December 1, 2011
I’m a lucky gal in that I get to drink great wines pretty often. While some of them are expensive, what I really enjoy is discovering wines that offer great quality for a reasonable price. The other day at Trader Joe’s I spotted a Vermentino in the Italian section. I thought it might be fun to try it and also grab some other wines for comparison. So I threw a random selection of bottles in the cart, tasted them all, and came up with a few that were winners.
I tasted eight different whites, all under $13.00, both domestic and imported, and this is what came out on top:
Laurent Reverdy Sancerre 2010 ($12.99)
This reminds me of my favorite house wine (Matua Valley Paretai, a sauvignon blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand). This offering from France impresses me; fill up your cart. Really. It tastes like sauvignon blanc should—crisp, likable and drinkable.
Other Notables:
Brognoligo Soave Classico 2010 ($6.99)
This wine is a good example of Italian table wine. It’s the perfect wine to be poured into juice glasses for a casual meal. Serve it well chilled and keep it chilled. It would be a good complement to simple fish and pasta dishes, like spaghetti aglio e olio.
Epicuro Vermentino Lazio White 2010 ($4.99)
Even less expensive than the Soave Classico, but in my opinion this one is a little more complex. It has brighter tropical flavors, like pineapple, and is very fresh. This is a perfect picnic wine. Follow the same serving notes for the Soave and this one is only $4.99 (please tell my husband that I do know how to bargain shop). If nothing else, stock up on this wine to cook with — a complete bargain at $4.99 !
It was fun to find some nice day-in, day-out wines at great prices. Yet again, another reason you gotta love Trader Joe’s. Next, I’ll taste tackle some reds.
Cheers!
