One of my favourite restaurants in Toronto, Grano on Yonge Street, held an event recently called “Recession Reds”. The
globeandmail.com’s Beppi Crosariol was there as well as 120 everyday wine drinkers. The article is worth reading, but the short of it is these wines were the winners:

1. Fuzion from Argentina ($7.45)
2. Obikwa Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from South Africa ($8.95)
3. Ubuntu Shiraz 2006 ($9.95) from South Africa
4. Trapiche Astica Merlot Malbec from Argentina ($7.45)
5. Flor de Crasto 2007 ($9.95) from Portugal
6. Spinelli Sangiovese 2007 ($7.50) from Italy
7. Sogrape Douro Vila Regia 2005 ($8.95) from Portugal
8. Alianca Douro Floral 2007 ($8.50) from Portugal
9. Cesari Merlot 2007 ($7.45) from Italy

Some thoughts on this:

• Four countries make these reds: Argentina, South Africa, Portugal and Italy.
• Year after year, Portuguese wines are consistently good, low cost, and underrated. They have that old world taste to them, but they deliver it for such a great price. These two are just two of the many great Portuguese wines that are low cost.
• Likewise with Argentinian wines. Sadly, they may become trendy and shoot up in price.
• If you like #4, try others by Trapiche. The whites are good too. Nothing complex, but good simple flavour for a great price.
• If you like merlot, you have to try #9. If you want a good thing to have tomato sauce with, go with #6.
• If #1 gets any more popular, it will have it’s own section in the LCBO. Look out Wolf Blass and Yellow Tale.

Billy Munnelly hosted this event. You can get his take on some of the wines here.