We washed down the bacon tempura with Segura Viudas Cava which I swear is the best dry, under $7 or $8 Spanish bubbles I’ve had. It doesn’t taste gassy like most cheap sparkling wine.

We also sucked down a few bottles of Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc before the whole shabang began. I love South African Sauv Blanc. It straddles the line between old world and new: bright, fresh, zippy fruit like New Zealand with the soft, herby complexity of any good Loire Valley type. This one might lean a little more towards Kiwiland. ($15, imported by Vineyard Brands)

Arnoux & Fils Vieux Clocher 2003 Vacqueyras, $13
(imported by Grape Expectations)
  70% Grenache and most of it coming from old vines, this wine has a beautiful, complex perfume: dried and sweet herbs with ripe blackberries and a lil’ pepper. It’s the first thing I sniff for with Vacqueyras and the reason it was elevated from a regular old Cotes du Rhone Village to its own AOC. The ripe blackberry and plum flavors give and give, while being supported by a solid structure.

Domaine de Couron 2004 Côtes du Rhône, $9
(imported by Chloé Wines)
  This wine is one of the prettiest Côtes du Rhône I’ve had, not just for this vintage, but for the past three running. It smells fresh, on the edge of floral, reeks of raspberry leaf, and has lip-smacking berry fruit followed by a finish that’s more about acidity than tannin. I’d rather drink this than cheap American Pinot any GD day. It’s a little less opaque than some of its brothers, who seem to compensate their lack of complexity with their concentration and end up tasting like an Aussie trying to speak French. Not right.

Louis Sipp of Alsace - Who has these wines? Nobody in this state. I could not walk away from this table. This was the best colection of Alsace wine I’ve tasted in quite a while. I don’t judge an Alsace winery on its fancy pants Grand Cru, I judge it on its single varietal offerings, “the basics.” The time and effort that went into the basics of the Sipp portfolio are commendable. All from the 2004 vintage, this winery obviously had the patience to let the grapes’ complexity catch up with the easy ripeness that marks this vintage in France.

Pinot Blanc was all ripe fruit, with a hint of the tropical, but lean and mean with that clean, just rained on, stoney quality I want from this grape, in this place, with a quenching of acidity. I expect something that goes with vegetable quiche at lunch, cheese after work, or the deck chair on the patio. Not as tropical, the fruit on the Pinot Gris reminds me of peaches not ready for picking, with that sweetness to the smell that is almost, but not quite, matched on the tongue. Coats the mouth, but manages fair acidity. A model example.

The Riesling had just a vague hint of flowers, on the outer edge of its spicy, nectarine flavor and finished totally dry. Most times, a Gewurztraminer that’s this clingy, combined with the whole roses thing, turns me off faster than a shirtless Alec Baldwin. But Sipp’s Gewurztraminer was fair and balanced, like 3 fresh rose petals in a bowl of raspberry/apricot jam. It was slightly sweet.

Domaine Albert Mann (imported my Weygandt-Metzler) - I’ve always liked these wines, but this was a classic case of what the wrong person can do for the best wine. Their representative looked bored to be there, annoyed to have to interrupt a conversation with a fellow native Austrian in order to pour. This other buyer also kept punctuating all of his sentences with the phrase, “as a sommelier…” Good grief. Yes, he knows this wine would go good with foie gras, you moron. Alsace is one of the liver captials of France. Geesh, Horsechack, how embarrassing.

Pinot Blanc: Raw almonds, definitely. And apples, red ones. This wine had a savory streak, like some Italians get. Tangy and dry, but getting a bit up there in price. (compared to the aforementioned Italians)

My favorite Mann wine was the Pinot Gris Hengst Grand Cru, which reeked lovingly of Jordan almonds and frangipan tart, coated the tongue softly, and shined with a zing fo acidity.

Pierre Sparr et Ses Fils (imported by W.J. Deutsch & Sons) - This is the Alsace wine most likely to appear in a store near you. Their Alsace One is a blend of all of the regions noble white grapes and tastes full, vibrant, and a teeny bit sweet. A great deal for $11 and tasty with cured meats and antipasti. I always like their Cremant d’Alsace as a Prosecco alternative, but not at over $15 a bottle. And it’s wholesale price is $12.59 in this state. That’s four bucks too high. Yeah, yeah, yeah…Euro this, rate that. I don’t care. It’s about what I’m willing to pay.

In general, I was sad about a few of the average price points for several categories. For example, a Cotes du Rhone should be $9 to $15, depending on pedigree and quality. If it can claim the name of an actual village, maybe as much as $18. But I saw prices upwards of $25. I’m not Chicken Little when I say that the prices are climbing. Like the bubbly above. Granted, Washington has a three tier system, and everyone has to get paid. But it sure does make a case for the direct import. And it doesn’t serve the customers in this state at all.

Domaine de Mourchon 2004 Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret, $15
(imported by Riservati, Inc.)
  For the under $15 set of the tasting, this was the femme fatale. Know what I mean? Dark, brooding fruit, aromas that edgesd toward the more exotic fennel, anise, and truffle. This wine managed both concentration and complexity and tasted more like a Northern Rhône than a Southern, for what it’s worth.

