Good Wines/Good Value  

Good Value Wines...

We can't think of any California wineries that have much respect for a ten dollar bill.  Many in Napa ask you for $20-$50 merely for the privilege of them "allowing" you to taste their wines (in hopes you'll spend the king's ransom it takes to secure a bottle of wine).

We have a great selection of wines in the $6-$20 range which have character and are good examples of their type and style.

We spend a lot of time and devote much effort into searching for wines which over-perform for their price.


The San Francisco Chronicle printed an article on "Bargain Wines" (a few years ago now) and our little wine emporium was cited as being a Bay Area leader in value-priced wines.

We've found some customers only think to come to Weimax when they're looking for a "special" bottle of wine, but please know we have really fine "everyday" bottles, too.

Many stores offer "wines they can sell."  Our philosophy is quite different:  We feature "wines we can recommend."  Heck, we like to enjoy a great wine for which we've not spent so much money.

A low price does not make for a good value.  A wine must be of good quality, first and foremost.  A good "value" is a wine which tastes more expensive than its price tag indicates.  Simply being cheap does not make for "good value." 

We hear from some people, speaking about some famous cheap wines, "Well, it's not bad for the price."  
We disagree, especially when "it's not good for the price," either.

In any case, please know we have more respect for a ten dollar bill than most wine-business folks.

Here are some suggestions from our current offerings:

Updated June 2025

VALLEVÒ MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO"   SALE  $14.99

The Montepulciano grape can produce medium to full-bodied reds and this one from Fossacesia is a well-priced example of such a wine.
It's fermented giving the juice 7 to 12 days of skin contact.
We don't think it's matured in wood, but it has lovely dark fruit of the Montepulciano.
Sangro is a small grape grower's co-op winery with a bit more than 100 members.
You'll find this to be ready to drink...Lasagna? Pasta? Sausages?  Pizza???

BRUNDLMAYER GRÜNER VELTLITER  $14.99

There's a famous fellow named Bründlmayer who makes terrific Austrian wines.
But this is not from the Kamptal, but from the Kremstal region.
Philippe Bründlmayer and his family have steep, terraced vineyard sites and this difficult terrain accounts for the good quality of this lovely dry white made of Grüner Veltliner.
It displays the classic citrus and grapefruit pith we look for in Grüner.
But usually you have to pay well more than $14.99 for a bottle.
And this is a liter-sized bottle, not a 750ml.
Delicious and dry!

MERRY PRANKSTERS Santa Cruz Mountains CABERNET SAUVIGNON $15.99
The crew at the La Honda winery makes this well-priced Cabernet from Santa Cruz Mountains fruit.
It's to commemorate the La Honda get-away home of author Ken Kesey, creator of the famous One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
We like the medium+ ruby color and the red and black fruit aromas of the Cabernet.
They made about 150 cases of this wine, with a small percentage of the production being aged in new oak barrels.
We don't find the wood to be particularly prominent.
It may not be sufficiently "noble" to accompany a steak or rack of lamb, but it partners handsomely with ribs or a burger.

UNION SACRÉ 2024 PINOT GRIS (A Skin Contact/Orange Wine)  $17.99
A French winemaker and an American feller from Michigan met in California's Central Coast as they both worked in the wine biz.

Eventually they pooled their resources and launched the Union Sacré winery and produce wines which are inspired by their appreciation for the wines of France's Alsace.

We've now had a few vintages of this skin-contact Pinot Gris.

The wine picks up some color with its brief maceration period as they deftly avoid picking up the astringent tannins that might develop with prolonged skin contact.

It's fresh and bright, with notes of apples and citrus.

Dry.  And they don't filter it so we see a bit of sediment and haziness.
Tastes good, though!

And despite the small production, they don't ask a ridiculous price.

FIDELITY RED BLEND  Alexander Valley/Sonoma  SALE $17.99
A five grape Bordeaux-styled blend from winemaker Nick Goldschmidt, this is a stellar value if you appreciate a good claret.
Merlot is the predominant variety, along with Cabernet, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
It was matured in French oak, with maybe 15% of the barrels being new, so there's a nice touch of wood here.
Medium+ bodied and ready to enjoy tonight.

CAVE ROBERT & MARCEL SAUMUR BLANC "Les Pouches"  $15.99
This delightful Chenin Blanc comes from France's Loire Valley and in our judgment, this outshines damned near every California Chenin from the Clarksburg appellation in the Sacramento Delta.
It's vinified in stainless steel tanks and spends a few months resting on the spent yeast, as this contributes a bit of texture and body.
It's dry and crisp, though and a total delight, especially given its modest price.

The winery is a grower's co-op cellar, founded in the 1950s and still going strong.
Why not?!!!

JP Azeitão RED BLEND  Sale $6.99
Azeitão is located south of Lisbon and its name you'll see on a famous Portuguese cheese.
The famed Bacalhôa winery makes this remarkable value.
It's always a blend featuring Syrah, Tempranillo and Castelão.
The vineyards are planted on sandy soils and they vinify each variety separately with short maceration periods, the idea being to get just enough color but avoid picking up too much tannin.
Yes, it's a red to serve on the cooler side and in its youth.

As I write this, a gentleman came in to pick up a case for his college-aged adult son.
"This is an amazing wine and it doesn't break the bank," the fellow said.

Yes, indeed.

