Affordable Reds

On Wine

Affordable Reds
Which Varietal Gives the Biggest Bang for the Buck?

Wine

by Fred McMillin

Your wine shop has a display of five California red varietals under $15. Which grape usually is the best? To get an answer, my picky panel tasted an array from my cellar and here is how the varietals ranked.

On Wine: Rankings
*California Red Varietals*
RANK	WINE
5th	Merlot
4th	Syrah
3rd	Pinot Noir
2nd	Cabernet Sauvignon
1st	And the winner: Zinfandel

Here are the top-scoring nine bottles, with the best listed last.

On Wine: Rankings
*Our Nifty Nine*
RANK	WINE	DETAILS
9th	Cabernet Sauvignon	Rex Goliath, California, NV, $9
8th	Cabernet Sauvignon	Five Rivers, 2003, $10
7th	Cabernet Sauvignon	Chateau Julien, 2005, $10
6th	Pinot Noir	Queen of Hearts, 2002, $10
5th	Pinot Noir	Turning Leaf, 2003, $12
4th	Zinfandel	Sobon Estate, 2004, $13
3rd	Syrah	Hahn Estates, 2004, $14
2nd	Zinfandel Special Reserve	Shenandoah Vineyards, 2004, $10
1st	Old Vine Zinfandel	Bogle Vineyards, 2005, $11

Conclusion

No Merlot, one Syrah, two Pinot Noir, three Cabs and three of the best four were Zins. In this low price range, Zinfandel continues to excel!

A Final Wine Smile

None of the Above
The first varietal planted in the Golden State was none of the above, but the MISSION grape. How good was the friars' early wine? Sir George Simpson was the Hudson's Bay Company's rep in California about 160 years ago. After sipping a sample of the Golden State's first varietal, he wrote in his diary, "Politeness alone induced me to swallow it."

Fred McMillin

About the Writer

Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. He was voted one of the U.S.A's 22 Best wine writers by the Academy of Wine Communications. For information about the wine courses he teaches every month at San Francisco City College (Fort Mason Division), please fax him at (415) 567-4468.

Credits
Tasting: Edgar Vogt and Kenny Martin
Statistics: Ruby Dequis

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This page created May 2008

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