Three months after BC went into virtual lockdown to combat the coronavirus, our province is starting to get back to something approaching normal, with schools and community centres reopening, small-group get togethers permitted, and restaurants now open again for dining in.
Through it all, BC’s provincial liquor monopoly stores remained open, declared an ‘essential service’ by the government, perhaps (if you’re cynical) because of the large revenues they bring in to BC’s treasury, or perhaps just because almost all of us needed a glass of something or other to help get through this crazy time. Me included.
The four bottles illustrated above are among those red wines that we’ve been drinking with pleasure of late chez nous. In my opinion they each represent great value for money in their price range – wines with an excellent QPR (Quality Price Ratio). That range is the $20-$30 sweet spot, although one – the Zuccardi – actually tops out at $35. More about that in a moment.
All of these wines are available at BC Liquor Stores. Even better news: two of them are currently on sale. The Domaine Guisset Cotes du Roussillon, a rich, tarry red blend from the most southerly French vineyard region, was great value even at $20 and is now a steal at $17.50. Ditto the Escudo Rojo Pinot Noir from Chile’s cool climate Casablanca Valley, now discounted $3 from its regular $20 price. Lovely fresh, cool, invigorating yet elegant pinot juice from this famed aristocratic French house (Escudo Rojo = Rothschild of course!).
The other pinot is the family-owned McWilliams’ McW Reserve 660 Tumbarumba Pinot Noir from relatively high altitude (660m above sea level, duh!) vineyards near Canberra in Australia’s New South Wales. It’s a sophisticated take on this fickle grape, all dark red and black fruits, fresh acidity and a long, cool finish. There’s a lot of quality for $30.
Which brings us to the last wine, Zuccardi’s Poligonos Cabernet Franc. This fresh, intensely flavoured, crunchy yet smooth red is from fruit grown in the recently proclaimed appellation of San Pablo in the Uco Valley of Mendoza, Argentina. As a careful reading of the label reveals, this too is high-altitude wine, only even more so than the McW: think around 1,200 m above sea level! The Zuccardi family are currently making some of Argentina’s most exciting wines, and their Poligonos range represents some of the very best-value premium Argentinian wines available, at $35 a bottle. It’s a so-called ‘one-time buy’ at the BCL, only available in very limited quantities, but there should be a few bottles left here and there, if they haven’t already been cleared out. Get it if you can. And if you can’t, console yourself with another terrific Zuccardi red wine that’s currently on sale: Tito Zuccardi, Paraje Altamira, Vale de Uco.
So what did my wife and I drink on our first post-Covid restaurant dinner date recently? Well, it happened to be our 10th anniversary since getting together, so I brought along a bottle of Chateau de la Riviere 2010 that I had bought at the estate when we visited it in Fronsac a few years ago. At ten years old, it was in perfect form (and went perfectly with the traditional French food we ate): supple velvety tannins; smooth, elegant Merlot-dominant black fruit; and a long, chalky finish. Classic Right Bank Bordeaux. Santé!
