WINE PICKS OF THE WEEK: Go to Costco in New Hampshire and check out the Eroica Riesling from Washington State. This is a 92-point rated wine (Wine Enthusiast) selling for $16.69. Its orange aromas and clean, semi-dry taste will transport you to a resort island, where you’ll pine for scallops and crab or maybe a nice spicy Asian dish. It’s a leisurely sipper too.
Another Costco find is a 2011 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc at $14.99. This same brand was on sale at N.H. State Liquor outlets for $17.99 several weeks ago, and now you can get an additional $3 off. Crawford’s wine comes from Marlborough, New Zealand, the same location where the pricier Cloudy Bay is produced. By why pay more for the same quality taste: clean and fresh and full of tangerine aromas and citrusy tastes. Try this with pan-seared scallops, baked haddock and other white fish. Or sip it.
My third pick is Troublemaker, a red blend that is so ripe in fresh fruit and velvety dry on the finish that you’ll swear you were drinking a $50 bottle. When I sampled this wine from Paso Robles a month ago, it sold for $14.99. Unfortunately, it’s gaining a reputation. The price has climbed to $18.99 and you should load up before the next increase. It’s available at Tutto Bene in downtown Lowell.
Finally, there are many good bargain wines below $12. They contain quality juice and are made expertly by top wine-producers. I’m going on the hunt this weekend, following up on a list I’ve been compiling for weeks now. I’ll share this list with you next week. Do you have any you want to share?
See the new Wine Novice video at lowellsun.com/winenovice and follow Jim Campanini on Twitter @suneditor.
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