Posted by Jeanette Shaw
Sometimes I think wine should be the official beverage of the publishing industry. It’s certainly my first choice of drink at any work function or even just a quiet night of working at home. (To all my authors: don’t worry, I do edit your manuscripts with a clear head!) A nice bottle of wine can be an expensive habit, though. So I was definitely excited when we acquired Natalie MacLean’s new book Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines. MacLean, an acclaimed sommelier and journalist, spends the book exploring the far corners of the globe for great, affordable wines and the colorful vintners who make them. Along the way she offers some useful advice for spotting a good bargain:
- Look for labels that have illegible gothic script and impossibly long names that are difficult to pronounce. Few people can read them, so they don’t buy the wines, and demand doesn’t push up prices.
- Check your perceptions about which regions can make wine. South Africa benefits from the confluence of the oceans as well as the cooling breeze of the Antarctic, creating ideal conditions for growing wine. So try a South African brand.
- Go for wines from regions where the currency gives you an advantage. Canadian and American dollars are much stronger than Argentina’s pesos, so that builds in another discount on the import cost.
- No longer does a screw cap necessarily mean that the wine is plonk. Many good producers are using this effective closure to protect their wine.
Some of my personal favorite wines at prices that will appeal to everyone:
Charles Smith Wines “Kung Fu Girl” Riesling Columbia Valley
http://www.charlessmithwines.com/wines.php
DMZ (De Morgenzon) Syrah (Shiraz) Stellenbosch South Africa
http://www.demorgenzon.com/wines_dmz03.html
Don Rodolfo Pinot Noir Argentina
http://www.donrodolfo.com/pinot_noir.htm
Natalie MacLean’s Unquenchable goes on sale in November.
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