The Cellar: Two Great Value Wines for Right Now

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Steffen Rasch, GoLocal Wine Critic

A new varietal from Austria and a great value Pinot from Sonoma should be at the top of your weekend shopping list.

This week we are traveling back to Austria in search of a great white wine made from a grape varietal that is new to The Cellar. This wine is a $20 play, so since I know there are many value shoppers out there, I figured a great $15 Pinot Noir recommendation from Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley would go over well too. Cheers.

2010 Ecker Roter Veltliner, Wagram, Austria

This week’s first wine is an Austrian Roter Veltliner, not to be confused with Grüner Veltliner, with which it has nothing in common. While it was initially believed that Roter Veltliner could be a grandparent to Grüner Veltliner, recent DNA studies have debunked that theory. Roter Veltliner is its very own delicious grape – one that I really like a lot and recommend you seek out this week.

The Ecker family has been making wine at their 50 acre estate for over 300 years. This family is dedicated to growing mostly indigenous grape varietals such as Grüner, Zweigelt, Sankt Laurent, Riesling and Roter, just to name a few. I highly recommend you try one of their wines (the total production is only 75,000 bottles) should you find one and be in the mood for something light, refreshing and tasty, because that is what their 2010 Roter Veltliner is. It is quite fragrant with a touch of honey and citrus fruit on the nose. In the palate the green apples, minerality and citrus fruits marry together beautifully. It is extremely fresh and slightly spritzy, making it a great aperitif wine.

2010 Pedroncelli Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California

The story of the Pedroncelli family is a great one, beginning with Giovanni Pedroncelli purchasing 90 acres of hillside land west of Geyerserville, California. In the 1930’s and 1940’s the Pedroncelli family started

selling wine commercially, delivering it in barrels to grocery stores, local families and ranchers. People also used to drive to the winery and fill up their one-gallon jugs with a red and white field blend for 45 cents (!). Oh, how times have changed.

Today, Pedroncelli makes a variety of wine based on the classic international varietals. Their Pinot Noir grapes are sourced from vineyards located a dozen miles south of the winery in the cool Russian River Valley. The 2010 is an elegant, medium bodied wine. It has a lot going on for only $15 with ripe cherries, raspberries and hints of clove. The wine has been aged for 8 months in 20% new French oak, which gives lovely oak accents without them taking over. There is also a certain earthy element to this wine, especially on the nose, making this wine extra interesting. It finishes fresh with lingering acidity. Really nice.

Enjoy!

Steffen Rasch CSW is ready to answer any wine-related questions, comments or concerns you may have. Feel free to email him at [email protected]. And as always, don’t forget to follow GoLocalProv’s Wine Cellar on Facebook and sign up for one of his tastings through the Providence Wine Academy.