If you live in Ontario it is easy these days to get a good bottle of wine. The question is: with so much to choose from, how do you choose?
I have a couple of strategies to share. One is to go to the Vintages section and look at the labels. In the bottom right of the label in VERY tiney tiny small type you can see the words "Exceptional Value". If you know little or nothing about wine, want to spent less than $15, and want to get in and out of an LCBO (wine store) in a hurry, chose this approach. You can't go wrong, and you won't spend alot of money. To speed up the process even more, head for the following sections: New World (especially Argentina and Chile), South Africa, and yes, France. (Avoid California and Australia if you are in a hurry, although Australian wines are coming down). (You can also talk to the staff, who are very knowledgeable, don't upsell you, and are generally friendly and helpful.)
However, what if you want to spend even less than $15, even less than $10? Any why not? If you are grilling some food on the BBQ, or having a quick bite midweek, you might want to have a glass of wine but not have it outweigh the price of the meal. So here is my other strategy.
First, go to
Toronto Life: Wine Guide. From the input screen, select "Under $10" and Point Score of 90. (95 returns will no results). You will get a list of GREAT wines under $10 that you can find in most LCBOs (and likely others stores across Canada). I have tried alot of them (I am cheap, what can I say?) and they are all delicious. If you change the point score to 85, you go from 16 to 39 bottles. (This makes it easier to find something half decent in a small wine store).
Check out the Italian reds: they are VERY cheap and very good, especially for pizzas and tomato based sauces. (Though the cheap Italian whites taste cheap...I have tried a few and thought: ok, that's enough of that.) Also, Portuguese and Argentinian wines are terribly undervalued (although French winemakers like the Lurton brothers are discovering Argentina and this is just one of the reasons that the Argentinian wines are going up in prices....so stay with the wonderfully untrendy Portuguese wine, especially the vinho verdes in the summer and the soft and delicious reds in the fall and winter.)
And if you want to be a contrarian, bring a bottle of Mateus to a dinner party and talk about it being "mid-weight, balanced, floral, and with spicy aromas" and see what the wine snobs say! :)
BTW, from the Toronto Life listings, my favs are the Aveleda Charamba, the Carmen Chardonnay, the Fonseca Periquita, the Hardy Chardonnay Semillon, the Mezzomondo, anything by Trapiche (Arg.), the Casal Thaulero ($6.95!), the Marcus James Malbec (very jammy), the Penascal Tempranillo (ALWAYS good, year after year), and the Tribal Sauv. Blanc / Colombard. (For some reason, the Colombard grape tends to bring the price down....).
If you want to go above $10 but stay under $15, try the Franch Chateau Bonnet (I believe the Lurton bros make this ....great with shell fish), or go for the Cono Sur Pino tNoir (the best value Pinot in the LCBO at just over $10 from Chile, but I believe all the Cono Surs are good), the Delicato Merlot from the US (yummy and rich), the KMV Chardonnay from South Africa (tastes like Californians above $15), the Lurton Les Fumees Blanches Sauvignon Blanc (a tasty S. Blanc, as opposed to one that makes you think....hmmm, this tastes like the cat peed in my drink), and anything from Santa Rita in Chile.
Some good wines that Toronto Life does not mention are the Canadian Naked Grape series (try the sauvignon blanc and the merlot), Quartana (from Italy) and the Yvon Mau series (from France). All worthwhile and cheap.
If you are feeling adventurous, try Thierry and Guy Le Freak Shiraz Viognier (a combo of a red and a white grape...I like to lightly chill it), and Yalumba 2004 Y Series Shiraz Viognier (I am partial to Viogniers, and I like the Y Series from Yalumba :) )
Finally, anything from Beringer in California tends to be good (try their Stone Cellars series), and anything from folks who makes Goats Do Roam in South Africa. ("Goats Do Roam" is a pun on "Cotes De Rhone" ... tell that to your wine snobs....though they likely know it. :) ) Oh, before I forget, if you can find the Moldovan wines from Corten (I like the Pinor Grigio and the Merlot), grab them too. I don't usually like Pinot Grigio, but the Corten is both light and flavorful.
Enjoy!
