Natura Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

This organic (does any serious wine drinker really care, I don't) Chilean red has red cherry and cassis flavors and a lot of tannins at the finish. It's by no means unpleasant. $8.99, available fo a dollar less in N.Y.

Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Someone wrote on the net that he liked keeping a few bottles of cheaper wine in his cellar for his less important guests but that this woouldn't serve the purpose, it tasted like grape juice gone bad. If that is a fair representation of his taste I wouldn't care to be one of his more important guests either. This New Zealand white, while not in a class with our favorite Giesen, is a pleasant enough blend of citrus flavors with a hint of mown grass. It should be drunk cold as it tends to be somewhat on the sweet side when warm. $8.99, can be bought for a dollar less elsewhere.

HD Wine Tasting

We recently attended a wine tasting dinner to benefit the Huntington's Disease Society. Five French wines were served.

Chateau Latour Brut. This bubbly from the Saumur region does not live up to its appelation, being vaguely sweet, which no brut should ever be. It's not currently listed in PA and I could locate only the red version elsewhere, which sells for $17.99, way too much.

Jaboulet-Verchere Pouilly Fuisse. Not a particularly distinguished representative of the variety. The color is good and the nose is ok, but the wine lacks the depth which, along with the lemony element, distinguishes a good Pouilly Fuisse. $19.99.

Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rose. Medium bodied with a good color, too much raspberry, some cherry, more than a hint of sweetness. Seriously overpriced at $13.99 ($.9.99 in NJ, which wins this one by a mile).

Arrogant Frog Lilly Pad Pinot Noir. I don't profess to know if this wines's name is a bit of French self mockery but what wew have here is a nice, unassertive country red from the Herault in Languedoc. Relatively full bodied, it mixes cherry elements with ripe tannins. I would certainly pick it up at the present sale price of $8.99.

Chateau de Paillet-Quancard. I reviewed this Bordeaux red previously and was somewhat disappointed. The price has now been reduced to $10.29 and if you are a lover of Merlot, which I'm not, you might want to try it.

Our State Liquor Board

My son in CO tells me that he much enjoyed the Dona Paula Los Cardos Malbec from Argentina's Mendoza Valley, for which he paid $8.99. The wine is offered in PA for $13.99. Way to go, PSLB, just shows you what the power of mass purchasing can achieve.

Quinto de Gomariz Vinho Verde 2008

This white from Northern Portugal is a nice, crisp summer wine. It's fruity elements (peach and gooseberry) are well balanced by citrus and there is just enough of the bubly element characteristic of the variety to make it interesting. $9.99.

Diseno Malbec 2007

This red from Argentina has a good blend of cherry and dark berry flavors with the usual touch of chocolate. The finish is short, the tannins still have a little edge to them. $7.99, is priced higher in a lot of other states but can also be had for a dollar less.

Genesis Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

This Washington State red is a very nice wine indeed. The nose is pungent and it combines subdued raspberry and cherry flavors with a finish of anise and cinnamon which stops well short of being too assertively spicy. Attractively priced at $8.99. Get it!

Monte Antico 2006

This Tuscan red is mostly Sangiovese, with admixtures of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It's thin in body and will thus go with most everything. Flavors are mostly cherry and red berry with a good deal of acidity at the finish and elements of licorice and anise that not everyone will like. $9.99, which is on the high side for this wine.

Long Boat Sauvignon Blanc 2008

We paired this up with our favorite New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the Giessen. It doesn't quite measure up,it lacks the pungent bite, but it's by no means bad. While more restrained, it has an extremely civilized mix of citrus and white peach flavors. $9.99.

Sartori Pinot Noir 2007

This red, a product of the Banfi combine, comes from the Province of Pavia in Northeastern Italy, a region not usually associated with the Pinot Noir grape. The experiment is not entirely successful, there is a heavy handedness about the mostly blackberry flavor, and something slightly over the top about the balancing acidity. $8.99.

Cruz de Piedra Garnacha 2007

This Spanish red from Aragon is both pungent and fiery. It delivers powerful elements of cherry and red berries along with a lot of spice and doesn't fade at the finish. This is an assertive wine that would overpower delicate dishes, but if you're serving something hearty it's just fine. $9.99.

Mouton Cadet White 2008

The French branch of the Rothschild family, for generations producers of luxury wines in Bordeaux, created the Cadet (jr.) line in the 1970's in order to get a toehold in the mass market. What they came up with is a wine which, although it has very little in common with the great Bordeaux whites, is nevertheless a nice, crisp blend of citrus and peach and, at the sale price of $7.99, a relatively good buy.

Rio Diamante Sauvignon Blanc 2008

This Argentine white is just a little on the fruity side for a Sauvignon Blanc, with strong apple and citrus notes and a curious slightly bitter element in the aftertaste which faded away after the first glass. $7.99.

Henry Fessy Regnie 2007

This red from the Beaujolais region has cherry elements combined with a distinct element of caramel. It opens up nicely and retains its character to the finish. A find,even at $9.99.

Chateau de Meursault Beaune 2002

Alright, so it was our Easter dinner and we wanted something special. The Pinot Noir grape is capable of maturing in colder climates and thus is well suited to Northern Burgundy. Vintages vary considerably from year to year and 2002 was a fairly good one in the region. The wine is well balanced with predominantly blackberry elements nicely balanced by oak and a slightly acidic finish. I picked this up at the closeout price of $23 and if you can find it for that you might splurge on it, but drink it now, I have the impression that it won't last very much longer.

Nieto Senetiner Malbec 2008

This Argentine red is aged for ten months in oak and that shows. Along with the strawberry and blackberry flavors there is a decided caramel element and a lot of tannins mark the finish. Anice wine, but, as usual, at $9.99 it's overpriced, being available for two dollars less in neighboring states. When are wwe going to vote the State Liquor Board out?

Louis Latour Duet 2007

This French white from a huge vineyard in the Ardeche is a half-and-half blend of Chardonnay and Viognier. The result is a somewhat diffident but pleasant wine, with strong notes of pear and a touch of caramel. It doesn't stay long on the tongue, but is most welcome while it does. At $8.99 it's reasonably priced, though those of you lucky enough to live within striking distance of a Trader Joe's can get it for two dollars less, which is a real bargain.