BORSAO GARNACHA Still SALE PRICED  $8.99

From the Aragon region of Spain comes this amazingly "soulful" wine.  It's dark in color and teeming with berryish fruit and a mildly spice note.  It's a bit reminiscent of Beaujolais but with raspberry-like notes instead of strawberry.

A blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo....this delicious!

We typically chill this for an hour in the 'fridge...



Please note: Aside from the fact that this is a dynamite bottle of wine for eight bucks-and-change, it makes a superb Sangria!

DEHESA LA GRANJA 2019  Tierra del Vino de Zamora
SALE PRICE $16.99

From western Spain...Zamora...The Fernandez Family, owners of Pesquera and Condado de Haza, this is a phenomenal bottle of wine and we're presently able to offer it for just fifteen bucks!
It's made entirely of Tempranillo and matured for a year in American oak barrels.

If you're a fan of Silver Oak Cabernet or classical Rioja and Ribera del Duero wines, don't miss this.

We recently poured it blind for some folks and they identified it as a well-priced wine if it was $30-$40.

SALE PRICE is $16.99

VIU MANENT  CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SALE PRICE $9.99

We're big fans of this producer.  While you can buy thin, watery, sweet wine from California's Central Valley under labels such as Mondavi's Woodbridge or other weak wines.  

Here's a dry, medium-full bodied red of exceptional intensity in this price range.

No oak.  A couple of weeks' maceration on the skins, so this even has a bit of tannin!  And it's dry. 

TAMMELINI SOAVE  $14.99

Brothers Gaetano & Pio-Francesco Tammelini keep a rather low profile.
We drove around the hills just north of Soave looking for their winery and the place is well-hidden.
No sign.  No winery tanks visible from the road...

But damn, they make a great bottle of Soave.
So many Soave wines resemble a bottle of Crystal Geyser water and then these cost $20-$30.

Here's a great bottle of white wine with a remarkably fruity fragrance...peaches and melons.
It's dry and crisp on the palate and has the intense flavors you'd expect given the nose...

I brought a bottle to dinner at the home of a prominent winemaker in Italy...we were disappointed that I didn't have a second bottle in my bag as this disappeared much too quickly.

Our former colleague Kareasa sent a text after we insisted she buy a bottle:


Yes, it is "damned good."

If you've been drinking simple Pinot Grigio, check out a bottle of this.

TRE MONTI "CAMPO DI MEZZO" 2023 SANGIOVESE  $14.99
The Navacchia family began their winemaking adventure in the 1960s and the place is still family owned and operated.

You'll find them in the Emilia-Romagna region north of Tuscany and Sangiovese here can give Tuscany a run for the money.

They vineyards are farmed sustainably at the moment, though they are changing to biodynamic viticulture.

We've had several vintages of this and the 2023 is brilliant!

Medium+ in body and with juicy, red berry fruit.

Best at cool cellar temp (and in its youth).

 

 

 

TOPO Portuguese Red Blend  $9.99
From Casa Santos Lima, a terrific value-driven winery north of Lisbon comes this delightful blend featuring Castelão, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Syrah.  
They do a day of pre-fermentation "cold soaking" and then leave the juice in contact with the skins following the fermentation to extract the maximum color and character possible.
Some of the wine then goes into oak barrels and the resulting wine is big, dark and impressively intense.  There's dark fruit fragrances and flavors with just a touch of oak.  And it's just ten bucks!  

GATO NEGRO CABERNET/MERLOT  SALE $5.99

This is vinified in the style of Beaujolais, so you'll find a very fruity, berryish quality to the wine.  We find it enjoyable as a picnic red and like it served moderately chilled, since it's smooth and virtually without tannin.  

They now are sold in a screw-cap bottle.

FONTARÈCHE 2022 ARRENAOU  $16.99
From the south of France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region you'll find the old wine estate of Fontarèche, a family-owned domain dating back hundreds of years.

This robust, yet gentle, red is made predominantly of the Alicante Bouschet grape, a rare coloring variety that can make an inky, dark red wine.  Most red grapes have clear juice and winemakers fermented that juice with the skins of the grape to obtain color.
The juice of Alicante, though, has color and when fermented with the skins can produce a remarkably intense red with teeth-staining color.

There's a percentage of Carignan in this blended red and that portion is vinified a bit like Beaujolais, yielding a beautifully aromatic red.

We like serving this at cellar temperature, so we put a bottle in the 'fridge for 30 to 60 minutes.

It's an ideal wine for your backyard barbecue.

SOQUEL VINEYARDS California Red Blend "TRINITY ROSSO"  SALE $12.99
From a small winery in Santa Cruz County comes this deliciously smooth red blend.
The winery is owned by Peter and Paul Bargetto and their friend Jon Morgan.

The Bargetto name is familiar to old-timers as the family launched their winery in 1910 in San Francisco before moving to Santa Cruz.

Soquel Vineyards is independent of Bargetto, however.

Their delightful red blend, Trinity Rosso, is based on Zinfandel with 30% Petit Verdot and 20% Teroldego.

It's supple on the palate and displays a touch of a brown spice fragrance.

This wine brought an old customer to tears...he is a recent widower and returned to the Peninsula after a few years in Marin County.
He requested a number of bottles of red to taste in his search for a suitable house wine.
He came in after tasting the samples and wanted a case of this Trinity Rosso...he was crying as he recalled driving in the 1960s to Santa Cruz to buy wine from the Bargetto family.
And now, 60 years later he's still enjoying a wine from Bargetto Family members!

