20 Wines for Under $20: Weeknight Pleasures for Relaxed Evenings

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/21/dining/best-wines-under-20-dollars-fall.html

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The requirements for weeknight cooking are easy to understand, but weeknight wine? It’s a bit more conceptual.

The last thing anyone wants after a long day of work is to put in another few hours over a cutting board and stove. But where is the labor in opening a bottle? It is the wine inside that matters.

Weeknight wines ought to be undemanding, like easygoing comedies rather than Ingmar Bergman films. They need not require rapt attention, but they should be delicious and refreshing. And if you do choose to focus on them, you should be rewarded with something of interest, a touch of nuance or complexity that would repay the gift of your attention.

Did I mention price? They should be relatively inexpensive and great values, which are not necessarily the same thing. You can find plenty of innocuous wines for $10. Most will be sound but boring — paint-by-numbers facsimiles of more interesting bottles. They are cheap, but where is the value?

In the range of $15 to $20, however, the level of interest and excitement rises exponentially over $10 wines. These 20 bottles I’ve selected, all under $20, are great weeknight wines, easygoing and friendly. And if you wish to engage with them, they will be worth your while.

I have been compiling similar lists for a few years now. If you compare this one with some others, you will see quite a few differences. No sparkling wine. No fortified wine. Nothing from Spain. Only one bottle from California. No particular reason, except that I am trying not to repeat too many bottles from past lists, like these from fall 2016 or fall 2015.

The bottles on those earlier lists are still worth seeking out, even if what you find are from more recent vintages. Sometimes prices may have increased a few dollars as well. Partisans of Spain or California will find more to choose from on those lists. Spain offers great values, even if I didn’t turn up any on my recent shopping trips. California? Not so many.

The majority of the wines on this list come from France and Italy. These cradles of modern wine production are the greatest sources of excellent values today because of their diversity and their traditions. You simply have many more types of interesting wines from which to choose.

Not that I want to rile anybody up. Weeknight wines are intended to relax, not to antagonize. But if you feel strongly that in the yearslong body of 20 Under $20 lists, I am neglecting areas of value and interest, I welcome your suggestions.

De Forville Langhe Nebbiolo 2015, $19.96

This fine producer in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy specializes in Barbaresco, and its wines are generally excellent values. The Langhe nebbiolo is made largely from young Barbaresco vines. It’s earthy and lightly tannic with firm, long flavors that are more fruit than mineral, perhaps, but it’s well balanced and exceptional. (Rosenthal Wine Merchant, New York)

Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bourgogne Aligoté 2015, $19.96

I have been obsessed with aligoté, Burgundy’s other white grape, for some time now. It is so zesty, so lively and so misunderstood, which makes it a great value. Many good producers, like Paul Pernot, make good aligotés as well. This one will go beautifully with fresh, end-of-season tomato dishes or with pungent, oily seafood and pasta dishes, salade niçoise and cheeses. (Summit Selections, Staten Island, N.Y.)

Contrà Soarda Veneto Rosso Gaggion 2012, $19.99

The marzemino grape is practically unknown today, but its history in northeastern Italy stretches back for centuries. This red from Contrà Soarda, which also makes a fine white from the equally obscure vespaiolo grape, is rich yet high-toned. After five years, this wine’s potent tannins have smoothed out, allowing earthy raspberry flavors to emerge. It is delicious with meatballs or pizza. (Jan D’Amore Wines, Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Bloomer Creek Vineyard Finger Lakes Tanzen Dame Edelzwicker Black Cap Trocken 2013, $19.99

This delicious, gulpable wine comes from one of my favorite Finger Lakes producers. Edelzwicker is a term used in Alsace for a simple, blended quaffing wine. In keeping with that theme, gewürztraminer is in the blend, but so is Cayuga white, an aromatic, hybrid grape common in the Finger Lakes. The result is dry, pure and thirst-quenching, an excellent aperitif.

Nicole Chanrion Côte de Brouilly 2014, $19.96

The world seems finally to have discovered the incredible values to be found in good cru Beaujolais, which sadly has sent prices soaring. Yet here is a fine value from Côte de Brouilly, not one of the most esteemed crus, like Moulin-à-Vent or Morgon, but one of my favorites. It is pure and precise, with earthy, lingering flavors of red fruits and pressed flowers. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, Calif.)

Gai’a Greece Ritinitis Nobilis NV, $14.99

You’ve probably read about wretched examples of retsina, the traditional Greek wine flavored with pine resin. This, on the other hand, is a great, updated version, made with care and attention. Gai’a makes this wine with roditis, a fine grape, rather then the usual dull savatiano, and the result is a revelation: bright, vibrant and refreshing, and wonderful with Greek appetizers and even lamb roasted on a spit. (Athenee Importers, Hempstead, N.Y.)

Stéphane Magnien Bourgogne Passetoutgrain Cuvée Densité 2015, $17.99

Passetoutgrain (pronounced pahss-too-GRAHN) is the Burgundy region’s easygoing simple red, kind of a counterpart to the white aligoté, generally without as high an upside. It’s not a single grape, but a blend of at least one-third pinot noir and no more than two-thirds gamay, fermented together. Nonetheless, Stéphane Magnien’s Cuvée Densité is juicy, thirst-quenching and delicious, and it makes me very happy. (Fruit of the Vines, Long Island City, N.Y.)

