Drop Of The Week
Wines Under $10
It is easy to scoff at a sub ten dollar wine and assume it is below par. Granted there are a significant number of wines which fall into that category, there are plenty of shining lights however.
The reason many wines are so cheap is that they are mass produced, the quality of the fruit is less and they are machine harvested. These wines are also generally fermented in massive stainless steel tanks with oak starves or chips thrown in. Vineyard practices, harvesting by hand and using quality oak barrels are among many of the variables which increase the price of the end product.
Although cheap, cleanskins sold by some of the big chains can be hit and miss. Sticking with a reputable producer is a simple rule of thumb. Keep an eye out for these beauties:
De Bortoli Sacred Hill Chardonnay ($7). For $7 this is pretty damn good drinking and quite often the Sacred Hill range is discounted beyond its RRP which makes it even better value. Tropical and stone fruit characters run riot with generous lashings of fleshy peach. There is some oak present but there’s enough fruit there to override that. A wine hard to ignore considering what you get for your dollar. This is most certainly a bargain worth getting your hands on.
McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz ($14). You can often find this wine on special below $10 which makes it a great buy. A superbe easy drinking drop for the money, this is certainly a wine which will please. Dark cherry and plummy fruit, throw in a smidge of dark chocolate and some spice on the finish and there you go. What you see is what you get, and what you get encourages another top up.
by Steve from Qwine
