Some of My Favorite Red Wines for Everyday Enjoyment & Special Occasions

Friends and acquaintances who know my love for wines occasionally ask me for recommendations, so I've decided to list a few. These are my personal preferences based solely on my likes and dislikes.

Since my preferences and experiences primarily involve red wines, my recommendations are for red wines.

I have divided my recommendations into my two major categories - everyday wines and special-occasion wines. The everyday wines range in price from $7 to $14 per 750 ml bottle - with an extra 10-20% off for coupons or case discounts. In my case, special wines range in price from about $20 to $70, with the higher-priced ones going on my birthday or Christmas wish lists.

While I enjoy wines from the U.S. and many other countries, I generally prefer Italian and French wines, primarily Italian wines, because they remind my wife and me of wonderful trips we have made to wine regions of those countries. Additionally, I enjoy cooking authentic Tuscan cuisine, with which I pair Tuscan reds. I've added a few pics from our visits to Italy to show what comes to mind when I sip wines from Tuscany and the Piedmont regions of Italy.

The main exception to my Italian-French fixation is U.S. red zinfandel, which I love and which is primarily produced in Napa and Sonoma, as well as in several other areas of California.

In addition to the wine-producing areas above, I have enjoyed many nice red wines from all over the world, including Oregon, Virginia, and Maryland in the U.S., and Spain, South Africa, Argentina and Chile, Australia, and Greece (non-retsina). The main South American wine I enjoy is Malbec. Many people do not realize that Greece has made significant advances in the quality of its wines. (Not listed in the countries above are those whose whites I've enjoyed; e.g., Germany, Austria, and New Zealand.)

When entertaining foreign friends, I like to serve American wines, especially those with interesting stories; e.g., Grgich Hills or Stags Leap. I like to pair those wines with regional U.S. menus; e.g., New Orleans, or the Low Country of South Carolina.

The Italian wines I most enjoy are from the regions of Tuscany, the Piedmont, the Veneto, and Sicily. I like Umbrian wines as well. However, aside from Falesco, they are not as readily available or reasonably priced. The French wines I most enjoy are from Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhone, Provence, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Some of the special wines I enjoy are produced by the very same vintners who produce the everyday wines I enjoy.

There are a number of reasons why two wines produced at the same property by the same outstanding vintner can be significantly different in both price and taste. Among those reasons:

1. There may be two (or more) vineyards on the same property. The soils of the two vineyards and the exposure to sun, wind, etc. may be very different. One of those vineyards may not even be suitable for the better grapes. For example, Nebbiolo grapes, which produce incredible Barolos, are much more sensitive to sunlight, altitude, moisture, etc., than the Dolcetto and Barbera grapes which are grown in the same area of the Piedmont. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebbiolo.)

2. The grape yield limitations per acre may be very different. Often, with the best quality wines, the vintner may trim as much as two-thirds of the grapes from the vines before the grapes begin to mature. That results in a much greater concentration of flavor in the remaining grapes. For example, the maximum grape production allowed per hectare (2.47 acres) for Brunello di Montalcino is 8 tons, and 9 tons for Rosso di Montalcino. Some vintners trim significantly more than is required so they can produce even better wines. The lower the yield, the fewer bottles produced. That requires the vintner to charge more in order to be profitable.

3. Some wines have to be aged for longer than others before they can be sold. The longer the storage requirement, the more expensive this is for the vintner - for storage space, upkeep, etc.

A Brunello Riserva must be aged for 6 years before it can go to market. A non-Riserva Brunello requires 5 years, and a Rosso di Montalcino requires less than a year.

All of the wines listed below are wines that I have enjoyed during the past year. There are some Spanish reds I would have included in the everyday wines, but it has been more than a year since I have tried them.

On my smart phone, I maintain a database of most of the wines I try so that I can repeat ones I enjoy and avoid ones I don't care for. That database currently holds data on nearly 2,300 wines from the past 14 years. It's missing the data for one of those years due to a mistake I made.

I buy most of my wines at Total Wine in Lakewood Ranch and Norman's Liquors on Clark Rd. or State Rd. 70 for reasons of price, selection, and proximity to where I normally travel. However, one wine seller I really like is Michael Klauber who operates Michael's Wine Cellar (http://www.michaelswinecellar.com/), and Michael's on East restaurant. He has a nice selection of wines and is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He is also the creative genius behind the annual Sarasota Forks and Corks food and wine celebration.

Everyday Reds

The following are some of my favorite everyday reds. The prices are for the Sarasota, FL area before discounts, which can range from 10% to 20%. For example, Total Wine currently has a coupon with a 20% discount on all Old World wines that are under $50 and that do not have a price ending in 7. With the recent decrease in the value of the Euro vs. the Dollar, these wines may become even less expensive:

1. Vecchia Cantina Chianti - $8.49 for 750ml or $12.99 for 1.5l at Total Wine. This winery is a coop located just outside Montepulciano, Tuscany. My wife, niece, and I had a fantastic visit there in 2012. They produce many types of Tuscan wines.

