When I first started this website a lot of people commented that I must love Trader Joe’s because of all the bargains they have on wine.  And as much as I wanted to love Trader Joe’s, I just never became a big fan.  Most of the wines I tasted from them were nothing special, albeit they were dirt cheap — which is something I always love.  Plus there’s something about the folks working there that just seems inauthentic to me… they’re way too happy and remind me of flair-clad servers at TGI Fridays.

Anyway, while it seems like everyone I meet associates Trader Joe’s with dirt cheap wine, they are not the only one in that game.  The folks from Aldi sent a few of their wines our way to taste and I’d say they’re giving TJ’s some competition.  I’ve never been an Aldi shopper, so I had no idea they were carrying wines and I was a little surprised when they showed up.

I’ll admit that I was a little bit skeptical at first.  But as I looked them over, I saw a few things that were both intriguing and reassuring.  First, I was surprised to see the regions on the wines, Chianti, Napa Valley and Mosel.  Then I was reassured when I checked the alcohol levels and found them to be appropriate for the styles.  Sometimes I’ve found that really cheap wine will have an alcohol level that’s lower than normal, resulting in thin, bland wine, but that wasn’t the case here.  I also liked the backside of the labels, which has helpful graphics for folks who don’t know their wine well yet.

Now I will say that none of these wines absolutely blew me away, but none of them were bad either.  And for the dirt cheap prices, they are some bargains!

Gonfalone Chianti 2009

I’m a big fan of Chianti, but if I have a choice I’m usually going to select a Chianti Classico versus a Chianti.  I expect that a lot of wine consumers aren’t clear on the differences between Chianti and Chianti Classico and that’s an unfortunate circumstance of the names being so similar.  And I could confuse you even more by going into the other sub-types of Chianti.  But basic difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico is the region of production.  While Chianti comes from a rather broad region in Tuscany, Chianti Classico comes from a more limited region, selected for the quality of its grapes.  There are some other differences too, but I’ll leave it at that for now.  And while I tend to prefer Chianti Classico, I was pleasantly surprised by this Chianti from Gonfalone.

The nose on this wine is nice.  It shows well balanced raspberry, nutmeg, strawberry and perfume aromas with moderate intensity.  The palate is dry and offers plenty of ripe fruit flavors, like raspberry, plum and sour cherry, plus a little bit of spice.  Where it misses is on the acidity, which is more restrained than I would expect for a Chianti, although it’s not terribly off the mark.  The finish is decent, with lingering raspberry tea flavors.  Overall, it smells and tastes nice, but lacks some vibrancy due to the restrained acidity.

For the price, this is an extreme value.

Wine: Gonfalone Chianti 
Variety: Chianti
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $5.99

Walker Napa Valley Red Wine 2007

The color is a brownish, brick red.  It doesn’t have the bright red color of most young red blends, but then as a 2007, it ‘s not so young anymore.  I was actually a touch surprised to see them carrying a 2007.  Although it doesn’t say this anywhere on the bottle, this wine is a blend of merlot, syrah and cabernet sauvignon.

The nose on this wine shows cherry and plum aromas, as well as quite a bit of oak, which takes on nutmeg and cedar characteristics in this one.  The oak is a little heavy, but not offensively so.  The palate is medium bodied, which is exactly what the label says.  It does have some nice fruit flavors on the palate that give a touch of sweetness and touch of tart, such as raspberry, plum and strawberry.  There are some subtle tannins too.  The finish is a continuation of the fruit flavors with a bit of residual sugar leaving a slightly sweet flavor on your tongue.  This isn’t a wine that I’m going to rant and rave about, but it’s OK for what it is and still quite a value.

Wine: Walker
Variety: Red blend
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $7.99

Landshut Riesling

When I saw this wine I cringed a bit because I’ve tasted far too many bad, sweet rieslings in the past and I was skeptical.  But then I saw that it was from Mosel, which gave me some reassurance.  But the proof is ultimately with what’s in the bottle and I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

The nose is a little tight, but shows expecable aromas for a riesling, like honeysuckle, apple and lime.  The palate is sweet, with peach, apple and lime flavors.  It has enough acidity to bring it to life on your tongue, although a little more acidity would help the overall balance with the sweetness.  It finishes long, with lingering sweet apple flavors.

Wine: Landshut
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 9.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $4.99

Disclosure: These wines were received as a media sample.