Tiago Teles Bairrada Maria da Graça 2015, $19.99

Bairrada is a sort of forgotten region in Portugal south of the Douro and not far from the Atlantic, which, along with its clay-and-limestone soils, gives its wines a freshness and energy that I love. Baga is the best red grape, but this fascinating red is a blend of the little known alfrocheiro (90 percent) and a white grape, bical (10 percent). It’s fresh, earthy and almost stony, with flavors of red fruits and flowers. (Savio Soares Selections, Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Lemelson Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Six Vineyards 2014, $19.99

Oregon has the unusual capacity among American wine regions to produce both excellent ambitious wines and satisfying inexpensive wines without compromising on grapes, terroir or winemaking. This pinot noir from Lemelson is floral and fruity, well focused, earthy and precise.

Knebel Mosel Riesling 2015, $18.99

For anybody put off by German wine labels or terminology, here is a great counterexample. The packaging of this dry German riesling from Knebel, a top Mosel producer, is simple, clean and easy to understand, with no jargon or indecipherable fonts. The same is true of the wine. It’s dry, stony and pure with compelling minerality, a great value. (Schatzi Wines, Milan, N.Y.)

Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie Terre de Pierre 2015, $19.99

If you follow the tradition of eating oysters only in “R” months, you may as well drink the traditional oyster wine, Muscadet. Not that other wines aren’t great with oysters, just as Muscadet has far more going for it than to be an oyster accompaniment. For proof, try this fresh Terre de Pierre from Luneau-Papin. Though it is gossamer light, it has a chewy texture and mineral flavors that linger, along with a floral aroma. Try it with other light seafood preparations, with cheeses or quiche and even poultry. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)

Château Graville-Lacoste Graves 2016, $16.96

Like riesling, Loire reds and sherry, white Bordeaux is one of those wine-writer favorites (or maybe one of this wine writer’s favorites) that never manages to capture the imagination of the public. That can make it a very good value, like this savory, saline wine from Graville-Lacoste, made of 75 percent sémillon, 20 percent sauvignon blanc and 5 percent muscadelle. It is rich but floral, and the longer it’s exposed to air, the better it gets. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant)

Brovia Dolcetto d’Alba Vignavillej 2015, $18.99

Dolcetto is one of those perennially underrated wines that never quite achieves the level of desirable. Yet when the grapes are grown conscientiously in the right places, and the wine made carefully, dolcetto can be delightful. This one from Brovia, a fine Barolo producer, is rich and mouthfilling; deliciously bitter, yet with a fruity sweetness and underlying mineral flavors. (Rosenthal Wine Merchant)

Odoardi Savuto 2014, $15.99

Savuto is a little-known appellation in Calabria, the toe of Italy’s boot and one of the country’s least-explored food-and-wine regions. This red blend from Odoardi, a very good producer, is almost half gaglioppo, a highly tannic grape, leavened by the addition of four other grapes. The fascinating result is dusty, earthy and tart with a substrata of sweet fruit. (Jan D’Amore Wines)

Huia Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016, $16.99

I’m generally unmoved by New Zealand sauvignon blancs, but this one, a star of a recent Wine School column, caused me to rethink the subject. Herbal with saline and mineral flavors, this wine is just generally superb. (T. Edward Wines, New York)

Royal Tokaji Dry Tokaji Furmint “The Oddity” 2015, $16.99

What makes this wine the “Oddity”? It’s hard to say, as Hungary produces more than a few dry furmints these days. But perhaps it’s that for centuries the Tokaji region was known internationally for its luscious sweet wines. Tokaji’s dry wines are pretty good, too, like this one with peachy, apricot flavors leavened by a savory edge, gentle but persistent. (Wilson Daniels, St. Helena, Calif.)

Barale Fratelli Barbera d’Alba Superiore Castlé 2015, $19.99

Barbera, along with dolcetto and nebbiolo, is part of the trinity of major red grapes in the Piedmont region of Italy. Good barbera offers ripsaw acidity that refreshes and cleans the mouth, making it a great choice with Italian sausages and fatty meats, pizza and stews. This one from Barale, an excellent Barolo producer, is fresh, balanced and shows great precision. (T. Elenteny Imports, New York)

Caparzo Rosso di Montalcino 2014, $18.99

I love sangiovese, the red grape of Chianti and of Montalcino, among other less renowned strongholds in Tuscany. This Rosso di Montalcino doesn’t have the depth or complexity of good Brunello di Montalcino, but it is rich, pure and precise, and far less expensive. Try it with grilled skirt steak. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala.)

Muri-Gries Alto Adige Lagrein 2016, $18.96

Lagrein is yet another obscure red grape from Italy. Yet this one has so much going for it. Forget the romance of its production site, an ancient Benedictine monastery in the mountainous Alto Adige in the Tyrolean northeast. It is savory and spicy, chunky yet supple with delicious floral and dark fruit flavors. Perfect for when vespers are over. (Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, N.Y.)

Ground Effect Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, $19.99

The Santa Ynez Valley, especially the Santa Rita Hills on the western end, is best known for pinot noir and chardonnay. But the east end, which goes by the name Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, is better suited for warmer-climate grapes like cabernet sauvignon. This bottle from Ground Effect is not a small wine. It’s spicy and herbal, yet not at all sweet or thick, a reminder of what can be great about California cabernet. Bring on the steaks and burgers.

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