COMTESSE MARION CHARDONNAY  $13.99

There's nothing particularly "fancy" about this wine.
It comes from vineyard not too far from Narbonne...no fancy vinification or oak barrels...it's simply a bright, beautifully aromatic dry white with notes of apple and pear-like fruit on the nose and palate.  It tastes good and has a surprisingly pleasant character for a wine made without the use of oak to boost its personality.
Chardonnay can be a rather bland, neutral white wine and so it often relies on the winemaker to put some fingerprints on it to make it interesting.
That's not the case here...clearly this is a hands-off production, yet it tastes good.

Bravo!

DOMAINE DU HAUT BOURG  SAUVIGNON BLANC  Sold Out Presently
Western Loire Valley, not far from the Atlantic Ocean, is a haven for well-priced, bone dry, crisply acidic white wines.
These pair beautifully with the local seafood, as you might imagine.

The winemaking hub for this region is the city of Nantes.

The Choblet Brother's estate of Haut Bourg is located about 4 or 5 hours (by car) southwest of Paris and they make quite a range of wines, mostly white.

We were shown this remarkable wine recently and were delighted by the intensity of the Sauvignon Blanc character.
It's bone dry and has zesty, crisp acidity which pairs handsomely with the local oysters and other seafood from the area.

(We had a similarly-priced Sauvignon from Henri Bourgeois, the "Robert Mondavi of France's Loire Valley," but the importer ran out and we immediately brought in this delicious white.)

A sales rep brought in a spendy bottle of a Pouilly-Fumé to show in hopes we'd find it to be as exceptional as its price.
It was exceptional!  Exceptionally expensive.
$120+ a bottle.
We told him thanks, but no thanks.
We have a superior little Sauvignon from the Loire which goes for just $12.99 (and it's better)...

PASSE COLLINE VENTOUX ROUGE  $15.99
We understand this lovely red wine comes from a grower's cooperative winery in the Southern Rhône.  It's called Rhonéa and they have more than 300 families providing fruit for their 50+ bottlings.

If we understand the dynamics here, some wines are blends from numerous vineyard sources, while others are from a single family's vines and kept aside to be bottled on its own.

We have a rather good Southern Rhône from the Ventoux region called Passe Colline.  The 2022 is 51% Syrah, 31% Grenache and 18% Carignane.
It's a medium+ bodied red with some dark cherry fruit notes and a touch of spice.
This is rather versatile and can be paired with burgers, meat loaf, roasted or grilled chicken, pizza, etc.

Good value, too.

BENTON HILLS  Columbia Valley CHARDONNAY  $9.99
The Monson family began as cattle ranchers in eastern Washington State and today they're up to their eyeballs in vineyards and winemaking.

The premium label is Goose Ridge and they have a couple of darned good secondary brands such as this Benton Hills.

It's Columbia Valley Chardonnay that's fermented at low temps in stainless steel which we believe has some barrel staves in the tank to give a tad more complexity.  You won't find the wine to be woody or oaky, but it does have good varietal character and while it's not flashy, it is pretty good and better than a lot of the grocery store plonk masquerading as Chardonnay.

Dry, too.

And for a mere ten bucks, this is a pleasant bottle of wine.

FORMERLY IL POGGIO SANGIOVESE Sale $10.99
NOW "iove"

This comes from a rather large winery in Emilia Romagna and it's not a particularly profound or exceptional red wine.  
It's not supposed to be profound or exceptional.

Yet we have many fans who buy this as an accompaniment to a simple plate of Spaghetti & Meatballs or Lasagna...the wine simply "works" well on the dinner table (no table cloth, please!).

It's a well-made, easy-to-drink, lighter bodied red wine.

BLISS Mendocino County SAUVIGNON BLANC $12.99

A fellow named Irv Bliss had visited Mendocino back in the late 1930s and was taken with the landscape.  Some years later he bid on a property there, sight unseen.  Apparently he felt "ignorance is bliss."   Lo and behold, it was the same place he'd falling in love with on his lone visit.
Bliss grew figs, had a few vines and mostly raised sheep and cattle.

Today Irv's heirs make wine there and their main label is Brutocao with Bliss being their more modestly-priced wines.

We were looking for a good value in California Sauvignon Blanc and narrowed it down to this and one from Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley.  The Sonoma Sauvignon comes from what most would consider to be a more "noble" appellation, but we chose the Bliss wine because it was simply the superior wine.
It would be easier to sell the first bottle of the other wine, but we're more interested in quality than image.

This is a light, dry white...one of the few California white wines in this price category that's got some character and that's dry.
Heck, we taste a lot of stupidly-priced Sauvignons that don't have this quality and yet they're expensive.

FILIPPO GALLINO NEBBIOLO LANGHE  SALE $19.99

The late Filippo Gallino passed the vineyards and winery to his son...


They're in the Roero region of Piemonte and they make good, solid wines.

We were delighted when mentioning Gallino's name to other winemakers how all spoke glowingly about Filippo and his work.  He's well-respected by his neighbors and this certainly validates the efforts made by the Gallino family.

We have a small display of the Filippo Gallino Nebbiolo Langhe in the front of the shop.  The wine is well-priced and it's a good example of Nebbiolo: brickish in color, light cherry notes with a mildly floral tone...bone dry, crisply acidic and moderately tannic.  Given how many people come into the shop requesting low acid California wines which often sport some residual sugar, we're thrilled to see people return to buy a second (or third or fourth) bottle of this Nebbiolo.

