Decent everyday drinking wine

While it's getting easier to find good wine - it's not so easy to find decent everyday drinking wines which won't burn a hole in your budget.

Having sampled these wines very recently, I can say that they are indeed very decent everyday drinking wines. In fact - they will last for quite some time if you can keep the corks on them.

Both are suited for mediterranian type food from Spain, Italy, Southern France etc..


2006 Artadi El Seque - Alicante
A newly acquired vineyard in Alicante, Spain. 40 acres in brown/limestone soil. The blend is 80% Monastrell (also known as Mataro or Mourvedre), 10% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Full bodied wine. Extremely rich and packed. Best to give it a couple hours of air but drinks well right out of the gate. Very nice tannins. The price should be under US$30 - 91pts

2007 Le Macchiole - Bolgheri Rosso
This time from Tuscany, Italy. IGT table wine. Combination of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sangiovese. True to Le Macchiole, the purity of the fruit comes through here - each and every varietal. Initially one has the feeling the blend has not fully integrated and the tannins can be a bit roughish (but not bad). After time in the decanter this begins to come together. Under US$25 - 89+pts.

Just in case people get the wrong idea - these wines are the most economical ones in the range from Artadi or Le Macchiole. Their high end wines can fetch prices similar to Bordeaux first growth prices. These are some very high quality producers.

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