It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed a pinot grigio, so we need no more reason than that to check one out today.

This one comes from Voga Italia and they win the award for coolest, sexiest bottle I’ve seen all week.  When I first saw this bottle I thought it would just be a screw cap, but there’s actually a synthetic cork underneath the cap.  So, fair warning, don’t take this one on a camping trip without a corkscrew or you may find yourself beating the bottom of the bottle inside a boot to remove the cork.  Anyway, once you get the cork out, you can reseal the bottle with the screw cap.

But ultimately, it’s what’s in the bottle that really matters.  And I have no complaints about what’s in this bottle.

This wine has some really nice pear and floral aromatics, with moderate intensity.  The flavors are mostly pear and apple, but it also offers some lime and subtle peach notes.  The acidity is sufficient, but not dramatic.  The finish is nice and long.  Overall, it’s a pretty nice wine.  And it will look stylish sitting on your shelf before you drink it.

My wife liked this one too and said it paired well with peanut butter.  That’s not a pairing I would have picked, but I could see it working.

Wine: Voga Italia
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 87
Price: $10.99

Find Voga Italia Pinot Grigio with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

I’ve been meaning to write up this review for several weeks as I actually tasted these wines two months ago, but other things kept coming up.  Shame on me.  But getting this posted late is better than not at all.

These are all grüner veltliner from Austria, a wine I acquired an appreciation for when I visited Austria in 2010.  For those who haven’t had grüner (as it’s called for short), it’s food-friendly white wine known for it’s high acidity and mineral characteristics.  The aroma of pepper is also a common “tell” for a grüner.

It’s actually a really good salad wine.  Grüner has a reputation for going well with vegetables, including the ever-problematic-pairing-vegetable asparagus.  I love asparagus, so it’s good to know that I can always trust a grüner to go well with it.  I’m also an advocate of multiple wine pairings with a meal.  For example, have a grüner veltliner with your salad and a red Cotes du Rhone with your entree.  I know it can get expensive to open a couple bottles, but give it a try for a special occasion when you have friends over.

All of these wines are at the upper end of our typical $20 price limit — and a couple are over that limit.  But they’re all good.  There’s not one in this batch that I’d turn down.

Leth Steinagrund Grüner Veltliner 2010

This gruner comes from Wagram, which is a good region to find value-based grüner veltliner.  There are some tasty wines to come from this region, but it’s not considered a top tier region — in other words, it doesn’t have “DAC” status.  However it borders some of the top DAC regions and takes advantage of microclimates from the Danube river, which runs through the middle of the region.

The nose is a little tight on this wine, but it does show some lime aromas.  The palate is also somewhat subtle, but it does have a nice peach flavor to it, as well as some citrus notes.  The acidity is sufficient.  And the finish is medium in length.  It’s a decent, although somewhat simple Gruner.

Wine: Leth Steinagrund
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $18.00
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Huber Traisental Grüner Veltliner 2010

This one comes from a little further upriver in the Traisental DAC.  Actually, the Danube only hits the top edge of this region, with the majority of it residing south of the river.

The nose on this wine is lovely, with pepper and lime aromatics.  It smells refreshing.  Although some might argue that is smells more like a sauvignon blanc than a gruner veltliner. The palate has excellent acidity, with pear, apple and light citrus flavors.  It has a touch of sweetness, which is most noticeable on the finish.  Speaking of the finish, it’s plenty long and very enjoyable.  This is a nice wine for the price.

Wine: Huber Traisental
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 86
Price: $18.00
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Pfaffl Haidviertel Grüner Veltliner 2010

Now we venture further north in Austria to the Weinviertal DAC, which is the largest wine region in Austria running from the north of the Danube river up to the Czech border in the north and the Slovakian border to the east.

There is definitely some of the classic pepper aromas on the nose, along with other floral notes and a hint of tropical fruit.  The palate has sufficient acidity with crisp apple and mineral flavors with a touch of spice on the mid palate.  The finish brings in a bit more mineral and a bit of peach.

Wine: Pfaffl Haidviertel
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 86
Price: $22.00
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Türk Kremser Weinberge Grüner Veltliner 2009

Türk is from the Kremstal DAC, which is a relatively small region, just west of Traisental with the Danube dividing the region in half.  In addition to creating some awesome gruner here, the town of Krems, at the center of the region, is just lovely.

