For $10 Or Less, These Wines Shine

It was loads of fun, but boy am I broke after my summer vacation. I’m not looking for a hand out, mind you, but I thought now might be a good time to scour the shelves for some bargains.

Even as prices continue to creep up on many varietals, there are still plenty of deals out there. You just have to know where to look.

The Spokane Wine Company at Huckleberrys deserves special recognition for carving out a section for “bargain” wines. I found plenty of candidates there in my search for 10 great wines under $10.

Harry O’s is closed this weekend to undergo its latest remake. Owner Doug Olsen has decided to scrap the produce and focus on the Bistro and the wine trade. His new “wine warehouse” will beat any retail price around, Olsen said. In any event, it never hurts to call around and check prices.

And September is Washington Wine Month at the state’s liquor stores. The discounts there can be substantial. If you don’t see your favorite homegrown product on the shelf, ask a clerk for the complete list of what’s available. They can special order wines.

There are many mail-order wine outfits around, but I’m especially impressed with The Wine Club, based in California. Sometimes, even with the hefty shipping charge, you get some real steals.

Mostly, I just enjoy reading the highly opinionated free monthly newsletter, which includes ratings from national publications. It almost makes subscriptions to the Wine Spectator and the like superfluous. To get on the mailing list, call (800) 966-7835.

So, here’s my list of great wine values, available at local wine shops and supermarkets. Should you wish to add any gems, please write the address at the end of this column and I’ll spread the wealth around in future scribblings.

Arbor Crest ‘95 sauvignon blanc ($6) is a perennial winner. In fact, the ‘96 just won a gold at the Enological Society of the Pacific Northwest competition earlier this month. It’s not out just yet, but the ‘95 received its share of raves. (For one thing, Ray’s Boathouse, a renowned restaurant in Seattle, named it the top sauvignon blanc of the year.)

This is a wine I’d pour for my pals who are red stalwarts. It’s got punch and is crisp and bone dry with a touch of that herbaceous quality you come to expect in a sauvignon blanc. It’s a terrific food wine. Try it with grilled chicken or light, creamy pasta dishes.

It’s becoming a real challenge to find a good affordable chardonnay, but I nabbed a lovely ‘95 Latah Creek on sale for $8.50. It had that trademark creamy richness of a chard but also lots of fruit flavors. It tastes much more elegant than that price suggests.

I had gushed about Worden’s ‘95 gewurztraminer in a column earlier this year and was astonished to find it marked down to $5. This slightly spicy wine is a real find.

Bethel Heights in Oregon is one of those wineries in which I have great faith. I have yet to taste a release that’s been anything less than impressive. Its dry gewurztraminer ($7) is green apple-crisp and smells like grandma’s spice cake.

Dry Creek in California’s Alexander Valley is another personal favorite. Most of their wine is in the super premium price category, but the exceptional dry chenin blanc is a real deal at $9.99. It has a pale straw color, and the fruit is backed up with lots of acidity in this great balancing act.

With an increasing shortage of grapes in the California wine country, many vintners have started importing wine from Chile and giving it the good old U.S. marketing treatment. (A pretty label with the varietal listed but little other information.)

A merlot on the Walnut Creek label is $5. And it’s not bad. It had fair varietal characteristics: black cherry and berry flavors with a smooth finish. A decent drink with pizza or burgers.

You shouldn’t judge a wine by its label, but I’m a sucker for the avant garde artwork that comes from the mind of wacky winemaker Randall Graham. His latest Pacific Rim riesling ($9.99) is a thing of beauty; an Asian woman reclines on the front, and visible through the wine on the back of the bottle float pieces of sushi. And the wine’s pretty tasty, too.

Ditto for David Lake’s outstanding cellarmaster reserve riesling from Columbia. The package isn’t as pretty as for the Pacific Rim riesling, but the wine inside shines with bright, juicy apricot, peach and pear flavors. It’s on the sweet side, but still has a bit of an edge. And I’ve seen it for as little as $3.50.

The price of zinfandel has gotten outrageous. My old reliable, Lytton Springs, is ringing in at $22 - too rich for my budget. One affordable zin worth uncorking is from Pepperwood Grove. At $9, it’s got that robust black plum and berry fruit with a twist of pepper.

Merlot madness has made cabernet sauvignon seem sanely priced for a change. Check out the cab from Talus, one of Sebastiani’s labels. It comes on strong but has pleasant fruit to soften the tannins. It’s $7.

Making wine more accessible

Three cheers for a French producer who has just come out with a wine label in Braille.

M. Chapoutier in the Rhone Valley is well-known for its Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine and will now certainly gain recognition for being the first vintner anywhere to provide these seeing-eye labels.

Though not as prominent as its Beaucastel neighbors, this producer’s holdings are vast, with more than 300 acres of vineyards in all the Rhone’s major appellations.

The new labels will appear on something like 2 million bottles that will be released throughout the world. , DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Leslie Kelly The Spokesman-Review