It's NOT a universally-appealing wine as it's made for Adult Palates, not kids.
The snappy acidity and mild "bite" from grippy tannins is so different from the wines found in grocery stores and chain liquor stores which feature wines made at the direction of a marketing department.

This Nebbiolo is made by people who "toil in the vineyards" and who make wine with the idea that it's a meal-time beverage, not a cocktail with a piece of fruit and a drinks umbrella in the glass.

If we have not scared you off yet, bravo!
You're likely someone who enjoys "real" wine.

So come snap up a bottle of this...the price is right and the quality is in the bottle.

"Wine and music make the heart rejoice"

ERCOLE  "BARBERA DEL MONFERRATO"  $15.99

A fellow who imports a nice range of wines from Italy's Piemonte wanted to offer a well-priced red at a sensible price.
He sells a fair bit of this to restaurants and it's a pleasant "by the glass" red made of Barbera.
Low in tannin and medium-full in body, the wine offers some dark berry fruit notes.
It's smooth and ready to drink, so make a nice meat sauce and get ready to boil some pasta!
Or grill some sausages or dial up for a pizza.

Best served at cool cellar temp.

By the way. a fancy San Francisco restaurant had the Rosato on its wine list.
We were shocked to see the wine priced at $75!
Ercole is perfectly serviceable, but it's not that fancy.

DOMAINE DE COLETTE 2024 BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES $18.99


We asked winemaker Jacky Gauthier why the winery isn't named after his lovely wife Evelyne, but after, apparently, some other woman named Colette.

As a result of such a query, Gauthier and Evelyne this we are out of our mind.

"Colette," you see, refers to the hill where Gauthier's home and neighboring vineyards are situated.

Okay...well, whatever.

The main thing is the Domaine de Colette wines are great examples of Beaujolais...teeming with red fruits such as strawberry tones and raspberry.

The Beaujolais-Villages is a delight.  Best served lightly chilled, this is as gentle as a white wine but with lots of fruity notes.

Gauthier was amused and delighted when we contacted him recently to help in translating the Colette website.  We told him we sell far more of his Beaujolais than we do from the famed "King of Beaujolais," Georges DuBoeuf.
We finally informed Jacky that we do not sell DuBoeuf's wines...so, of course we sell more of Domaine de Colette.

But still...this is a really good Beaujolais and it's from a steep slope with 80 year old vines.
The local importer requests the wine be bottled without being filtered.

By the way, their 2024 Fleurie is exceptional

Dark in color and remarkably aromatic...$21.99
This is remarkably good Beaujolais...if you can splurge a little bit, it's totally worth the treat.

LOOSEN'S  "DR. L" RIESLING  SALE $11.99

Brothers Ernst and Thomas Loosen make so stellar Mosel Rieslings from their Dr. Loosen estate.  They own parcels in many famous sites and make an impressive array of impressive wines.

Some years ago they had the idea of making a good, entry-level Riesling in hopes of introducing Mosel wines to a broader audience.
As a result you won't find a litany of hard-to-pronounce words on this label.
No Ürziger Würzgarten Grosses Gewächs Alte Reben Riesling Spätlese on the bottle.
Instead all you have to remember is Dr. L Riesling.
Simple.

The wine is floral and fruity with noticeable sweetness.  However, the sugar is offset, as is normal for good German wine, with ample acidity.

If you're looking for a good quality white wine with a touch of sweetness, we prescribe a bottle of Dr. L.

A sales rep who offers Italian wines, amongst others, saw our stack of this and immediately put a bottle on the counter to purchase for himself...He had seen this same wine, he said, at Costco...for $15!

ISABEL Marlborough SAUVIGNON BLANC Sale $19.99
An old favorite recently returned...we knew this winery maybe 20 years ago and the distributor retired and we lost touch.
But it recently surfaced and we were (are) delighted it's beautifully distinctive New Zealand Sauvignon and its price tag is sensible.
Passion fruit and citrus notes on the nose and palate...We've enjoyed this with dim sum and other Asian cuisine.
Dry.  No oak.
Dangerously drinkable.

((This has been in the shop for a few months and it's cultivated a good following...People routinely come in showing us a snapshot of a bottle they enjoyed at a friend's house.  Not surprised...good wine and it's well-priced.))

GARZON 2024 ALBARIÑO  $19.99
You might be surprised to know they make some really good Albariño in Uruguay.
The country is rather well-known amongst wine aficionados for their red wines made of the Tannat grape, a variety that's prominent in southwest France where they make a wine called Madiran.

Garzon has produced a really good Albariño for many years and we've been told that a number of Spanish producers have visited this winery to see what they are doing, as the wine is quite good and more favorably priced.

Nice aromatics here...bright apple and peach fruit and it's dry and crisp on the palate.

LA FONTAINERIE VOUVRAY Sec (Dry)  $19.99
Catherine Dhoye-Deruet makes a terrific dry Chenin Blanc in France's Loire Valley.
For many the Vouvray appellation if the benchmark for Chenin Blanc.
It's been a few years since we had her wine in the shop...this one is quite good and it's well-priced.

GOTA DE ARENA  Spanish TEMPRANILLO  $9.99

Gota de Arena is a Spanish Tempranillo from vineyards not far from Zamora.
This is about 116 miles northwest of Madrid and some 150 miles southwest of the famous Rioja region.

