The Best Wines of 2005: A Pauper's List

" Best of" wine lists are great for the connoisseur, especially the one with unlimited funds. But what about the other 95% of us who just want to have a good bottle of wine without breaking the bank? Where is a poor wino to start?

How often have you had a good bottle of wine only to saunter into the wine store on your next visit with nothing to go on but, "Um, it started with 'M' and I think it had a castle or something on the label"? If you enjoy drinking wine, keeping a wine diary is great to keep track of the great wines you have had, as well as the stinkers to prevent you from making the same mistake twice. If you are like the rest of the world who wouldn't bother the keep tabs on your wine after the first couple of bottles, consider going to a specialty wine store that keeps a database of their customers and their past purchases. That way you can simply ask staff to call up your last purchase and lead you to the goods.

In the meantime, I have enlisted Mike, a wine consultant at Banville and Jones Wine Company, to suggest a list of great wines that won't bust your budget as we all limp into the year broke and with a handful of vague New Year's Eve memories we still need to drink away. Remember that prices are approximate, but these wines should all stay at the "low-cost" end of wine selections.

Reds
Barefoot Zinfandel*
Price: $10.49
*Before I even get into a description of this wine, Mike insists that I point out that "Zinfandel" is a red grape variety, and should not be confused with white Zinfandel, a variety of rose (or blush). He explains that white Zinfandel is a blush wine in particular that gains its pink hue due to the brief exposure of the wine to the red skins of the Zinfandel grape. The fermentation of the wine is stopped early to preserve some of the natural sugars for that characteristic sweetness (and hangover). Further sugar is added for taste as well as chemicals to stop the re-fermentation of the wine. This is process is not true of all rose wines, and it is not true of red Zinfandels.

Now that I have that very important clarification out of the way (we aim to educate and intoxicate), the Barefoot Zinfandel is a Californian wine that has a berry, almost raspberry jam flavour. Although kind of "fruity", this is a fantastic casual wine that you can serve at pretty much any type of informal event.

De Bertoli "Willowglen" Shiraz (2003)
Price: $11.49
This Australian Shiraz has a big, round flavour. You will be able to detect a berry, slightly fruity flavour that is soft in the mouth and ends with peppery notes. In order to match the size of this wine's flavour, Mike recommends that you serve it with an equally robust meat such as lamb or BBQ ribs.

Pasqua Primativo (2002)
Price: $11.49
This red wine hails from Salento, Italy (in the heel of the boot for you geography buffs). This is a fruity, medium bodied wine with the taste of cherry jam. As they say, when in Salento...serve this red with your favourite hearty pasta dish, like lasagne or spaghetti.

Los Cardos Cabernet Sauvignon (2002)
Price: $11.99
According to Mike, Argentina is known as the "sleeping giant" of the wine producing world. Wines produced in Argentina are consistently well made, high quality products. The reason Argentina is not as well known as other wine-producing areas of the world is mainly due to the fact that they do not have good exportation in place. If you are looking for quality wines, Argentinian wines are almost always very good quality for the price.

Los Cardos Cabernet Sauvignon is a round, balanced Argentinian wine with casis, tobacco and mocha flavours. Match this wine with a nice roast beef.

St Hallett "Gameskeeper's Reserve" (2002)
Price: $14.18
This red is a blend of Grenanche, Shiraz, Touriga, and Mourvedre grape varieties, and is considered Australia's cheap version of the famous Châteauneuf de Pape. It is a gutsy medium-tannin red with lots of dark berry fruit flavours. This wine is great for the steak and potatoes man.

Whites
Lindeman's Premier Selection Chardonnay (2004)
Price: $10.97
This Australian winemaker should be familiar to even the most basic wine drinkers. With caramel apple and pear notes, this Chardonnay is soft and lingering on the palate. It is delicious when served with creamy pastas, chicken, pork or salmon.

Cono Sur Viognier (2004)
Price: $11.95
When you think of Chile, think of tropical fruit flavours. You will enjoy fruity honeysuckle and pineapple flavours in this white, which goes perfectly with spicier Asian foods.

Vineland Chenin Blanc (2002)
Price: $15.95
This crisp white is produced in the Niagara Peninsula region of Canada. This has a light, fresh citrus taste and goes wonderfully with white fish such as pickerel.

Sparkling
Before I introduce our final selection, a sparkling wine, I am compelled by my wine consultant dispel another wine misnomer. Not all sparkling wine is called champagne. In fact, the only sparkling wines in the world called champagne are those produced specifically in the Champagne region of France. Any bubbly produced anywhere else in France or the rest of the world is designated simply "sparkling wine."

Australia's most popular affordable bubbly is Seaview Brut (2001), and is produced by the biggest wine producer in Australia, Southcorp. This is a great aperitif (a before-dinner drink) that is ideal for celebrations or to share over a great hors d'oeuvre like mussels, oysters or shrimp.

Use this list to start your own journey into discovering good, affordable wines, and also to impress friends who have invited you over for a drink or dinner. Remember, a bottle of wine doesn't have to break your bank to satisfy, and yes, it can even impress a friend or two.