The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine of the week: Gérard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux 2009

The holiday that must not be named is next week. You want to buy sparkling wine. But sparkling wine, being sparkling wine, is expensive and confusing.

Not to worry. The Wine Curmudgeon is on the job, as always, looking out for everyone caught between bubbly's rock and hard place. The Bertrand ($15, sample) is sparkling wine from France that isn't made in Champagne, which is why it's one-third the price of entry-level Champagnes. Better yet, it has much more than one-third of the quality, and is a tremendous value.

It's made using the same method as Champagne, and it uses more or less the same grapes (including pinot noir, which is not common in sparkling wine made in France outside of Champagne). That's one reason why it delivers so much value; its grapes are grown in the Limoux region in the Languedoc, where land is a fraction of the price of Champagne.

This is not as simple a wine as its price would indicate; the pinot noir gives it an edge that others don't have. Look for very crisp apple fruit and an impressively long finish (lemon zest, maybe?). And you can impress everyone with your bubbly knowledge: If the wine says Cremant on the label, as this does, that means it's sparkling wine made in the traditional method but not in Champagne. Highly recommended, and sure to impress whoever needs impressing next week.

Wine of the week: Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône Belleruche 2009

White wines from France's Rhone region aren't particularly well known and, at least in this country, don't get all that much respect. You don't see many of them on store shelves or restaurant wine lists, and you don't see many of them reviewed, for that matter.

Which is a shame, given that white Rhones are usually different and interesting, and that's something the Wine Curmudgeon is always looking for. The Belleruche ($12, purchased), from one of the Rhone's largest producers, has always been one of my favorite wines for just that reason (when I can find it, of course).

This is a previous vintage, and the extra year of bottle age has given the wine, a blend of grenache blanc, clairette and bourboulenc, a little more character. There is lots of white pepper, some oiliness and just a hint of a green fruit, like lime or apple. This is a not a white wine for people who need something fruit forward, like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, but it's not supposed to be.

And don't worry that you haven't heard of the grapes used to make it -- almost no one who isn't in the wine business has heard of them, either. Which is another reason why the wine is so interesting, and that's three more grapes for your Wine Century Club effort. Chill this and drink it on its own or with something like goat cheese; roast pork with apples would be terrific, too.

Wine of the week: Château Font-Mars Picpoul 2010

The Wine Curmudgeon has always enjoyed picpoul, a white wine from southern France made with the picpoul grape that is grown, believe it or not, in the Picpoul region. Which is a weird naming convention even for the French. Picpoul is cheap and food friendly, one of those wines that you can keep around the house in case you want a glass of wine and don't want to have to worry about what you're drinking.

The catch, of course, is that it's difficult to find quality picpoul in Dallas. Those that I've had have mostly disappointed -- either sweet or too citrusy or overpriced. Hence my delight in finding the Font-Mars ($10, purchased), which is everything picpoul is supposed to be. And I did I mention that it's only $10?

It's a simple wine, but not in the way that too many cheap wines are simple, with one flavor or characteristic dominating all. Look for apricot and stone fruit in the front and a very nice stony finish with acid to balance all. I drank it over the New Year's holidays when I wanted something for dinner that wasn't overwhelming, and I was truly surprised at how well made it was. It's one of the early contenders for the 2013 $10 Hall of Fame, and highly recommended.

A personal note: The Wine Curmudugeon does not write about politics here; that's what political sites are for. But I do want to mention the controversy surrounding two proposals in Congress that would limit Interent speech, the SOPA and PIPA legislation. Copyright is one thing, and as a writer I certainly understand that. But free speech is even more important than copyright, especially as the Internet changes the way the world communicates. The New York Times explains what's going on today here. If you'd like to support those of us who believe that SOPA and PIPA are wrong-headed, you can sign this on-line petition.

Wine of the week: Coltibuono Chianti Cetamura 2009

The Wine Curmudgeon has always wondered how to approach Chianti, which is not only the one Italian red wine that most Americans know, but the one Italian red wine that wine snobs turn their noses up at. If I review it, I run the risk of alienating both groups -- a neat trick, of course, but right up my alley. The former would think the wine was too obvious for them, and the latter would think I was naive.