The Bodegas Tridente makes this wine and they are owned by the famous Juan Gil family.

The wine is made entirely of Tempranillo and it's matured in both French and American oak.

It's a smooth, supple wine with some cocoa notes and a bit of dark fruit.  The tannin is very low and the wine is not intended to be cellared, so you can easily enjoy a bottle tonight.
Medium to medium-full bodied...

COLOMÉ TORRONTÉS   $13.99
We've heard there are several clones of Argentina's Torrontés grape and we've liked the wine from Colomé best.
It's intensely fragrant leading tasters to expect this to be a sweet wine.
But...Surprise!
It's dry.
If you know the splendid Malvasia from California's Birichino winery then you'll know what to expect here.
It's lovely with Asian cuisine...Sea Scallops, Spicy Crab or Prawns...

CHÂTEAU LA CROIX CALENDREAU BORDEAUX SUPÉRIEUR  $15.99

How's this for confusing?
The man who owns this estate also has a winery in the St. Emilion appellation and that wine is also called
La Croix Calendreau!
It costs a lot more money though.

Here's a nicely made Bordeaux that's based on Merlot.  It's from a 3 hectare estate which is on clay soils and is flat enough to pick the grapes using a mechanical harvester.
The wine is vinified in stainless steel and they leave the skins in contact with the juice/wine for about a month.
This contributes a bit of weight and intensity to the wine, though it's not a heavy or ponderous red.

We enjoyed a few glasses of this with a Cassoulet...a good pairing for simple peasant cuisine for simple peasants.

It's quite drinkable now and we expect the wine can last for maybe five or six years, though it's not intended for extended cellaring, so don't think you're going to have a wine such as Château Lafite-Rothschild.

DOMITIA PICPOUL DE PINET  $15.99

Domaine Guillamarine sells most of its fruit to a local grower's co-op winery, but they keep a small quantity for their own production and make this Domitia wine.
Domitia refers to a road the Romans built 2100+ years ago starting in Italy and finishing in Spain.

Marion and Guillaume Allies live in the Languedoc village called Pomerols and they're not far from the Bassin de Thau, a hotbed of oyster cultivation.
Guess what white wine pairs handsomely with oysters?

In the Occitan language the word "picpoul" translates to "lip stinger."
That's likely because the wine made of the Picpoul grape used to be screamingly high in acidity.

Warmer growing seasons and better cultivation methods (and picking decisions) allow for the production of a wine that's easily drinkable.  Oak barrels are not used to produce this wine, so you'll find it light, crisp and dry

DISTRICT 7 MONTEREY PINOT NOIR  SALE $12.99

The name "District 7" is not some notion from the Hunger Games movies.

It stems from California having 17 numbered grape-growing districts.

Monterey is, according to the California Agriculture department, District 7.
If you're keeping track, District 3 is Sonoma and Marin, while Napa is District 4.

The Scheid family launched the District 7 brand some years ago and it's a reasonably-priced red that actually shows notes of Pinot Noir on both the nose and palate.  It's a medium-bodied, gentle red wine.

We've had maybe 5 vintages now and it remains a popular wine with Weimax customers.

CAPARZO Toscana SANGIOVESE  SALE $15.99
The Angelini family own several estates in Tuscany...one in Montalcino where they make splendid Brunello, one in Chianti Classico and one in the Maremma region southwest of Montalcino.
Each property contributes Sangiovese and what amounts to about 5% of the blend of another, darker variety.
It's a brilliant blend and beautifully displays dark cherry notes of Sangiovese, fortified with Alicante,  Colorino and Petit Verdot.
It's been well-received and customers routinely come back for additional bottles.
Medium-bodied,  Dark cherry notes.  Dry.  Pairs best with good food.

MARIANA (Herdade do Rocim) PORTUGUESE RED  $12.99

Mariana is the name of a Portuguese girl who's widowed father farmed her off to a local convent.  When she was an adult, she struck up a relationship with a French military man who was assisting the Portuguese army in battling the Spanish in a war lasting more than a couple of decades.
Their relationship was eventually discovered and caused great embarrassment and somewhat of a stormy scandal.

The Herdade do Rocim winery honors this bit of Portuguese history by making a wine named after Sister Mariana.

It's quite a good wine, made entirely of the Alicante Bouschet grape.  Small French oak barrels are used to mature the wine and it's fairly full-bodied without being heavy or ponderous.  We like the touch of a cedary note on the nose.

Winemaker Estelle Roumage of Lestrille.

CHÂTEAU LESTRILLE Entre Deux Mers  $15.99

Estelle Roumage learned viticulture and winemaking from her father, Jean-Louis.  She spent a harvest season in New Zealand to have a bit more experience in making wine and her simple white Bordeaux from her vineyards in the Entre-Deux-Mers appellation is routinely excellent.



It's predominantly Sauvignon Blanc and the wine is fresh, citrusy and dry.  No oak.  

Really good and classy.

PRISMA SAUVIGNON BLANC  $13.99

This colorful Sauvignon Blanc features passionfruit and citrusy notes on the nose and palate.
It's dry and non-oaked.
Some customers, though, say it's too intense (how is that possible???), but we love it.
And so do many other people.

OISLY-THÉSÉE "TOURAINE" SAUVIGNON BLANC SALE $11.99

There's a smallish grower's cooperative in the Loire near Touraine called Oisly-Thesee, a name which doesn't roll off the tongue of most American wine drinkers.

