For the last few months, I’ve been on the lookout for a few daily reds that are
cheap enough - and passable enough - for everyday drinking. I’ve tried to find
easy-drinkers from the lower end of the price range, because in these difficult
times, not many of us can fork out Bt 1,500 every day for a decent bottle of
Burgundy. In any case, any wine lover in this country knows that we pay well
over the odds for our daily swig. In the UK, wine drinkers are feeling the pinch
after the recent budget; making wine in Britain the highest-taxed in Europe. And
some of the Brits are getting pretty sniffy about it too. An ordinary bottle of
Chianti will now cost them the equivalent of Bt. 200. Oh, how my heart doth
bleed for those poor and wretched souls! In Thailand, we’d have to pay at least
Bt. 450 for exactly the same thing.
Ventisquero Clásico Merlot 2009 (red), Chile. (Friendship, Bt. 425)
Not surprisingly perhaps, my first choice comes from Chile, a country that
produces some excellent winey bargains. The Ventisquero Company produces some
really reliable wines at affordable prices. This Merlot (mehr-LOH) is a deep
red, with hints of purple, giving the game away that it is quite full-bodied.
Little rivulets of wine cling to the inside of the glass. These are known as
“legs” but the French refer to them (perhaps rather more poetically) as “tears”.
They were once thought to be a sign of high quality but are now known to be a
mere physical phenomenon. Still, it’s nice to see them, especially if you are
fond of legs.
When you first sniff the wine, you might pick up the faint and pleasing hint of
yeast. The aroma has rich ripe berries with overtones of pepper and herbs. This
dry wine has a very fruity taste with just the slightest hint of tannin and a
long satisfying dry finish too. This wine would be excellent with red meat or
assertive pasta dishes, but this is quite a full-bodied job and would almost
certainly overpower light cheese dishes or chicken, both of which need a lighter
- or whiter - wine.
Tour de Floradice Merlot 2009 (red),
Vin de Pays d’Oc, France.
(Villa and Foodland Bt. 325)
If you prefer your reds lighter in body and Bt.100 cheaper, this sunny wine from
the Midi might be the very thing. It’s a jolly good bargain too. I tasted this
simple but charming wine a couple of years ago and it is consistently good value
and very French. It has an inviting rich colour, although the aroma is a bit shy
at first. But then so am I, so I can’t complain. The wine is completely dry, but
there’s an attractive fruitiness to the taste and only a slight hint of tannin,
so slight in fact, that you might not notice it at all. It is a very competent
blend of local Merlot grapes from the vast Languedoc-Roussillon region of
Southern France. So here’s a most pleasing easy-glugger for everyday use, it’s
just 12.5% alcohol and light enough to enjoy with meat dishes, or even burgers
and sausages. It would go well with pizza and cheese dishes too. It was very
successful with a cheese and bacon quiche, but I’d suggest that you serve it
quite cool. The wine I mean, not the quiche.
This wine could easily become my daily red and at this price, I could afford to
drink it without having to sell the cat.
