Tough times often bring great wine values

  The economic woes we have been dealing with have affected the selling price of wine, resulting in a number of great deals in the marketplace. Especially in higher priced, collectible wines.

Starting in the late 1990s, especially in Napa and Bordeaux, many wineries began to exponentially increase the retail cost of their wines — with some labels raising the price more than fourfold in that span. On the other hand, there are many very good wines available for less than $15 a bottle.

Wine Enthusiast magazine annually publishes a list of its “Top 100 Best Buys,” and in 2009 it chose the 2008 Big House White as its No. 1 pick. I found this blend of Malvasia Bianca, Muscat, Canelli, Viognier and Roussanne grapes to be quite dry, but tasty, with ripe flavors of green apple and pear. The wine had a decent finish and would complement almost any grilled or roast fish dish.

The Big House Wine Company is based in Soledad, Calif., and produces a number of different types of wine using an interesting mix of grapes. Many of its grapes are nontraditional varietals, and the company uses only Stelvin closures — or in other words, screw caps. One look at the label and you will quickly realize the “Big House” is a prison — the company is named after its neighbor, Soledad State Correctional Facility. Big House’s wine-making philosophy is to make Mediterranean-style wines, and the winery uses many of the traditional grape varietals commonly found in that region of the world.

I immediately detected the aroma of pepper from the 2007 Big House Red, which contained the flavor of dark cherries.

The winemaker claims this wine contains more varieties than Sybil has personalities — it is amazing that 16 different grape varietals were used.

This wine paired nicely with an entrée of sun-dried tomato and garlic–encrusted chicken.

I found the 2008 Big House Pink to contain flavors of strawberry.

This dry rosé was surprisingly refreshing, almost the way a white wine tastes poolside on a hot Florida afternoon.

The wine is a blend of a number of different varietals, including Sangiovese, Barbera, Zinfandel, Carignan and Mourvèdre.

In order to make this wine pink, the winemaker allows the grape skins to remain in contact with the juice for a short time after the grapes are crushed.

All of these wines can be easily found in wine shops and grocery stores, but the best part is they are bargain-priced at less than $10 a bottle.

Sometimes, it is nice to be able to take advantage of the economic situation and drink a decent bottle of wine at a reasonable cost.

Jim Rawe, a family attorney in Bradenton, Fla., is an avid collector of fine wines.