We've tasted this wine for many vintages and I think the 2010 is the first one we've brought in to the shop.
It's always well-made and, from our perspective, a shade skinny.
The 2024 isn't a big wine, nor is it a medium-bodied Sauvignon Blanc.  But for a nice, crisp, dry and light wine, this shows well, especially for it's eight-buck price.  
It's not as intense as our Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines, but most of those will set you back $27-$55.   

If you're steaming some clams or enjoying some fresh Dungeness crab and looking for a budget-priced bottle, this is worth trying.

STONECAP Washington State MERLOT  $9.99

The Monson family has been farming in Washington State's Columbia Valley for many years and in the late 1990s they decided to plant grapes.

The Monsons had been cattle ranchers before planting apples and cherries.  They hired a feller named Walter Clore who's regarded as the father of the Washington wine industry.  Soon they had well more than a thousand acres of vineyards.

We gather they sell a lot of fruit and they make wine for their premium Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard wines and they make this daily-drinker label called Stonecap.

It's a really well-made, simple version of Merlot.  Now many California wines costing much more than ten bucks betray the wine-grower by displaying a decidedly vegetal, herbal fragrance.  This "green" element is a result of the fruit not really being mature, despite having sufficient sugar to produce a 13 or 14% alcohol wine.  There are often too many grapes-per-acre being harvested and the fruit isn't really ripe, hence the herbal or green notes.

Stonecap, on the other hand, doesn't have that character and instead you'll find some red and black fruit notes.

Someone told us this wine was on the by-the-glass list at a prominent San Francisco restaurant.  $15 for a glass.

CIÙ CIÙ PECORINO  $18.99

This is a terrific dry white wine from Italy's Marche region.
It's made of the grape called Pecorino, a variety which has a number of stories or folk-tales about it.
One claims the grape gets its name from passing flocks of sheep which will start eating the grapes when they are sweet.
Another claims it's not the sheep, but the shepherds who will grab fruit off the vines.

This splendid white has been a regular item in the shop for a number of vintages and we have a number of clients who buy this by the case as it's a good candidate for an everyday house wine.
We like the touch of melon and mango in this Pecorino...
It comes from the Offida region of the Marche region and Ciù Ciù's label notes this as "Merlettaie," a reference to the photo depicting some old gals who are lace-makers.

FREIRE LOBO DÃO Vigno Branco $14.99
With the advent of electricity and indoor plumbing, life in Portugal is on the rise and so is their winemaking.

This is a brilliant dry white, a blend of Bical, Cerceal, Encruzado and a couple of other grapes from the famous Dão region

Winemaker Elisa Freire Lobo is from the Dão area and her family has owned vineyards there for many years.  After working for a few wineries in her early days, she took over the family vineyards in 2010 and launched her own brand.

She's converted the vineyards to organic farming and has an army of sheep to help control grass and weeds amongst the vines.

The fruit is fermented in stainless steel and doesn't touch an oak barrel.

She bottles is after maybe 6 months on the fine lees without stirring.

It's a gorgeous dry white and has a lot of personality for a wine of this modest price.

LA CABOTTE  COTES DU RHONE  Sale $14.99

While most entry-level bottlings of Cotes du Rhone come from co-op wineries, this one is a good, smallish, family-operated place owned by a family from Burgundy.  

The patriarch of the family had found this property some years ago and was enchanted by the prospects of having a warm climate, summer vacation getaway.  

Today they farm about 50 acres, most devoted to grapes, but some to olives.  

We'd tasted the wines over the past decade, or so, and it's only since about 2006 or 2007 that we've felt they're on the right track.  It's by far the best fifteen buck Cotes du Rhone in the market.

DOMAINE DUFFOUR  CÔTES DE GASCOGNE 11.99

 

Michel Duffour was a brilliant producer of white wines...His son now makes the wines as Michel passed away a couple of years ago.

This is a delightful blend, but predominantly Ugni Blanc and Colombard.

We use this as our "go to" cooking white.  It's especially good for steaming clams.

I had a bottle stashed in the back of the 'fridge...a five or six year bottle.
On the dinner table were a couple of spendy Vermentino wines and we did not care for either one.
I asked my guest if she'd like a Chassagne-Montrachet or a Puligny...or...a Côtes de Gascogne with some bottle age.
"Oh let's try the Côtes de Gascogne," she replied.
Really???
You have your choice of some wines with far more fame and "nobility" and you're picking the mutt instead of the thoroughbreds???

Guess what?
That old, forgotten vintage of Duffour's little dry white was amazingly good!


Fresh, dry, and light (lower in alcohol than California Chardonnay, for example).  And yet is remarkably flavorful.

Nobody, tasting this without seeing the price tag, pegs this as a wine costing twelve bucks.

 

 

VIU MANENT RESERVA SAUVIGNON BLANC  $9.99

They've clearly pushed the vineyards to produce an abundant crop of Sauvignon Blanc as the wine is a bit light, but still has enough character that you won't mistake it for anything other than Sauvignon Blanc.

It's dry and non-oaked and is a remarkably nice little wine for cocktail service or to pair with seafood.

We taste a lot of locally-made Sauvignon Blanc with $20-$50 price tags which have trouble competing with this.

BODEGAS LAN RIOJA CRIANZA   SALE $14.99

Bodegas Lan offers a remarkable Rioja of the "Crianza" level...


