In this regular feature,
we spotlight those wines that offer great
bang for the buck -- under $15 bucks,
to be exact. Here you'll find our everyday
wines, house pours, and occasionally a
great new find. Have a favorite Bargain
Wine? Tell us about it at editor@wineskinny.com!
Crianza
translates in Spanish to "raising"
– in the context of raising a child.
Raising. Nursing. Aging. These are all
connotations that also apply when crianza
is used in producing and labeling Spanish
wines. Spanish red wines that are labeled
"crianza" must have at least
two years of aging, with at least six
months to one year in oak, before they
are released.
Crianza wines can come from
any region in Spain and often offer fresh,
juicy fruit, depth of flavor, and good
value. They are food friendly -- pair
them with anything from barbecue to hamburgers
to paella -- and a good choice for warm
weather reds. Just look for the word "Crianza"
on the label! Here are a few we’ve
tasted lately:
($9). Fruity, juicy raspberry and cherry,
with toasty vanilla oak and toasted nut
accents. Sweet fruity finish. Ready to
drink now.
($11). Juicy red cherry and plum fruit
stay clean and focused. Smooth, toasty
oak and vanilla make for a nice finish.
Good value! Ready to drink now.
($11).
We seem to always like this wine! The
1999 vintage offers concentrated dried
cherry and plum fruit, with tobacco and
dried herb accents. Good with food. Ready
to drink now.
($12). Cherry and plum
fruit are smooth and supple, with slightly
rustic, dry tannins, and spicy oak. Gets
a little muddled on the finish, but still
enjoyable. Ready to drink now.
($9). Plummy – a nice combination
of juicy fruit and dry tannins. Picks
up milk chocolate and vanilla oak on the
finish. Ready to drink now.
($13). Dried
red cherry and dried herbs up front, smoothing
out into more juicy fruit with smoky oak.
Needs food. Ready to drink now.
($13). Light and easy to drink, with soft
red berry and cherry fruit balanced with
toasty, smoky oak, spice and herbal notes.
Ready to drink now.
This now-fabulously-named column used
to be called Easy To Find One Figure Wines,
for reasons that we cannot currently remember
but were surely enthusiastic about at
the time. Anyhoo, check out our Past
Issue Index for more great value-priced
wine selections!