2. Bouchard Aîné & Fils Pinot Noir - $10.99. This winery, headquartered in Beaune, Burgundy, produces a range of very nice wines. This is their least expensive. Within the last year or so, this wine has jumped in price from $8.99. My wife, friends, and I enjoyed a terrific visit to their headquarters.

3. Santa Cristina Tuscan red by Antinori - Total Wine $9.99. Norman's sometimes has it for about $6.97. Antinori is the second oldest wine producer in Italy, and the largest. Moreover, the head of the family, Piero Antinori, is one of the leading visionaries who began the movement that dramatically improved the quality of Italian wines. Antinori produces wines that cost up to $300 per bottle. My wife, friends, and I spent a terrific week at the Antinori Fonte de Medici (http://www.fontedemedici.it/) resort in rural Tuscany. This resort is at the vineyards which are the source of the grapes used in Santa Cristina.

4. Ravenswood Vintner's Blend Zinfandel - $6.97 at Norman's & Total Wine (no discount).

Ravenswood is an iconic Sonoma, CA winery that specializes in Zinfandels, which they produce at many price points. This is their least expensive. I like all the ones I've tried. My wife and I and another couple enjoyed a very welcoming visit to this winery.

5. Falesco Vitiano Rosso - from the Umbria region of Italy. $9.99 at Total Wine. Another nice Falesco wine at Total Wine is the Sangiovese for $13.99.

6. Zenato Valpolicella Superiore - $12.99 at Norman's & $13.99 at Total Wine. This terrific wine is from the Lake Garda area of northeast Italy, not far from Venice. Zenato produces a nice variety of wines. My wife and I had a great tasting there with two other couples we know.

7. Louis M. Martini Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon for $12.99 at Norman's.

8. Cren del Gufo, Nebbiolo Langhe, for $11.99 at Total Wine.

9. Nero d'Avola is a Sicilian grape. There are a number of Nero d'Avola wines in the $8 - 10 range; e.g., Cusumano and Feudo Arancio Stemmari. I found the Feudo Arancio for $6.99 at Mazzaro's Italian Market in St. Petersburg.

10. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a type of inexpensive wine from the Abruzzo region of Italy. They are nice and can be had for $9 - $11 +. I generally don't buy them, because I haven't visited that region, However, I've been given them as dinner gifts and have always enjoyed them. They should not be confused with the wines from the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany. That town produces a very nice type of wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Decent ones start at about $20. 

11. E.Guigal Cotes du Rhone for $12.99 at Norman's.

12. Michele Chiarlo, Le Orme, Barbera d'Asti Superiore for $13.99 at Norman's and $11.99 at Mazzaro's.

13. Protocolo Tinto. This is a Spanish Tempranillo that is amazingly priced at $5.49 at Total Wine, and $6.99 at Norman's. I have not had it for a couple of years, but always enjoyed it. I believe both this wine and the Numanthia Termes below were developed by the Eguren family.

Nice $20 to $30 Reds

1. We love Antinori's Peppoli Chianti Classico. Norman's sells it for $19.99; I've seen it at Publix for $26.99; and Total Wine currently sells it for $25.99. At one country club wine dinner we attended, a distributor's representative, offered diners a special discount of $28!! Such a deal!

2. Zenato Ripassa Valpolicella Superiore, for $19.99 at Norman's is excellent.

3. A terrific Spanish red is Numanthia Termes, which sells for $24.99 at Norman's. (They produce a much more expensive wine - Termanthia, which receives rave reviews and sells for over $160 per bottle. I would love to try it.)

4. Ravenswood Teldeschi Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel for $24.99 at Norman's.

Very Special Reds

My favorite big reds are Italian Brunellos and Barolos. Both are produced in very small areas. The Brunellos are produced from a clone of the Sangiovese grape near the beautiful hilltop town of Montalcino in Tuscany. The Barolos are produced from the Nebbiolo grape in the Langhe area of the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. Good Brunellos and Barolos are best aged for at least 10 years.

View from Our Hotel Room in Montalcino

Barolo Countryside on a Hazy Day

My favorites of all these wines are the Poggio Antico Brunellos. I have visited the beautiful Poggio Antico winery three times, and I worship its Brunellos. James Suckling, world-renowned wine critic who lives in Tuscany, has rated Poggio Antico's 2007Altero Brunello at 98 points. I have some of that vintage, which still requires a couple more years of aging. Poggio Antico Brunellos typically sell for $60 or more per bottle.

Looking toward Monte Amiata from Poggio Antico Vineyard

There are some very nice reds that I have not had in the past year, but that I would readily recommend. These would probably be nice gifts because they are not readily available at local wine store and would have to be ordered on the Internet. We have visited all of these wineries. They are:

1. Any of the wines from the Maté vineyards near Montalcino in Tuscany (http://www.matewine.com/) Great winery to visit and great story behind its creation.

2. Any of the Tablas Creek (http://www.tablascreek.com/) wines from Paso Robles, CA, especially the Esprit to Beaucastel red or white. Great winery to visit.

3. Domaine du Pegau (http://www.pegau.com/) Châteauneuf-du-Pape red or white.