Today we are more price conscious than before and also like to choose a cheaper wine – we are looking for a cheaper wine alternative that is still good. I have selected four wines from four different countries, with different grapes, one white and three red wines that I think are really good and that go with a wide range of different dishes.
When the holiday savings are gone and everything is back to normal, we need to review our finances and choose a little cheaper wine alternatives. Maybe it's good to take a white month after the holidays, but for the rest of you, where the economy may not have recovered after the holidays, it can be nice to find some affordable wines for a strained wallet.
Choosing wine over 100 kronor is usually no easy feat, but finding wines around the hundred mark can sometimes be a big challenge.
Choosing wine over 100 kronor is usually no easy feat, but finding wines around the hundred mark can sometimes be a big challenge.
Fruity Spaniard The three Parra brothers founded what has become Europe's largest producer of organic wines in 1993. Becoming the largest was never an ambition, but running the vineyards organically and biodynamically was a given as that was the way the domain had been managed historically. Apart from the biodynamic approach, the wines from Bodegas Parra-Jiménez were in the style that distinguished La Mancha in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They were traditional and with a dominant barrel character and there was a feeling that the exceptional grapes they obtained through their hard work in the vineyards were not getting the chance to shine as they should. As a solution, they contacted the exceptional Juan Antonio Ponce Mondéjar, who had made a name for himself as a winemaker for Telmo Rodriguez before returning home to Manchuela in 2005 to take care of his family vineyards. Lobita Loca Sauvignon Blanc Verdejo, 2022 No. 6493, SEK 79/750 ml Druva 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 50% Verdejo Taste Fresh, fruity with notes of apple, gooseberry, citrus and tropical fruits. Fits Fish, seafood, salads or for buffet food.
Complex Austrian The Lenz Moser family business is located in Rohrendorf, about 70 kilometers northwest of Vienna. The winery was founded in 1849 and is today a family business. The cellar in Rohrendorf near Krems is even older and dates back to 1040. Today, the winery has 50 hectares of vineyards around it and 24 hectares in Leithaberg. Grapes are also purchased from selected growers. Professor Lenz Moser III (1905 – 1987) invented the method of tying the vines high above the ground to protect them from frost. The method is still widely used in Austria today. The grapes are destemmed before the must is allowed to macerate with the skins. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled radiant tanks to preserve the grape typicity and maximize fruit tones. After fermentation, the wine is left to rest in steel tanks before bottling. Lenz Moser Z Weigelt Eleganz 2022 No. 5439, SEK 99/ 750 ml Druva Zweigelt Taste Complex and elegant with a fruity note of red berries, cherries and blueberries with a certain herbaceousness and a touch of chocolate. Fits Dishes made with light meat such as pork and chicken or with vegetarian dishes
Trendy Portuguese Casa Relvas is a family producer and was founded in 1997. This incredibly passionate family cares about their surroundings in everything they do. In addition to making excellent wines, they also grow cork oaks. The Alentejo region is warm and sunny, it spreads over most of the southern half of Portugal. This is truly cork oak country and there are ongoing projects to replant cork oak forests throughout the region. Casa Relvas is driving the project and, in addition to its 350 hectares of vineyards, has nearly 900 hectares of forest with both new and older plantings of cork oak, conifers and eucalyptus. The grapes grow on a soil of limestone and granite. The must ferments in stainless steel tanks with temperature-controlled slow extraction and is aged only in steel tanks to maintain freshness and fruitiness. Casa Relvas Touriga Nacional 2022 No. 2809, SEK 119/750 ml Druva National Touriga Taste Fruity with notes of blackberry, cherry, violet with a spicy touch. Fits Tasty meat dishes such as lamb or beef, as well as vegetarian dishes.
Easy French It is difficult to talk about Beaujolais without talking about Georges Dubouef, often called the «King of Beaujolais». Unlike many other kings, however, Georges built his own kingdom – with only a bicycle, a luggage rack and a lot of cunning to help him. Raised in simple circumstances in a small winemaking family, Georges began selling the family’s wines on his bicycle. In 1964, he started a syndicate with 45 winegrowers and 50 years later, Georges’ wines were exported to 120 countries and became one of the country’s most successful wine producers. Duboeuf’s strength lies in their unrivaled experience in attracting the best of Beaujolais at all price levels and quality classes. Duboueuf, one could say, represents a mosaic of Beaujolais, a collage of the best Beaujolais has to offer. Beaujolais-Villages 2022 No. 5003, SEK 109/750 ml Druva Gamay Taste Young berry with hints of raspberries, wild berries and strawberries. Fits The wine is an all-round wine that goes well with both meat such as pork, poultry and fish, as well as with vegetarian dishes.
