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Dig for wine treasures in bargain bins
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Would you believe an exceptional $5 wine that originally sells for twice that amount?
Yep, I found a winner while digging through a bargain box at Cost Plus World Market this week.
My treasure find is a 2006 Arthur Hills Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles. Its densely concentrated fruit integrated with robust style and an oak nose was a pleasant surprise. The ruby color and bouquet of cherries were worth the wait.
I poured a little in a glass and waited for about 15 minutes before sipping. Mark Spitaleri, the Cost Plus wine buyer advises this in order to get the air outside the neck of the bottle. This Cab could pair well with a meat as light as a roasted chicken, a lean steak or a nice beef stew.
“The reason for the low price is because these are technical clearance items that didn’t sell as well as we predicted,” he said. “I would advise anyone interested in exceptional wine bargains to rush in because they are limited to quantity on hand. Once it’s gone buyers will have to taste another. When I look for wines to buy, I search for something just outside of ordinary such as an alternative varietal. That means if a winery is known for their Cabernets try its second label Zinfandel that costs less.”
He hears from the grapevine that Paso Robles is the best place in California to grow Cabernet. In Napa Valley, the price of land for viticulture will cost around $400,000 an acre whereas Lake County, parts of Mendocino County and the Central Coast are less pricey. Here’s a tip for wine bargain hunters – look for wines that come from less well known regions and you will find better bargains in red wines than white.
“Most people in the Bay Area prefer reds to whites,” he said. “It runs about 60/40 percent. However, the opposite is true for the rest of the country where white wines are more popular.”
Who ever said the West Coast was traditional?
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