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2007 International Value Wine Awards: The best wines under $25

Is there anyone who doesn’t like a great wine buy? I think not because it’s the question I’m most often asked by consumers and, frankly, it may be the toughest to answer.

Late last week Wine Access magazine released the results of their annual search for great wine buys in Canada that sell for less than $25 via its 2007 International Value Wine Awards. Once again, I had the privilege of overseeing the week-long event where nearly 1,000 wines competed for the judge’s attention.

Not surprisingly we found value at several price points. For the majority of wine drinkers money is always an issue and in their lexicon “value” wine means affordable. For many that translates to wine under $10 — highly desirable if almost impossible to find. The $10 to $15 sweet spot is probably the best zone to uncover great values.

As you head on up toward $25 you approach the level where most everyday wine drinkers draw the line on value. The International Value Wine Awards set the value bar at $25 because it meant that close to 95 per cent of all the wine sold in Canada would be eligible to compete, and compete they did.

In some of the key categories, such as cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, shiraz, merlot, pinot noir and sauvignon blanc, most of the labels that fill our national shelves, were put to the test by 27 judges from across the country.

The results are not only significant but well worth investing in if you like paying $14 for a wine scoring 87, 88 or 89 points. In some cases the price-to-points ratio is so favourable you should think about buying a case immediately because the thing about value wine is that it tends to disappear quickly.

As they were last year, the results this year are also illuminating. Please note that because this was a national competition, I’ve taken the liberty of picking and choosing some of the very best wines, regardless of price, that you will most likely find in the Whistler area.

Keep in mind that here you pay the most for wine in the world thanks to a highly punitive provincial wine tax, so while each of the entries sell somewhere in Canada for less than $25, they could be over the limit in B.C.

Good hunting!

( Editor’s note: the number in front of the name is the point scoring for that particular wine .)

 

Best Sparkling

88 Wyndham Estate N/V Bin 222 Sparkling Chardonnay, South Eastern Australia $15

Best Un-oaked Chardonnay

86 Leaping Horse Vineyards 2006 Chardonnay, Lodi, California, United States $13

85 Bouchard Aîné et Fils 2005 Chardonnella Chardonnay, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France $12

Best Oaked Chardonnay

89 McWilliams Hanwood Estate 2005 Chardonnay, South Eastern Australia $14

89 Rodney Strong 2005 Sonoma County Chardonnay, California, United States $18

Best Sauvignon Blanc

88 Mount Riley 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $16

Best Aromatic Whites — Varietals and Blends

88 Lake Breeze 2006 Gewürztraminer, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada $17

88 Cono Sur 2006 Viognier, Valle del Colchagua, Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile $10

Best White Blends

87 MadFish 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River, Western Australia $15

87 Wirra Wirra 2006 Scrubby Rise Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Viognier, McLaren Vale, South Australia $15

Best Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio

86 MezzaCorona 2004 Pinot Grigio Riserva, Trento, Trentino- Alto-Adige, Italy $19

86 Mission Hill 2006 VQA Five Vineyards Pinot Grigio, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada $13

  Best Cabernet Sauvignon

88 Carmen 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Valle del Maipo, Chile $22

88 Geyser Peak 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States $24

Merlot

88 Jackson-Triggs Okanagan 2005 Proprietors’ Reserve Merlot, Okanagan Valley, B.C., Canada $14

88 Rosemount Estate 2005 Diamond Label Merlot, South Eastern Australia $17

87 Cono Sur 2006 Merlot, Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile $11

Best Syrah/Shiraz

90 Jacob’s Creek 2004 Shiraz Reserve, South Australia $19

88 Wyndham Estate 2004 Bin 555 Shiraz, South Eastern Australia $17

Best Pinot Noir

87 Casas del Bosque 2006 Pinot Noir Reserve Single Vineyard, Valle de Casablanca, Chile $24

87 Shepherds Ridge 2006 Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand $29

Best Malbec

90 Pascual Toso 2005 Malbec, Maipu, Mendoza, Argentina $12

87 Santa Julia 2005 Malbec Reserva, Argentina $15

Best Carmenère

86 Casa Silva 2005 Los Lingues Gran Reserva Carmenère, Valle del Colchagua, Valle del Rapel, Chile $25

86 Casillero del Diablo 2006 Carmenère, Valle del Rapel, Chile $13

Best Rosé

87 Angove’s 2007 Nine Vines Rosé, South Australia $16

87 Arrowleaf 2006 Red Feather Rosé, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada $14

86 CARM 2006 Rosé, Douro Superior, Douro Valley, Portugal $17

Best Sangiovese

88 Antinori 2004 Peppoli Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy $28

87 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Nipozzano 2004 Chianti Rufina Riserva, Tuscany, Italy $20

86 Farnese 2006 Sangiovese, Abruzzo, Italy $8

Best Tempranillo

90 Torres 2004 Celeste, Ribera del Duero, Castilla-Leon, Spain $15

89 Castillo de Almansa 2003 Reserva, Almansa, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain $11

Best Zinfandel

89 Clos du Bois 2005 Zinfandel, North Coast, California, United States $21

88 Rodney Strong 2005 Knotty Vine Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California, United States $22

Best Other Red Varietal

88 De Bortoli 2005 Deen Vat 4 Petit Verdot, Riverina, New South Wales, Australia $15

88 Concannon 2004 Petite Sirah, Livermore, San Francisco Bay, California, United States $20

Best Other Red Blends, Traditional Bordeaux and Non-Traditional

90 Jackson-Triggs Okanagan 2005 Proprietors’ Reserve Meritage Red, Okanagan Valley, B.C., Canada $20

88 Trio 2006 Merlot/Carmenère/Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile $15

89 Trivento 2005 Cabernet/Malbec Reserve, Mendoza, Argentina $12

Best Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz Blends

87 Bleasdale 2004 Langhorne Crossing Cabernet Shiraz, South Australia $18

87 Jacob’s Creek 2005 Shiraz Cabernet, South Eastern Australia $13

 

For complete results and top tens in all categories look for the October/November issue of Wine Access on newsstands.

 

Anthony Gismondi is a globetrotting wine writer who makes his home in West Vancouver, British Columbia. For more of his thoughts on wine log onto www.gismondionwine.com