustainability, they keep their prices quite reasonable, offering sustainability to consumers’ wallets. At a time when I hear people talking about inflation regularly, I’ve noticed the prices for Domaine Bousquet seem to be an exception — staying pretty consistent with past years. In fact, the last time I reviewed a prior vintage of this wine the suggested retail price was more than it is now! Can we put Domaine Bousquet in charge of the rest of our economy?

Tasting Notes

The aromas of this rosé reflect lemon, strawberry, red raspberry and orange peel fragrances. The palate delivers much of the same, lemon, strawberry and red raspberry flavors with a nice, vibrant acidity and a lush mouthfeel. There’s also a touch of salinity on the palate. It finishes long, with citrus and red berry flavors. It’s a very nice rosé!

Wine: Gaia Pinot Noir Rosé
Varieties: 100% Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2023
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 92
Average price: $18.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The post Review: Gaia Pinot Noir Rosé first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.

This Friday, September 6th, is National Chianti Day and that’s as good of an excuse as any to have some Chianti. Although, truth be told, I don’t need an excuse.

Chianti Classico is one of my “go to” wines. By that, I mean it’s a style of wine I choose often because it’s consistently pretty good. That consistency is regulated through a consortium, which defines the guidelines that must be followed for a wine to be labeled as Chianti Classico. These include things like the types of grapes that can be used, ageing of the wine and the organoleptic characteristics of the wine. Every wine labeled as Chianti Classico must pass a quality review by a consortium tasting panel to ensure it looks, smells and tastes like a Chianti Classico should.

When people are still new to wine and ask me how they can get better at choosing wines, I often suggest finding some “go to” categories of wine (i.e., region, grapes, etc.) and focusing on those for a while. The idea is, basically, you find a wine that you like and then seek similar wines. By doing this, you narrow your focus and you can get to know that type of wine really well.

In my opinion, Chianti Classico is a great choice for a “go to” wine. It’s a delicious type of wine that tends to be very food-friendly, and as I mentioned, they are consistent by design.

For those who don’t know, Chianti Classico isn’t a grape but rather a designation that represents the types of grapes that can be used in the wine, the region where it can be grown, how it must be aged and other factors. You might also find some wines labeled as Chianti or Chianti Rufina. While these wines have some similarities with Chianti Classico, they are different designations produced under different guidelines.

Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Once you have a go to category of wine, you can then find specific brands within that category you prefer. Today, I’m tasting Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva.

The guidelines specify that a Chianti Classico Riserva must be made with a minimum of 80% Sangiovese grapes. This one is made with 85% Sangiovese and 15% Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine also has a minimum of 24 months of ageing before release, including at least 3 months of ageing in the bottle. This ageing is a distinction from Chianti Classico, without the “Riserva” designation, which would only have a minimum of 12 months ageing.

Santa Margherita inaugurated National Chianti Day in 2020 to honor Chianti’s heritage. This is celebrated on the first Friday of every September.

Tasting Notes

This wine is very fragrant, offering a nice balance of spice and fruit aromas, such as cherry, plum, nutmeg, toasted oak, wildflowers and flinty mineral. The palate delivers bright, tart cherry, plum and spice flavors with vibrant acidity. The mouthfeel is smooth. It finishes long, with cherry, spice and mineral flavors.

Wine: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva
Varieties: 85% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2021
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 90
Average price: $24.99
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The post Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.

One of the appealing things about Prosecco is that it’s a sparkling wine that frequently costs less than many other sparklers. Sometimes, however, you find yourself wondering if that lower cost means lower quality. I believe you can find inexpensive Prosecco that offers outstanding quality. The wine I’m highlighting today is one such wine.

The Corvezzo (kor-VETZ-zoh) winery was founded in 1960 in the village of Cessalto near Treviso, Italy. This location is a sweet spot in the Veneto region, between the cool climate Dolomite Mountains and the warm air from the Adriatic Sea. If you’ve been reading this site for long, you know that location can play a huge part in creating good wine.

Giovanni Corvezzo currently leads the winery and is the third generation in the Corvezzo family to do so. Shortly after taking over the winery in 2009, Giovanni began converting their 380 acres of vineyards to organic production — which is a seven year process, as the vines adapt to surviving without herbicide or pesticide intervention. Today, Giovanni believes the grapes are of better quality, having fully transitioned to organic, saying, “Skins are thicker, and this helps wines develop better aromas. For this reason, I believe that organic grapes have the potential to generate superior wines.”

Today they are certified fully organic in Europe. But, because of a difference in winemaking regulations, U.S. labels state: “Made with organic & vegan grapes.” They are one of the largest producers of organic Prosecco, using grapes from their own estate as well as some sourced from other organic growers.

Although they produce quality, organic products, they don’t gouge consumers on prices. Giovanni himself has said, “I buy organic products every day for me and my family. So, when I decided to become an organic farmer, I wanted to offer a certified wine without tripling prices.” He’s delivered on that too, offering this Prosecco at a suggested retail price of just $13, despite the fact that the packaging makes this wine look like a million bucks! This bottle is beautiful, and so is the wine inside of it!

Tasting Notes

This wine has lovely aromas, resembling honeysuckle, sage, lemon, passionfruit and red raspberry. On the palate, it delivers crisp lemon, pear, saline and subtle raspberry flavors, with a bright acidity. The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. It finishes medium long, with citrus and salty mineral flavors.

Wine: Corvezzo, Prosecco DOC Rosé
Varieties: 85% Glera, 15% Pinot Nero
Vintage: 2022
Alcohol: 11.5%
Rating: 88
Average price: $13
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The post Review: Corvezzo, Prosecco DOC Rosé first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.

When you shop for food and beverages, do you seek out organic products? I do, sometimes but not always. For me, it’s about striking a balance between quality and cost. If cost wasn’t a consideration, I would buy organic much more often.

One of the reasons I became a fan of wines from Domaine Bousquet is that they’ve made the choice easy. Simply put, when I buy wines from Domaine Bousquet, I get organic products without paying extra for it. Don’t believe me? Well… this Malbec, made from organically grown grapes, has a suggested retail price of only $13! And I believe the price hasn’t changed in years. No inflation here!

This wine comes from the “varietal” series of the Domaine Bousquet portfolio. They produce wine under a few different lines or series, which have different price points. The varietal series is considered entry-level, meaning it sells for a lower price point than other wines in their portfolio. Nonetheless, it’s still organic and still delicious.

To be clear, this wine is labeled as “made with organic grapes” rather than as organic wine. That has to do with the wine production process, which often includes the addition of sulfites that help preserve the wine but are not allowed in wine labeled as “organic wine.” Some other wines produced by Domaine Bousquet do not have added sulfites and are labeled as organic wine, such as their Virgen Malbec, if that’s what you’re seeking. Personally, I’m not terribly concerned about sulfites so this is a great option for me.

Tasting Notes

The nose offers the classic Malbec aroma of black cherry along with blackberry and spice fragrances, such as black pepper and cedar. On the palate it delivers rich, tart blackberry up front with black cherry, dark chocolate and slightly bitter / tannic Earl Grey tea flavors on the mid palate. The acidity is vibrant and the mouthfeel is smooth. It finishes long, with dark fruit, tannin and spice flavors.

Wine: Domaine Bousquet Malbec
Varieties: 100% Malbec
Vintage: 2022
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 90
Average price: $13
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The post Review: Domaine Bousquet Malbec first appeared on Cheap Wine Ratings.