This wine shows spice and herbs on the nose, with pepper (of course) being among those.  The palate has good concentration, with apple, lemon and lime flavors.  The acidity is good.  It shows some good mineral characteristics on the finish.

Wine: Türk Kremser Weinberge
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 87
Price: $20.00
Find Türk Kremser Weinberge with Snooth

Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner 2009

Now we’re getting into what I consider top notch territory for gruner.  And this wine gives you just a hint of what’s possible from this region.

The nose on this wine has a strikingly nice balance of spice and fruit, presenting a bouquet of peppered apples and melon.  The palate brings out apple flavors up front, evolving into peach and honeydew melon on the mid-palate and into the finish. The finish also brings a salty mineral characteristic.  The acidity on the palate is good, as is the concentration of flavors.  It also does offer a touch of spice on the palate.  This is a really nice Gruner.

Wine: Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner 2009
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 90
Price: $25.00
Find Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner 2009 with Snooth

Disclosure: These wines were received as a sample.

This week we’re doing some odds and ends.  Reviews of wines that we don’t have a full line-up to do a full series, but we have one or two we want to highlight.  Today, it’s a double-header review with two wines from Soave.

Soave is a relatively small wine appellation in the Italy’s Veneto region, which is in northeastern Italy.  It’s a beautiful region, with rolling hills, churches, bell towers and even some castles.  Soave is primarily made with two grape varieties.  The primary grape is garganega, which is the only grape is some Soave.  And Trebbiano di Soave is the second most-used Soave grape.  Both of the wines we’re reviewing today are 100% garganega.

There are actually four different designations for Soave, but we’re only tasting two of them today, a Soave DOC and a Soave Classico DOC.  I know… the non-wine-geek readers are already going cross-eyed reading about DOC’s.  You just want to know if the wine is good or not, so let’s get to that.

2009 Cantina di Monteforte “Re Teodorico” Soave DOC

As a Soave DOC, this is an entry-level wine from the Soave region.  And it’s a pretty tasty one too.

This wine has a straw-like aroma to match its straw color.  It also shows some pear aroma and some yeast, like a loaf of rising bread.  The palate has a distinct honey flavor, but without the sweetness of honey, along with some pear, and green apple.  The acidity is sufficient and gives it a vibrant tanginess.  The finish is like a salted green apple, bringing out a touch of mineral on this wine.  Long into the finish the yeast adds an aromatic note to the aftertaste.  This is a nice wine.  It’s interesting, fun, distinct and enjoyable.

Wine: Cantina di Monteforte “Re Teodorico” Soave DOC
Variety: 100% Garganega
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 86
Price: $7.99

Find Cantina di Monteforte “Re Teodorico” Soave DOC with Snooth

2009 Le Albare “Il Casale” Soave Classico DOC

Soave Classico DOC is considered a step up from the Soave DOC and tends to have a little more structure and ageing potential.

Some consumers may find this wine similar to a chardonnay, although it certainly has it’s nuances that set it apart.  It is light, fruity and refreshing on the nose, with peach and pear aromas.  The palate also shows some peach and pear flavors, along with some melon.  The finish brings a touch of almond flavor, which is a common trait in Soave and one of the things that sets it apart from other wines.  It also shows a bit of mineral on the finish.  It’s a nice wine and would pair well with a pork tenderloin.

Wine: Le Albare “Il Casale” Soave Classico DOC
Variety: 100% Garganega
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.99

Find Le Albare “Il Casale” Soave Classico DOC with Snooth

Disclosure: These wines were received as a sample.

The weather is starting to turn to autumn, but we’ve had a few more warm days recently here in Cincinnati so I’m going to take advantage of it to continue reviewing tasty summer wines.  But this is one that you don’t have to limit to summer drinking.  If you’re a pinot grigio fan, this is one you’ll enjoy any time of year.

This past weekend I was invited to a crab boil, so I wanted to bring a good shellfish wine.  So, I took my tasting notes on this one and enjoyed the rest with some crab.  That said, I did not taste this one blind as we usually do.

The Tenuta Ca’Bolani pinot grigio comes from the Aquileia in the Friuli appellation in Italy.  This area has been prized for its wines since Roman times.

When I’m drinking a pinot grigio, I’m not looking for intense fruit flavors.  What I’m looking for is a very dry white wine with crisp acidity and interesting mineral characteristics to give the wine depth.  And that’s exactly what I found in this wine.

