Save, save, save!!

"Value" is an increasingly common word these days. In the face of the declining economy, we find value more and more evident in the lexicon of the food service industry. And, now it’s expanding to the wine world as well. I’ve just received my 8/31 version of the either (depending on your point of view) iconic or pedantic “Wine Advocate" by Robert Parker. Like him or not, he’s a bell weather of wine futures and wineries fortunes can hang in the balance of his ratings.

Well, in his latest issue roughly half of the pages (70 – 124) are devoted to “value” wines. I think that 20 dollars is the cutoff. Besides that, there is a little note that he will soon publish his “Parker’s Wine Values – The world’s best wine values under $25” the book itself might be considered “value” as Bob says it will be $14.95, a paperback with 500 pages no less. Could it be that there's a glut of wine on the market?

Okay, so we’ll rush right out and get that 90 point Ch. La Bastide ’07 Corbieres for 12 bucks! “Dimensions of stony, iodine like minerality to its black pepper-tinged raw beef and blackberries…” Goodness! Or if Italian is your fav, maybe go to that value ceiling of 20 bucks and get that ’07 Dolcetto D’Alba Serraboella from Cigluiti also with 90 points attached – bursting with dark fruit, grilled herbs, scorched earth and licorice. Yippee! Without launching into a harangue on the wine speak, it sure is amazing how they come up with that stuff. Must be a data base someplace.

The trouble with these things is that sort of “Consumer Reports” syndrome. Where can you get this stuff? To be sure there’s always a source given, like the Dolcetto above is referenced to “Indigenous Selections in Ft. Lauderdale, with a phone number. Let’s just call them up and…. Oh, wait you can’t ship to Maryland. Well, I guess you could get in your car…. Lots of allegedly good wines that we are not able to take advantage of..

What we can take advantage of, earlier in the issue is a report on California Chards and Pinot Noirs – mostly central coast, probably over a hundred listings.. These are in more familiar territory as there are labels we’re more familiar with. There’s an ’07 Calera Chardonnay with 90 points for 19 bucks, as well as their ’05 Mt. Harlan Selleck Vineyard Pinot for $84 (93 pts) – porcini mushroom and forest floor notes. Fess Parker, Byron, Edna Valley, Ojai, and so on.

A good reference and guideline, but just more info, you still have to find what you like and drink that…

Answer to quiz – it’s not in Larousse because it’s of Russian heritage. And Coulibiac of Salmon isn’t something you’ll make for that quick week night dinner. Sample Recipe for your cooking enjoyment. Quite the dish. Invite me over when it's ready, and I'll be sure to

DFD