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Any wine bargain hunter in the area is probably familiar with Calvert Woodley, a fixture at 4339 Connecticut Ave., NW, (oddly, convenient to the Van Ness Metro stop, and nowhere near Woodley Park or Calvert Street). Its perpetual Most Popular Wine Sale is a staple of the Monday newspaper wine ads and the cramped store that includes a deli and cheese counter has a vast selection that belies the space (which can be an overwhelmingly crowded place to browse after work or on Saturdays). It’s always worth a visit to browse the bargain bin, but the real beauty of CW is that you can order online – where the sale prices are always evident – and swing buy for a surgical strike to pick it up.
I have several wines that I always buy by the case and frequently from one year to the next, because they are consistent and consistently good values that I like to have on hand. I always enjoy trying something new and different, but often I want something familiar that I can count on. And for those times, I’m glad I have a nice Falesco Vitiano or a Chateau de Segries Cotes du Rhone in the cellar.
This week, in addition to its perpetual sale on its most popular wines, CW is advertising its Best Buys Under $10. It lists nearly 40 wines, red and white on sale for less than $10, including some of our cellar favorites:
Italian reds
Di Majo Norante Sangiovese, 2007, $8.99. Says Antonio Galloni , of Robert Parkers Wine Advocate: “The 2007 Sangiovese is made in a super-ripe, racy style, with plenty of forward, plump fruit. In the glass, notes of earthiness, spices and tobacco emerge, adding further complexity. I loved this soft-textured Sangiovese for its sheer appeal.”
Valle Reale Montepulciano Vigne Nuove, 2007, $9.99. Galloni likes this one at $13, calling it “a fresh, vinous offering loaded with plummy dark fruit. It offers excellent balance and tons of style, especially at this price point.”
French reds
Mas de Guiot Grenache/Syrah Vin de Pays du Gard, 2007, $8.99. Parker himself wrote that the wine “exhibits ripe, fat, blackberry and currant flavors with hints of spring flowers and road tar in the background. With loads of fruit and glycerin, it is a medium to full-bodied, hedonistic 2007 to drink over the next 2-3 years.” I’ve bought this wine frequently over the years and enjoyed it, though I don’t particularly have a taste for road tar.
Chateau de Segries Cotes du Rhone, 2006, $8.99. Good wines from France’s Rhone valley are among my favorite, but finding them for less than $10 is a challenge. Parker calls this one medium-bodied and “richly fruity, peppery, spicy, with copious black and red fruit and garrigue,” which is a French word for a particular type of land that I believe means “earthy” when describing a wine.
Spanish reds
Montebuena Tempranillo, 2006, $8.99. Wine Advocate’s Jay Miller called the 2004 vintage of this wine a "contender for best value in my Spanish tastings."
Spanish whites
Palacio de Bornos Verdejo, 2007, $9.99. Miller lists this one (at $12) in its most recent “White values under $25” recommendations.
Australian whites
Milton Park Riesling, 2006, $9.99. The Milton Park wines produced by Thorn-Clarke “have been Best Buys year after year,“ writes Wine Advocate’s Miller.
Of course, CW isn’t the only store in town featuring (good) wines under $10 this week. Paul’s of Chevy Chase, at 5205 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, just before you cross into Maryland heading north, has some more of our favorite Spanish reds on sale:
- Vinos Torremoron Tinto, 2006, $9.99.
- Bodegas Vinos Pinol Ludovicus, 2007, $8.99.
- Bodegas Juan Gil Wrongo Dongo, 2007, $7.49.
- Bodegas Paso a Paso Tinto, 2007, $9.99
- Flavium Crianza, 2005, $8.99
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