Time for an experiment. I'm not afraid of wine made for the price conscious consumer, perhaps as much out of necessity as anything else. But I tend to stick with tried and true favourites; those acknowledged bargains that, in terms of quality, consistently sit above their price points. I also tend to shop in the $15-20 price range for my everyday wines. Habit can mask new opportunities, so this evening the other half and I decided to visit our local 1st Murphy and purchase one dozen bottles, the total of which was not to exceed $120.
It was surprisingly difficult, not because I'm a snob but because there's actually a quite limited range of wines under $10. It turns out life is much easier when you have $15 to spend on a bottle of wine. Despite this, we emerged twenty minutes later with a full dozen. Here's the first.
Immediately odd. The bottle says "wine of Italy and New Zealand" and, according to the back label, it's a "skillful" blend of Hawkes Bay and Italian wine. I spent the majority of last week examining 2006 white Burgundy offers, so jumping from the obscurity of individual vineyards (or parts thereof) to a more transcontinental concept of regionality has my head in a spin. A nice golden colour, crystal clear. The nose is all about crisp green pears and that slight prickliness that, to me, is characteristic of Pinot Gris. So far so good.
A flavoursome entry that shows more pear and perhaps some sweet herbs too. Mouthfeel is thick and a bit oily, with relaxed acidity that sits on the right side of flabby, but only just. The mid-palate demonstrates a fullness of body that, in the moment, feels very satisfying but which trails off precipitously as the wine enters the back of the mouth. The wine's line shrinks back to a thin echo and passes to a soft, slight finish. I wonder if there's a little residual sugar propping up this wine's flavours of unripe pear and herbs?
Overall, this wine strikes me as well judged, extremely drinkable and entirely forgettable. At $A11.40, it's quite well priced and, for me, delivers an appropriate amount of value. Good BBQ or lunch wine, and a pretty good start to the bargain dozen.
Price: $A11.40
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: August 2008
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