For the folks who may be dropping by this blog for the first time, I’d like to reiterate that the mission here is to explore budget-friendly wines – aka inexpensive. That doesn’t mean all the selections I write about cost less than $5, less than $10, less than $15, etc. After all, everyone splurges from time to time. Nor does it mean that all the wines are bad – far from it. Not all cheap wines are bad, and not all expensive wines are good. There are times when you discover a wine in which there seems to be an inverse relationship between price and quality (or at least price and enjoyment). Thus, I’ve had expensive wine that I didn’t enjoy at all, and I’ve had inexpensive wine that I thought was quite nice. I’m always hoping to find the latter.
Winemaker: Frontera (by Concha Y Toro)
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2013
Appellation: Central Valley – Chile
Price: $4.97
Notes: The color was a pale yellow. It’s bouquet was quite perfumey, reminiscent of orange jello. Body was medium with a definite coat-the-tongue quotient. Acidity was fine, and alcohol was at 13%. Core flavors for me were orange, grass and citrus zest. I thought this wine was surprisingly decent considering it’s very low price. It was simple, but it was likeable.