Water into Wino

The Wines Less Traveled

Every now and then I really appreciate living in Astoria. This time I can attribute that feeling to the availability of seemingly random bottles of wine on the shelf at my little local wine shop. This time I found two bottles under $10 from small countries you might have a hard time finding if you weren't in a big city.

The first is from Chateau Ksara, the oldest winery in Lebanon. Sometime in the 1850's, the Jesuits established vineyards in the Bekaa Valley with vines from Algeria. When caves dating back to the time of the ancient Romans were found on the land, they converted them into storage for aging there wines. The current grapes grown there include Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cab Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Syrah as well as others.

Chateau Ksara Reserve du Couvent 2004
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon ($9)

This bottle is 40% Syrah, 30% Cab Franc, and 30% Cab Sauv. The nose reveals cherries, blackberries, and chocolate. It's medium bodied and dark red in color.
Red fruits with stewed beets and a touch of licorice best describe the flavors I get. The finish is decent and leaves some spice, some heat and a touch of cinnamon.
This wine is not all that special for the price but it does have an interesting complexity that you don't usually find in similar blends. My grade: B-

Craftsman Falconer's Cuvee 2003
Neszmely Region, Hungary ($9)

The next wine I tried was a Hungarian blend I bought at the same store. I'll spare you the details of the winery as I've previously wrote about a Cab Franc from the same winery. This is a blend consisting of 40% Merlot, 25% Cab Sauvignon, 20% Pinot Noir, and finally 15% Kefrankos (also called Blaufrankisch and Lemberger here in the good 'ole USA) aged for one year in large Hungarian oak barrels. While this wine isn't anything earth shattering, it is a good Bordeaux style blend that won't be overly tannic or hot, it's a simple warm red with a soft texture and good balance. My grade: B

Both of these wines aren't disappointing or amazing. They simply present a different flavor that you may appreciate, or you may just realize you don't need to experiment with your under $10 bottles. I myself love to experiment. Sometimes I regret it, but in this case I'm glad I did. In my opinion, I can do without showing up to a party or get together and seeing a table full of uninteresting everyday wines in that $10 range that I've either tried or usually avoid trying. Either of these wines would be something I'd remember for better or for worse.

Hungary for Wine

Every time I go into a generic wine or liquor store for the first time I will scour every shelf for that one bottle. The forgotten wine that the average consumer has no interest in. The wine that lacks marketability. The bottle that has a layer of dust on it. I am looking for that under $10 wine that should have sold out two years ago. In NYC there are thousands of liquor stores that carry some random ass wines. Last year over the course of a few months I bought up all the Agriolas Vallone Salice Salentino reserve 2000 bottles at my local shop. The 2000 vintage in Puglia is a great one and this wine opened me up to southern Italian wines. A good find I dare say.

Since my ongoing Can Franc delirium started, I always check for it in every store. Most likely I will find a Californian, and here in NY you might find a Long Island version in stock. The wine boutiques carry a few French Loire Valley bottles, and if I'm lucky, some Friulian Franc from Italy. A recent search on the web brought me to a Vinography entry about a Hungarian Cab Franc. At $80 it's a bottle that one will have to remain a dream. But, the knowledge of this varietal being grown in Hungary is priceless info that I've reserved some brain cells for.

Finding good wine is easy. Finding wine that you can drink any day for under $10 and still have that excitement about the varietal is another thing altogether. With more popular varietals like Cabernet or Syrah, you can find a number of wines from new world producers under $10. The not so popular Cab Franc, at least on the east coast, is more of a boutique varietal. This leads to $20 price tags and a not so easy find unless you are shopping in a wine specialty store. So I'm always looking for one under a ten spot. You can imagine my excitement when I found this bottle at a liquor store I checked out the other day.

Craftsman Cabernet Franc 2003
Hungary, Szekszard ($9)

You can't miss the pink label on this one. The Szekszard region is not something you see everyday either. Apparently the grapes are from there and it's bottled at Hilltop Neszmely Vineyards. It's 100% Cab Franc and aged for a year in Hungarian oak barrels. The 12.9% alcohol is at level that I like, not too high or low. Ruby red color. Cherries and strawberries on the nose. Tart cherry flavor with a slight herbal tinge. Juicy texture with a quick finish. Feels light bodied in mouth. I can't really tell that its been in oak. Overall not bad. Obviously not a $20 bottle. It's sufficient for a dinner wine though. My girlfriend loved it. My grade: B