The wine is made entirely of Tempranillo and the wine is matured in both French and American oak barrels (about a year in wood).

This is classic Rioja and for fifteen bucks, it's a bargain!
We offer it for a low price to introduce customers to Rioja in general, hoping they will be sufficiently intrigued that they'll explore some of the $20+ bottles.
This seems to work nicely, as Spain offers some remarkably good wines at sensible price levels.

In Spain they'd serve this with chuletillas, small grilled lamb chops.  Not a bad way to go.  But this can pair beautifully with a hamburger, too, though for a mere ten bucks for the wine, maybe you could afford a small rib-eye or New York steak?

Barrels in the cellars of Bodegas Lan

PEDRONCELLI FRIENDS.RED  SALE 11.99

Sonoma County fruit...Merlot, Zin and Cab Franc.  A touch of oak.  Smooth, medium-bodied red...they had this on the drawing board well before the current economic downturn, but then Pedroncelli has always had good wines at honest, old-time prices.  It's quite good.

We also have the white wine of friends.white...$11.99...most Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc!

L'HORTUS   "Le Loup dans la Bergerie" RED    SALE $11.99

The Orliac family makes some terrific wines in the Pic Saint Loup appellation...and we're delighted to find a really affordable little red wine from them with a name like a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing (more literally, a wolf in the sheep house).

It's vinified to be immediately drinkable...mostly Grenache with some Syrah for color and body and a bit of Merlot for marketing.

It's a delightful twelve buck red wine...best at cool cellar temp.

A French fellow visited the shop for the first time and saw this wine on a display.
He asked "How do you happen to have this wine?
He said it's difficult to find in France and here it is 6000 miles away in Burlingame!

TRENTADUE "OLD PATCH RED"  SALE 14.99

The Trentadue family owns extensive acreage in Northern Sonoma...their grapes go into the famous Ridge "Geyserville" wine.

They make a bit of wine of their own and especially price-worthy is their simple Zinfandel-based blend called "Old Patch Red."
There's Petite Sirah and Carignane in the blend as well, so it's sort of a Zinfandel-Meets-The-Rhone kind of red.
Medium-full bodied and with a touch of spice.

TALMARD  MACON-CHARDONNAY  $17.99
Talmard is a smallish estate in France's Macon region and they make a simple, easy-going Chardonnay of good value.
We've carried this wine routinely for more than two decades.
Some years ago we we passing through the Macon region on our way to Italy and stopped for a quick visit.
Gerald Talmard was a bit surprised, asking why in the world someone would come visit his unassuming digs in Macon?
I explained that we've had the wine for so many vintages, I was delighted to stop in to say hello and "thanks for making such a good wine at a good price."

It's a good introduction to well-made, simple Macon wines from France's Burgundy region.

SOQUEL VINEYARDS "TRINITY ROSSO"  $12.99
The Soquel Vineyards winery is the work of two Bargetto family members and one of their good friends.

We've had their Trinity Rosso in the shop periodically, skipping the vintages which show dehydrated fruit notes...this occurs when some of the grapes are raisined and shriveled, contributing a decidedly jammy character to the wine.

Happily their latest bottling is on target, displaying some ripe, dark fruit and a mildly woodsy note from its aging in small oak cooperage.
It used to be a three grape blend, but this new release is a mix of five varieties.  It's based on Zinfandel with Petite Sirah.  Add to the blend, a modest amount of the Italian Teroldego grape and some Cabernet Sauvignon and a drop of Merlot.

It's a medium bodied to full-bodied red with light tannins so it's quite enjoyable tonight.  
$16 a bottle at the winery door.  $12.99 here.

Side Note:  An old customer returned to San Mateo after his wife passed away.  He moved into a senior care place and stopped by asking for a few bottles of various wines for him to taste and evaluate.
He returned a week later and was in tears as his favorite was this Trinity Rosso made by the Bargetto brothers.
He had been a customer at the Bargetto Winery in Santa Cruz back in the 1960s and used to visit them frequently.
Now he's, once again, a fan of a Bargetto family winery.

SOBON ESTATE "OLD VINES" AMADOR ZINFANDEL  Sale $11.99

The Sobon family has been making good Amador County wines since the late 1970s.  Back then vineyard land didn't cost an arm and a leg like it does today. As a result the Sobon family has been making sensibly-priced wines for a few decades.

So many California wines selling for less than $15 usually have a "California" appellation and come from over-cropped vineyards in the Central Valley.  These wines are typically soulless and "empty," relying on some sugar to fill in the gap left by poor quality grapes.

Meanwhile, Sobon's "Old Vine" Zinfandel comes from good, sustainably-farmed vineyards in Amador County in the Sierra Foothills.  The youngest vines are 35 years of age and the oldest are just over 100.  The wine is matured in seasoned American and French oak barrels, so the bright berry Zinfandel fruit is prominent here.

As this is on the softer side of the spectrum, we like popping a bottle in the 'fridge for 30 to 60 minutes to get it to cool cellar temperature.

It's one of the few bargains in California wine.

TRE MONTI SANGIOVESE  "Campo di Mezzo"  SALE $14.99

From a smallish estate southeast of Bologna, here's a young, fresh, exuberantly cherryish Sangiovese.
It's not "fortified" with Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, like many Chianti Classico wines these days.
It doesn't rely on oak, either.