But that hasn't stopped me before; there are handful of reviews and a variety of references to Chianti on the site (and, quickly, Chianti is the region in Tuscany where the wine is made, using mostly the sangiovese grape). And it won't stop me now, because the Coltibuono ($10, purchased) is well-made wine that offers lots of value.

In this, it's a simple, young, lighter Chianti with big dollop of cherry fruit (which apparently comes from a small percentage of the canaiolo grape, which also softens the wine). But there is still the telltale Italian acid, which means the wine cries out for tomatoes, pork and cheese. Or, in other words, pizza. I drank it with olive and tomato bruschetta, and that was terrific, too.

Wine of the week: Chateau Bonnet Blanc 2010

This white blend from Bordeaux has been in and out of the $10 Hall since I started it for a Dallas magazine 10 years ago -- but not because of quality. Rather, what once was a $10 wine has been as expensive as $15 in Dallas, and though I like it a lot, it's not a $15 wine.

The good news is that Spec's, the largest retailer in Texas, has opened in Dallas, and they carry the Bonnet  (purchased) for $10. So it's back at a good price and eligible again for the $10 Hall of Fame -- the newest version of which will be announced in two days. Have a suggestion for the Hall? Leave it in the comments or send me an email.

But I'm not sure this vintage of the Bonnet is a Hall of Fame wine. This is not to say that it's not well made, because it is, crisp and fresh with lots of citrus fruit like lemon and grapefruit, and there is nothing off about it. It just doesn't taste very Bordeaux-like. Call me picky (that's a harsh charge for the Wine Curmudgeon, no?), but when wine is from Bordeaux I want a little minerality and not quite so much fruit. If I want this style of wine, I'll buy any of the equally fine $10 sauvignon blancs from New Zealand.

This doesn't mean the Bonnet isn't a fine $10 wine, and it doesn't mean that I won't buy it again. I will, and drink it chilled on its own or with almost any white wine dish that doesn't have a big sauce. What it does mean is that wines that make the Hall have to better than this; it is the Hall of Fame, after all.

Wine of the week: Freixenet Cordon Rosado Brut NV

If most wine drinkers know Freixenet, it's from the black bottle that they see at the grocery store. And the black bottle is decent enough $9 Spanish sparkling wine, or cava.

Sometimes, though, if you're lucky enough, you'll see the black bottle's cousin, a rose cava called Rosado ($9, purchased). It's a step up from the black bottle -- a little fruitier and a little more polished. In this, it sits between two of my favorite rose cavas, the Cristalino at $7 and the Seguras Viudas at $10.

The wine is made with trepat, a Spanish grape used only for cava, and garnacha, the Spanish version of grenache. Hence some soft red fruit (strawberry?), as well as a little yeastiness and lots of bubbles. In this, it's an excellent example of how a multi-national producer can turn out a cheap wine with character.

The Rosado will handle New Year's ably, whether it's for toasting on Saturday night, for brunch on Sunday morning or for sipping anytime this week. And it's an excellent food wine; I drank it with oven fried chicken and it was delicious. Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2013 $10 Hall of Fame.

Wine of the week: Tamas Estate Double Decker Red 2009

Some of you might think that the Wine Curmudgeon does not like California wine, given how often California wine comes in for criticism on the blog. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Wine Curmudgeon dislikes dishonest and cynical wine, and a lot of that just happens to come from California.

I am pleased to report, however, that not all California wine is that way. The Tamas ($10, purchased) is an example of what a $10 California red blend could be if producers paid more attention to the wine and less attention to their focus groups. (The Wine Curmudgeon has a tremendous focus group story, told to me by a man who once worked for Procter & Gamble's hairspray business. His lesson? Focus groups will tell you whatever you want them to tell you.)

This is a juicy, fruity wine with lots of ripe cherry, ready for beef or burgers. Wine geeks will say that's the way a wine made with cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah, and barbera from the Central Coast should taste. But, and this is the important bit, the Tamas also has structure: some acid and even tannins -- almost unheard of in grocery store red blends -- that give it a backbone and make it something more to drink than grape juice with alcohol.

This is red wine for people who want red wine for dinner (Christmas dinner, perhaps?) but who are scared of buying something they won't like or are intimidated by price. It's another fine effort from Tamas, which is one of my favorite producers but doesn't seem to get much attention from anyone but me.