Sips And Swallows

From Around The Wine World

As we continue to evolve into a world economy, more and more well made wines are appearing on wine shop shelves from all over the globe.

Argentina is the latest country to make a huge push into the American wine market. Malbec has become Argentina’s signature red wine. It is a dry, medium-bodied red that pairs nicely with steak. I have tasted at least a dozen in the last year or so that are fairly priced and tasty. If you are stuck in a Cabernet Sauvignon rut, next time you might want to reach for a Malbec instead.

I recently enjoyed a few days in Charleston, S.C., a city known for its history and its restaurants. It was clear that many of the restaurants cared as much about their wine lists as they did their menus. Without fail, the restaurants offered interesting wines at fair prices. It was refreshing to peruse a wine list that truly offered choices at markups that were not extreme.

Speaking of extreme, the prices of the world’s great wines continue to rise. Although there are still plenty of tasty and affordable wines, if you want to drink what have traditionally been acclaimed as the best… be prepared to dig deeply into your wallet or tap into the kids’ college savings. Italy’s Piedmont region is the home of Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the world’s most ageable and collectible reds. Importers are currently sampling the 2005 vintage that will be arriving in the spring. Each vintage since 2000 has gone up in price. Obviously, people are still buying these wines. Each price increase, however, eliminates a few more regular wine drinkers from enjoying these classic reds.

On the other hand, in the last few weeks I have enjoyed tasty reds and whites from Spain, South Africa, California, and France that are moderately priced. There is still a plethora of affordable and delicious wines available to the discriminating wine drinker.

(Newtown resident and wine enthusiast Steve Small is the general manager at Yankee Wine & Spirits on Queen Street.)