The nose is really nice, with lime, melon and mineral aromas, plus some herbal/hay notes that added some complexity and interest. The palate is nice and tart, just like I like a pinot grigio, with exceptional acidity.  The flavors are light, but enjoyable with notes of lime, granny smith apple and chalk.  The finish is relatively long and brings a touch of sea salt, along with a continuation of the lime flavor.

Wine: Tenuta Ca’Bolani
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $12.99

Find Tenuta Ca’Bolani Friuli Pinot Grigio with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

I wasn’t familiar with Silver Ridge Vineyards before trying their Napa sauvignon blanc offering, but with so many “Silver” and “Ridge” named wines earning such great accolades, I was sure that they chose the name smartly.  From a branding standpoint, my subconscious seemed excited that I was about to consume a really good wine.  Although, I’ve become such a fan of New Zealand sauvignon blanc that consciously, I was preparing for a let down.

Right off the bat, the Silver Ridge sauvignon blanc hits you with a rather buttery nose, with laces of honey turning to very mild sweet bell pepper.  With a little more time to open up, aromas of banana and sweet bread begin to appear.  While this is not my style of sauvignon blanc, (I much prefer the richer, peppery and grassy style of the kiwi’s) I certainly appreciate the complexity here.

On the palate, the wine offers up a nice core of tropical fruit and bell pepper.  However, here is where, in my view, the wine’s buttery smoothness undermines it.  While the fruit is there, the wine doesn’t balance it enough with a nice core of acidity.  The finish seems especially muted.  It doesn’t possess the raw zingy flavor that I believe people are becoming accustomed to now, particularly from New World sauvignon blanc.  For sure this is a more elegant style, and one that I believe will appeal to California wine lovers.  So while I gave it a good rating and recommend that you try it, I’ll pass, thank you.

A  Salute!

Wine: Silver Ridge
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 85
Price: $11.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Alto Adige is a region in Northern Italy that produces some stellar white wines.  But for some reason, most wine consumers in the US don’t seem to be familiar with this region — unless they’re wine geeks like me.  Well, if you want to try some wines with character… wines with a little more to offer than your run-of-the-mill Italian pinot grigio… let me introduce you to pinot bianco from Alto Adige.

When I say that Alto Adige is in Northern Italy, I mean waaayyyyy Northern Italy.  Where they speak more German than Italian.  And pinot bianco is the prized grape variety from this region.

The Cantina Terlan pinot bianco has a nice straw color to it.  It also has really nice aromatics, with a predominant pear fragrance complemented by honeysuckle and melon aromas.  The palate also shows a lot of pear flavor, but there’s more to this wine than that.  It has complexity and character.  The acidity is good, making this wine really bright on the mid-palate.  It offers some melon flavors too, and also a spiciness that really makes it interesting.  The finish is nice too, with stone fruit and mineral flavors, plus a lingering floral nuance.  This is a really enjoyable and interesting white wine!

Wine: Cantina Terlan Alto Adige Pinot Bianco
Variety: Pinot bianco
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 89
Price:  $15.00

Find Cantina Terlan Alto Adige Pinot Bianco with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Editor’s Note: Since our readers are interested in finding great inexpensive wines, we thought we’d invite another bargain hunter to stop by and share his cheap wine recommendations.  The following is a guest post from Jon Thorsen of The Reverse Wine Snob.

If you’re a fan of CheapWineRatings.com then I know that you know there is plenty of good wine to be found for less than $20. Once you start talking about wine under $10 however, it gets a little dicey. Tim has graciously allowed me to share some of my favorite $10 and under finds. So without further ado, here are my top five wines under $10.

2010 Familia Zuccardi Santa Julia Organica Malbec

Available for $9-10. 100% Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. Very smooth, very drinkable and it’s even organic. From a vineyard that subsidizes health care and gives free education to their workers so you can feel even better while enjoying its smooth plum flavors and slightly spicy finish.

2009 d’Arenberg The Stump Jump Red

Available for $9.99. 42% Grenache, 33% Shiraz, 25% Mourvédre from McLaren Vale, Australia. Strong aromas of plum, ripe fruit, and a little spice. The wine is very smooth with tastes of dark fruit, blackberry, and dried herbs. The wine ends with a great medium-long spicy finish.

