Wines of the week | Reds for all tastes

When my children were small, I often reminded them about the food they were served that they were allowed to say they didn’t like it, but not to say it wasn’t good. The same goes for wine. When done well, its appreciation becomes a matter of personal taste. Here are two red wines made with great care, but of different styles. Then, another red, Italian, more expensive but excellent value for money.

Veronique Rivest
Sommelier, guest collaborator

Grill partner

This excellent winemaker from the southern Rhône Valley regularly amazes me with the excellent value for money of his wines. This blend of Grenache and Syrah, the Rémi Pouizin Côtes du Rhône Les Pious 2020, displays all the characteristics of this sunny region: fruity, plump and warm, but without any heaviness. It also shows vitality, freshness and complexity. Aromas of very ripe fruit, a hint of jam, kirsch, intertwine with notes of spices and bacon. Delicate floral notes also add to its freshness. The mouth is rich, with a ripe material, and light tannins bring just the right amount of relief. Very complete at this price, this wine shows a certain firmness and appeals to the table. Perfect for your first grilling! It has just started to be distributed; quantities will increase over the next few days.

Rémi Pouizin Côtes du Rhône Les Pious 2020, $18 (13994930), 14%, organic

Aging: 1 to 3 years

Simple but joyful

This house, Domaine Meinklang, is beginning to be well known among us. It regularly offers us wines at good prices, from an exemplary viticulture. This red, Meinklang Burgenland 2020, made from three native Austrian grape varieties (60% Zweigelt, 30% Blaufränkisch, 10% Saint-Laurent), is in a very light, gourmet and drinkable style. The nose opens with alluring notes of sour red berries, with a hint of herbs and spices. On the palate it is very fresh, straight, tonic and tense, with juicy fruit. Very low in tannin, it is a smart, simple but cheerful wine, which will be best served chilled. Perfect for an aperitif, it is also ideal for slicing through the fat of charcuterie, grilled cheese, pizza, or to accompany a steak tartare, a breaded veal cutlet, a warm goat cheese salad.

Meinklang Burgenland 2020, $18.60 (13971164), 12%, organic

Laying down: to drink

taste the harmony

The Langhe region is renowned for the Barolo and Barbaresco appellations. It is immediately associated with the Nebbiolo grape variety. But Langhe is also an appellation for which many grape varieties are allowed. This wine, the 2019 Silvio Grasso Langhe Rosso, is made from a blend of 40% Nebbiolo with Syrah and Merlot. But the wine is so harmonious that it is difficult to distinguish the grape varieties. It tastes essentially Piedmontese: the typicity of the grape varieties disappears and gives way to the terroir. The nose, complex and evolving, offers notes of black earth, tobacco, leather, strawberry, morello cherry and dried cherry. The mouth is rich, complex and very harmonious, with a lot of freshness and very present, ripe and firm tannins. Tasty and long, it is also powerful and appeals to the table: braised beef or lamb shank, grilled meats, wild mushroom risotto.

Silvio Grasso Langhe Rosso 2019, $25.15 (13616269), 14%

Aging: 4 to 6 years