What wines we're drinking this week

Here are a few excellent wines to imbibe from your local BC Liquor Store that will hopefully make up for the recent lack of communications at this wine blog.

Cono Sur is the Chilean winery that is a "connoisseur" for low-end wines appealing to most consumers.

But while they do a great job at value wines in the under $15 Canadian bracket, Cono Sur also makes some excellent mid-range wines.

One of there best efforts is on sale at the BC LDB - Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir 2007 - reduced from $24.99 to $19.99 at the moment of writing.

Rated 88 points by the Wine Spectator magazine, this is a full-blooded pinot, not some wimpy lightweight. It has lots of blackberry, cherry and raspberry fruit with a good finish.

There won't be many left soon - so snap some up!

My second choice isn't on sale but is a great deal anyway - the 2004 Pourpre de Grezette - a malbec from Cahors for $15.99.

We are more accustomed to great malbecs from Argentina but this one from France is superb. I was not aware of La Grezette but it turns out to have been purchased by Alain-Dominique Perrin in the 1980s. I believe this is the first time a wine from this winery has been sold in BC.

Tony Gismondi of the Vancouver Sun and other places, including his excellent website, gives it an 86 point score - I'd put it a little higher than that - great extract and concentrated flavour - wow!

I suggest finding some now, before it disappears.

What wines we're drinking this week

Run do not walk to find this excellent Sabor Real tempranillo from Bodegas Campinas - rated at 90 points by wine guru Robert Parker - and available for only $16.99 at BC Liquor stores.

This is a great big juicy wine - not like some softer tempranillos that are delicious but would get beat up by a pork chop, let alone a porterhouse steak.

This smoky, blackberry-rich wine is great with food or on its own.

Coming from Zamora in the relatively unknown Toro region, this is one of the best value wines I've tasted in ages.

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Bye-Bye Burgundy - no more disappointing bottles - I'll buy-buy New World pinot noirs instead!

Burgundy bottle fails again - what is wrong with this picture?

It happened again!

I opened a bottle of Burgundy nicely cellared for a few years, popped the cork and got ready for a great wine with a great meal - but I was only half right.

Has this happened to you?

The Burgundy - or Bourgogne - was completely lacking in bouquet, character or anything interesting at all.

But it was expensive! I really don't expect to pay $53 for a wine that fails to deliver the goods.

This one was the 2003 Domaine Doudet-Naudin Savigny Les Beaune Les Guettes 1er Cru. I tasted it at the Vancouver International Playhouse Wine Festival in 2006 and was so impressed a bought a bottle that night.

Now granted, I had been drinking - but given how many I taste in an evening, this one stood out enough that I purchased it.

Unfortunately, this bad Burgogne experience has been repeated several times in past years.

But no more. I am going to resist the siren call of Burgundy and stick to New World pinot noirs - which have not failed me yet.

I highly recommend pinot noir from the Santa Barbara region of California - especially Au Bon Climat, Foxen, Byron, Foley and others - and from New Zealand, especially from the Central Otago region.

I also very much enjoy several BC pinot noirs, including Blue Mountain, Cedar Creek, Quail's Gate and Nk 'Mip Cellars.

BC Liquor Stores and private stores have a good selection - and best of all - it's a lot cheaper than undependable Burgogne!

But if you've had a good pinor noir experience from Burgundy, please let me know - post your good news here - or bad news if you've had the same problems I have.

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