The "best" four wines under $12 are recommended by Consumer Search in their website article titled, “ Best Wine Under $12: Reviews.” The article was updated May, 2008. Consumer Search states it is the U.K. equivalent of Consumer Reports. The organization investigates a variety of popular products, including treadmills and chocolate, and provide on-line ratings and reviews for consumers.
Wine Tasting Information & Best Boxed Wine
Consumer Search (CS) states that the "best" overall red wine, estimated price $11, is the Spanish Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha 2005 (labeled Las Rocas). The taste is described as “...bouquet of strawberries... black cherry, licorice, and black pepper...” CS says it has “an excellent” blending of firm tannins and fruitiness. The wine has a higher than average alcohol content. The other three “best” wines under $12 are:
Aveleda Vinho Verde Quinta da Aveleda (labeled Aveleda): CS lists this Portuguese white wine as “best white." The estimated price is $6. The wine is reported be a little on the dry side with flavors of “melon, green apple and peach.” This wine is “widely available.”
Yellow Tail Reserve Shiraz 2005: this red wine is from Australia, (estimated price $11) and rated by CS as “best” red wine for storing several years. The 2006 bottle is “nearly as good” with flavors of fruit and spice.
Dtour 2004 Macon-Villages: This white wine from France is rated “best boxed wine,” for an estimated $40 for three liters. It is a light, crisp wine and “...cheaper than an equivalent amount of bottled wine.” It is not as “complex" as higher priced wines.
Wine Guide: International Types of White & Red Wine
Wikipedia Encyclopedia lists the main international grape varietials of red wine as:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Pinot noir
Syrah/Shiraz
The main international grape varietials of white wine listed are:
Chardonnay
Gewürztraminer
Muscat
Riesling
Sauvignon blanc
Sémillon
Pinot Noir Wine: Description & Brief History
Pinot noir “is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera...” according to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia. The Pinot noir Wikipedia web page provides a description and brief history of this popular wine variety. The name comes from two French words which translate to “pine and black.” The grapes have a pine cone shape and are dark purple.
The Burgundy region of France is well known for Pinot noir production. In the U.S. this wine variety generally comes from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and Sonoma County, California. The Pinot noir grapes are grown worldwide. These grapes are more difficult to cultivate and “transform into wine,” according to Wikipedia. The grapes have very thin skin, and are more subject to fungal diseases and bunch rot than other grape varieties.
Pinot noir is an “ancient variety,” and its origins “are unclear.” The grape is “one or two generations removed from wild vines.” During the first century AD, a Pinot noir grape variety could be found in France and Belgium. The first century vines of southern France may "...represent Caucasian stock transported by the ancient Greeks.” This grape variety is prone to mutation, and 50 clones are “officially recognized" in France.
Pinot noir is not listed, by Consumer Search, in their recommended list of wines for under $12. Of all wine types, Pinot noir is most likely the world’s most popular wine, according to Wikipedia. Hundreds of Pinot noir clones exist, and two of the most widely known are Pinot Fin and Pinot Tordu.
Wine Tasting Information & Best Boxed Wine
Consumer Search (CS) states that the "best" overall red wine, estimated price $11, is the Spanish Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha 2005 (labeled Las Rocas). The taste is described as “...bouquet of strawberries... black cherry, licorice, and black pepper...” CS says it has “an excellent” blending of firm tannins and fruitiness. The wine has a higher than average alcohol content. The other three “best” wines under $12 are:
Aveleda Vinho Verde Quinta da Aveleda (labeled Aveleda): CS lists this Portuguese white wine as “best white." The estimated price is $6. The wine is reported be a little on the dry side with flavors of “melon, green apple and peach.” This wine is “widely available.”
Yellow Tail Reserve Shiraz 2005: this red wine is from Australia, (estimated price $11) and rated by CS as “best” red wine for storing several years. The 2006 bottle is “nearly as good” with flavors of fruit and spice.
Dtour 2004 Macon-Villages: This white wine from France is rated “best boxed wine,” for an estimated $40 for three liters. It is a light, crisp wine and “...cheaper than an equivalent amount of bottled wine.” It is not as “complex" as higher priced wines.
Wine Guide: International Types of White & Red Wine
Wikipedia Encyclopedia lists the main international grape varietials of red wine as:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Pinot noir
Syrah/Shiraz
The main international grape varietials of white wine listed are:
Chardonnay
Gewürztraminer
Muscat
Riesling
Sauvignon blanc
Sémillon
Pinot Noir Wine: Description & Brief History
Pinot noir “is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera...” according to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia. The Pinot noir Wikipedia web page provides a description and brief history of this popular wine variety. The name comes from two French words which translate to “pine and black.” The grapes have a pine cone shape and are dark purple.
The Burgundy region of France is well known for Pinot noir production. In the U.S. this wine variety generally comes from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and Sonoma County, California. The Pinot noir grapes are grown worldwide. These grapes are more difficult to cultivate and “transform into wine,” according to Wikipedia. The grapes have very thin skin, and are more subject to fungal diseases and bunch rot than other grape varieties.
Pinot noir is an “ancient variety,” and its origins “are unclear.” The grape is “one or two generations removed from wild vines.” During the first century AD, a Pinot noir grape variety could be found in France and Belgium. The first century vines of southern France may "...represent Caucasian stock transported by the ancient Greeks.” This grape variety is prone to mutation, and 50 clones are “officially recognized" in France.
Pinot noir is not listed, by Consumer Search, in their recommended list of wines for under $12. Of all wine types, Pinot noir is most likely the world’s most popular wine, according to Wikipedia. Hundreds of Pinot noir clones exist, and two of the most widely known are Pinot Fin and Pinot Tordu.
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