An audience of two

Thursday December 07, 2006

Christmas Wine Bargains

Christmas is coming. Probably the most expensive time of the year, so here's a few wine tips from down under to save you some money.

1. Penfolds 2001 Winemaker's Reserve. $10 at K&L Wines. This is supposed to be rebadged Penfolds Bin 128, which usually retails for about $20. It's certainly a far better wine than its pricetag suggests. I'm not certain what happened - rumours suggest a cock-up in the warehouse, but whether that's true or not, the wine is worth having.

Update: Some branches of Trader Joes are carrying it at $8. Unfortunately the one I called at was sold out.

2. Rosemount 2003 Vintner's Reserve. $8 at Cost Plus World Market. This wine used to be known as "Traditional" - it's a Cabernet Sauvignon blend with some Merlot and Petit Verdot. I've picked up Traditional in Costco for around $20. Word is that Rosemount are planning a relaunch or rebranding, and are blowing out old stocks dirt cheap. The Rosemount GSM was available in Trader Joe's for $10 earlier this year, but good luck finding it now.

3. Rosemount 2001 Mudgee Mountain Blue. $13 at Whole Foods - if you buy six you get a 10% discount which brings the price down to $11.70 - totally insane for a wine that I've paid $35 for in the past, and most retailers are still charging up to $40 for. The wine needs some time to open up, so pour it into a decanter for a couple of hours before drinking. If you don't have a decanter try pouring it into an ordinary jug then, using a funnel, pour it back into the bottle.

4. Kim Crawford 2006 Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. $13 in Costco. Be careful; some branches are still selling the 2005, but the 2006 is a better year. This is one of my favourite white wines; it's not such a screaming bargain as the others, but it's a delicious, crisp wine at a very good price.

Finally, if you want a nice dessert wine to go with your christmas pud, try the 2002 Haut Bergeron Sauternes. It's about $25 in Costco, but not all branches carry it.