We sat down to chat with ABC Fine Wine & Spirits’ wine supervisor Paul Quaglini to find out the best wines we can drink to celebrate National Wine Day. Breaking down the list below into low, mid and high price points, there’s a wine here for every budget and palate. Cheers!
Two Princes Riesling ($12.99)
While this grape may have gotten a bad rap in the past for its sweetness, most German Riesling is actually dry, Quaglini says. This estate-bottled wine is from a quality producer that has a long history and pedigree. The two brothers are actually European royalty–hence the name, and it is the oldest family owned winery in Germany with more than 800 years of history. If you’re going to lunch with wine, this is what you should pop open thanks to its low alcohol content. Its crisp, off dry style pairs well with seafood like a snapper fillet or a crab salad.
Santa Julia Mountain Blend, 2015 ($12.99)
This Argentine wine from Mendoza’s Uco Valley is 70% malbec and 30% cabernet franc. The grapes from this family owned winery are grown at high elevations and thus create concentrated flavors in this full body wine. Spending 10 months in French oak barrels, the wine emerges with dark fruit, vanilla and spice notes that pair with backyard barbeque, pizza, and pasta Bolognese.
Poggerino Chianti Classico ($23.99)
As one of Quaglini’s favorite wine regions, Chianti Classico is diverse with a long history of making expensive wines, but it’s also producing appealing, fresh and more affordable wines. ABC has had a relationship with this particular family owned winery for almost 20 years. Grown at high elevation, these sangiovese grapes produce wines with black cherry, cedar, tobacco and spice notes at a reasonable value. Pair this wine with pasta or pizza. It does have enough structure and acidity that you can also pair it with a steak. Tip: you can age this wine for 10-15 years.
Jean-Nöel Haton Brut Classic Champagne ($29.99)
Hailing from France’s iconic Champagne region, this dry sparkling wine is made from two grapes: pinot meunier and pinot noir. The family owned winery is one of the top produces of Champagne in volume. Pair these bubbles with fried seafood, shrimp, or scallops.
La Spinona Barolo Bergera, 2012 ($43.99)
One of Italy’s most beloved regions, Barolo is located in Piedmont, where nebbiolo grapes grow and produce fragrant wines with strong tannins. The family winery honors the memory of its dog with this wine’s name. It’s a medium bodied wine with notes of cherry and licorice. Pair it with truffle risotto or a ripe gorgonzola cheese.
Trione Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley ($59.99)
After WWII, this family’s patriarch settled in Santa Rosa and became a banker and philanthropist. Today the third generation runs and oversees more than 600 vineyard acres that the family acquired over the years in three Sonoma County appellations. It wasn’t until 2005 that Trione Winery was officially founded and now it produces this dark, velvety and complex cabernet with black currant and baking spice notes.
All wines are available on the ABC Fine Wine & Spirits website.
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