2008 Concannon Vineyard Conservancy Petite Sirah

Available for $9.99. 100% Petite Sirah from Livermore Valley, California. Ahh, Petite Sirah, a wine with an interesting up and down history that doesn’t seem to get enough recognition today. This one has sweet blackberries and a little chocolate and pepper on the nose. The palate showed blackberries and even a bit of mocha. The dry finish has nice tannins and is overall just a really nicely balanced, full-bodied, drinkable wine.

2010 Caligiore Staccato Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon

Available for $9.99. 60% Malbec and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza, Argentina. A second organic wine in my Top 5 Wines Under $10 list, but really that’s just a bonus because this wine is simply great. This is a deliciously fruity wine with smooth but firm tannins on the finish. Medium-bodied with blackberry and spice.

2009 Altovinum Calatayud Evodia Garnacha

Available for as low as $6.99 (at Costco). 100% Garnacha from Calatayud, Spain. This wine comes from vines up to 100 years old. Black cherry and cola on the nose, followed by raspberry notes with a bit of pepper and heat. Slightly dry and a very smooth finish that lingers nicely. Sublime is really the best word to describe this one. Highly recommended.

*All wines except the Evodia were samples received for review purposes.

Last week we reviewed the Les Deux Rives Corbières Rosé, and staying with the “summer sippers with Rhone varietals” theme we’re checking out the white wine from this brand, Les Deux Rives Corbières Blanc.

This comes from the same region in southern France as the rosé and is made from a blend of 60% grenache, 20% marsanne and 20% roussanne.  I assume it’s a “grenache blanc” since it’s a white wine, although the label only specifies it as “grenache.”  And you may recall from another recent review, marsanne and roussanne are a couple of my favorite white varieties.  The marsanne and roussane add some really interesting herbaceous and mineral characteristics to this wine, while the grenache gives it a good fruit base.

The aromas from this wine are a delightful blend of honeydew melon, lime, straw and wet stones.  On the palate, it serves up lime and mineral flavors with moderate concentration.  This wine has a light body with delicate flavors and soft acidity.  I would have liked a touch more acidity, but it’s dry enough that the acidity is balanced with the sweetness — or lack thereof.  It finishes with mineral and a hint of lemon.  Well chilled, this would be a nice sipper on a hot summer day.

Wine: Les Deux Rives Corbières Blanc
Variety: 60% grenache, 20% marsanne, 20% roussanne
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 85
Price:  $10.00

Find Les Deux Rives Corbières Blanc with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Last weekend I attended the North American Wine Bloggers Conference, which was held in Charlottesville, Virginia this year.  I came back with a nasty summer cold, which is why I haven’t written anything in a week, but I’m feeling much better now.  I also came back with an appreciation for Virginian wine.  While I had heard good things about it, I just don’t come across much of it.  In fact, I can’t recall ever seeing a bottle of Virginia wine on shelves in my area.  And that’s a shame, as there are some really good producers there making some exceptional wine.

But, alas, this review is not about a Virginian wine.  It’s about another Californian wine.  Let’s face it, they just produce more and have better distribution.  But I will relate this back to Virginia for a moment, just to say that this review is about a varietal that performs quite well in Virginia, viognier.  If you have an opportunity to taste a Virginian viognier, I’d say get on top of it!

Before I left for the conference, I had done a review about Cline Marsanne Roussanne, highlighting a couple nice Rhone varietals being produced outside of the Rhone.  This viognier is also a Rhone varietal, but a much more common one to be found in US vineyards.  It’s a varietal known for creating highly aromatic wines, with floral fragrances.  It’s also a good pick for spicy food, like Thai.  This particular one comes from the North Coast region in California.

This viognier from Cline Cellars smells pretty much like I expect a viognier to smell, but it lacks a bit of intensity — not that extreme intensity is something I expect.  It has a nice floral aroma, with citrus and wet stone undertones.  The palate has really nice fruit flavors, with peach being the most prominent but I’d also say it’s got a pineapple aspect to it as well as a lime flavor that shows up in the mid-palate and into the finish.  The mouth feel is soft and slightly oily, which isn’t uncommon for a viognier.  The acidity is sufficient.  While not mind-blowingly good, this is still a decent viognier at a nice price.

Wine: Cline Viognier
Variety: Viognier
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 84
Price:  $11.99

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Want another opinion?  Here’s what some other reviewers thought of the 2010 Cline Viognier:

• Christine Ashworth
• Corkscrews & Curls

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.