Marques de Caceres Reserve 2004

Just so you don't that I have given up my campaign against the PLCB, I will report that we drank a bottle of this in Zamora. It is a truly noble wine, with deep cherry and licorice elements, powerful but at the same time austere. At the supermarket chain Carfour I paid $12. In PA the '01, which is probably over the hill by now, is on offer for $31.

Vignerons de Caractere Cotes du Rhone Villages 2007

To go with our Thanksgiving turkey we chose this red blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Shiraz, produced by a cooperative at the Southern end of the region. The grapes thus don't come from a single vineyard. Neverheless, this is a very nice wine, exhibiting a pleasing blend of plum, dark berry and chocolate, with just the right amount of tartness in the finish. Well worth the price of $9.49.

Viva Espana

We are just back from two weeks in Spain where we sampled some nice wines, many that were new to us, some that were old friends. The price structure, even given the lamentable relationship of the dollar to the euro, hardly makes PA look good. I will confine myself to reporting that the Marques de Caceres red crianza, which goes for $15 here, is available for $7 and that we found the rose of that vineyard which costs $13 in PA for, hold your breath, $2.50. Someone is filling his pockets. We heard that the governor elect intends to take the state out of the liquor business. May he succeed in doing so!

Two of the wines we drank are available here:

Beronia crianza 2007. This is a pleasant red Rioja with with a soft dark berry flavor and a slightly smoky finish. We paid $10. What is available here is the unaged version, for $10.99.

Antano reserva 2005. This is a very nice red Rioja that is a finely blended mix of dark berry and chocolate, also with a smoky finish. We paid $12 and, believe it or not, the PA price is $11.99. I recommend it,

Villa Marchesi Pinot Grigio 2009

Pinot Grigio enthusiasts will find this Friuli wine highly atypical. Instead of the dry, flinty elements they might expect, it offers up a soft blend of pear and peach, with very little acidity. If such is to your taste, you'll probably like it quite a lot and, for once, the PA price of $9.99 is at the low end of the market.

Casillero del Diablo Chardonnay 2008

While the other wines with this label that we've sampled from the Chilean Concha Y Toro megacombine have been, if unremarkable, drinkable, this Chardonnay is a real disapointment. It has neither the mineral flintiness associated with the French variety, nor the buttery fruitiness characteristic of the California exemplars. It is thin, dull, with an acidic, slightly bitter finish. Not worth even the sale price of $7.99.

Helfrich Now&Zen 2008

This Alsatian white, a blend of five different grape varieties, which locally goes by the name of Edelzwicker, is surely a front runner in the silly name derby but otherwise is fairly unremarkable. It manages, at one and the same time, to be both slightly sweet and citrusy. $7.99, but those of you living near to a Trader Joe should be aware that this chain frequently features it as a loss leader for half that price.

Aric 2004

This red blend from Corbieres in SW France is quite untypical, coming across with a strong fruitiness reminiscent of a good Californian. That is, however tempered by a chocolate/caramel element and a hint of licorice in the finish that gives it a sophisticated character. A really good wine and an outstanding bargain at the sale price of $7.99, but drink it now, it's pretty nearly at the end of its life.