We had been enchanted by this wine and shortly after being introduced to it, we had a chance to taste some far more costly Chianti Classico bottlings.  Several of those had Cabernet blended into them and this really changed the character of the Sangiovese.
We did find a Felsina Chianti Classico to be really good, but rejected a number of others.

But high on the hedonism scale was/is this remarkably juicy red.

BADIA DI MORRONA  CHIANTI  Sale $12.99

The current bottling of Morrona's little Chianti is Delicious with a capital D!

It comes from a lovely winery that's close to Pisa (hence you'll notice it does not say "Chianti Classico" on the label as it's outside that appellation area.
The estate comprises about 500 hectares but only 90 are devoted to vineyards.

The cellars are in an old monastery.

It's snappy Sangiovese called "I Sodi del Paretaio" and the wine is medium-bodied and brightly cherryish.
The wine does not see any oak, as they leave it in stainless steel or cement tanks.

Not fancy, but for Spaghetti & Meatballs, Lasagna or Italian Sausages on the grill, this is a nice accompaniment.

Perfect pasta wine as this has the acidity of Sangiovese and it balances the tomato sauce and grated Parmigiano you'll put on top of the pasta...

SOBON ESTATE "ROCKY TOP" ZINFANDEL  $17.99



The Sobon family makes some terrific and well-priced California wines in the Sierra Foothills.

Their "Rocky Top" bottling is less fruity than the "Old Vines" listed above on this web page.  It comes from a high-elevation site where you'll find some seriously old vines...some are 100+ years of age and produce a small, but flavorful crop.
The wine sees a bit of American and French oak, with perhaps 30% of the barrels being brand new.
This contributes a mildly woodsy spice note in the wine.

The tannin level is low and the wine is remarkably showy.

DOW'S  "VALE DO BOMFIM" DOURO RED $11.99

The famous Port house of Dow's has offered a pretty impressive "house red" called Vale do Bomfim.

It comes from two vineyard sites in the Douro and half the wine was said to be a mystery due to mixed vineyard plantings.

Now they'll tell you there is a specific blend...

These days they claim 40% of the blend is from a parcel of Touriga Nacional, 30% Tinta Roriz 20% Touriga Franca and 10% Tinta Barroca.
This means the story has changed over the past so many years.

The wine is hardly a shy, retiring little red.  It's got a modest amount of tannin, so you won't find this to be a good "cocktail red."  (Better buy a Beaujolais or Dolcetto for that!)
Instead, this has some "grip" to it, so it's ideal partnered with something a bit fatty such as red meat or cheese.

It's remarkably good and if you can bear not spending a fortune for a good red that's intended for adults (many ten buck reds are engineered by marketing companies who cater to people who don't drink much wine or who are just starting to enjoy wine and so they tend to leave a bit of sugar in the wines.
Not here...this is made by wine drinkers FOR wine drinkers.

We've noticed it benefits from being open for a while and really hits its stride after the first glass.
See what you think.

BIRICHINO  MALVASIA BIANCA  $16.99

The Malvasia grape can make a wonderfully floral and intensely aromatic wine.  
Years ago, Beringer made Malvasia as did Santa Clara's San Martin winery...

Bonny Doon had produced good Malvasia and the guy who gained much experience there launched his own label, Birichino, and is making this wonderful wine today.

This has such a beautiful fragrance...perfumy and reminiscent of jasmine blossoms and a fruit basket, though the wine is actually dry despite all the "sweet" fragrances.

Pairing it with Asian dishes is ideal, though a seafood salad with pineapple or mango works well, too.

MAROTTI CAMPI "RUBICO"  Lacrima di Moro d'Alba  SALE $21.99

There's a most amazing red wine produced in small quantities in Italy's Marche region.   
The area is best known for its Verdicchio wine, a white grape found near the Adriatic coast and a bit inland...

But there's a red grape called "Lacrima di Moro d'Alba" which grows around the town of Moro d'Alba.  Many people expect this name to refer to a wine from Piemonte, since there's Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and Barbera d'Alba.  

The grape nearly had died out but it's on the rebound and makes a wonderfully distinctive red wine that you'll either love or hate.

The color is dark and inky.  The fragrance and flavors, though, poured into a black glass, might suggest a flowery white wine.
It's berryish and nicely fruity and it's a favorite of a couple of Weimax staffers.

We generally chill a bottle of this to cool cellar temp.  It pairs with all kinds of foods...best with nicely seasoned dishes, though.  Pork, chicken, turkey...we had it with some Chinese take-out and it was brilliant!

FOXGLOVE 2021 Paso Robles CABERNET SAUVIGNON $15.99
The Varner brothers periodically have some well-made, well-priced wines under their Foxglove label.

We were pleasantly surprised by the 2018 Cabernet and succeeding vintages have been terrific, as it's more elegant and less "ripe" than so many reds from Paso Robles...these tend to have a jammy character and this wine avoids that, displaying bright red fruit notes and a faintly woodsy note.
It's ready to drink, having been vinified with the idea of making something for consumption over the short-term.

Medium-bodied...not a fruit bomb...and it's well-priced!

CLOS DES LUMIÈRES CÔTES-DU-RHÔNE BLANC  $13.99
With 40% of the blend being Viognier, this dry white displays a bit of peach and apricot character.  There's also 40% Grenache Blanc and 20% Bourboulenc.  No oak.
It's a good little French white wine and the price makes this easy to afford.

Clos de Lumières is a family domaine, founded in the 1940s and still run by the same clan.

 

 

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