Domaines Perrin 2003 Côtes du Rhônes Villages, $11
(imported by Vineyard Brands)
  So, this is technically one of the big guys. But their philosophy is sound and their collective heart is in the right place. Hell, they have a heart. And a BLOG. Check it. This is the wine you’re most likely to find, wherever you may be. Rarely do I look at or agree with a winery’s tasting notes, but this was spot on: “Intense nose of macerated cherries and licorice. Full-bodied with a generous attack, a pleasant freshness and elegant tannins.” And how. Just rich enough, without being heavy. When I’m travelling, Perrin is one of those ubiquitous stand-bys I look for on a wine list. Like a tasty island in the stream.

To me, a “food wine” has the following qualities:

Acidity - Like lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, a wine with acidity refreshes your mouth and brings out flavors of the food.

Lower-alcohol - Alcohol deadens the palate. Wines with too much over-stimulate the tongue, create the sensation of heat, and just like a dish that’s too hot & spicy, rob food of any depth of flavor. 14.9%abv? Blech. I shoot for around 12.5% to 13%.

Balance - Like a good sauce, you need more than a single note. Even grape juice is sweet and tannic (mouth-drying). I should expect at least that much from WINE. Right?

Subtlety - that’s, S-U-B-T-L-E-T-Y. I subscribe to the Italian rule of wine. Wine is always PART of an experience, not the end all, be all. It should know it’s place is to serve the meal, serve your guests, serve the occasion, serve the conversation. The wine is nothing, without the context.

Yeah, so….these wines? They had all that and a bag of chips. And by chips, I mean good prices. Mmmmm…chips. Here are the best of the best, part one.

2005 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sevre & Maine sur lie - (white, light & dry, $10) Only two weeks in the bottle, this normally steely styled wine has a bigger punch of fruit than I expected. But it still kept to the characteristic minerally, dry, dry, dry self–a winery that’s always one of the most exciting offerings for a classic oyster wine like Muscadet.

2005 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sevre & Maine sur lie Vielles Vignes Clos des Briords - (white, light & dry, $12) And by old vine, they mean 80ish years… Not available til June. Seeing as how my cheap ass can’t see paying over $20 for Sancerre, this Muscadet might be its replacement. The soft, subtle undertones of sweet herbs, spice that was as hard to pin down as fog, and dry as a bone. Deceptively simple.

2003 Clos du Tue-Boeuf Le Brin du Chèvre Touraine (Menu Pineau) - (white, medium body & dry, $15) Weird! I’ve never had this grape before. But I can tell you that there’s only about 60 acres of it in the world. This wine smelled of apple must and had the same zing I get from smelling fresh goat cheese. Dare I say piquant. I just did. I smell it more in my mouth than with my nose. Say wha? Coooooool. This is for nerds.

2004 Domaine du Closel Savennières La Jalousie - (white, rich & dry, $18) This is the only AOC where wines from chenin blanc must be dry. So they can get a big freak on sometimes. This one is always on the more elegant side. Aromas of apple rind, blossoms, and stone. Rich, but soft enough to let the earthier side come through. A classic beauty. Whether they’re dry or sweet, chenin blanc based wines always have a richer feeling, kinda like Viognier.

2004 Domaine de Bellivière Coteaux du Loir Blanc L’Effraie - (white, medium rich & dry, $21) Chenin blanc, from the other Loir, a little off shoot of the big river. I’d serve it instead of an over-priced white Burgundy such as Meursault. I keep thinking of the dialect coach in Singing in the Rain, “roe-owe-nd toooooohnes.” Ripe, red apple, almost a baked quality of richness, with a crips finish. It would satisify the Chardonnay-obsessed, without boring the rest of us. And by us, I mean the royal us: me.

2004 Domaine Franck Peillot Mondeuse Bugey V.D.Q.S. - (red, lighter & dry, $15) Mondeuse is a grapey twice removed cousin of Syrah. And this one tastes like either a peppery version of Pinot Noir or an even lighter version of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc. It smells flirty and fresh, but in the mouth it has an almost savory quality, backed up by rich red fruit and a hint of cracked pepper. This gets my “it’s only how much?” award.

Terres Doreés FRV 100 Vin Mousseux Aromatique de Qualité NV - (sparkling, pink, a bit sweet $15) This wine’s getting its very own post when I can get more info on it. I think it’s just about some of the prettiest pink bubbles ever. Fanciest? No. Complex? No. Forget all that. When I tasted this wine, I had a moment. Not unlike, I’m sure, an International Foods coffee moment. Have you ever had a Moscato d’Asti? Well, people go apeshit for that stuff. There’s another wine called Braquetto d’Aqui. (stay with me here) It’s kind of the pink version of Moscato d’Asti. Light in alcohol, lightly bubbly, and lightly sweet. Well, screw that wine. The FRV 100 is also low in alcohol, not quite as bubbly as normal sparklers, but only a tiny bit sweet. It smelled like a strawberry plant and had the lovliest of sweet/tart flavors. If you have the means to procur a bottle, I highly recommend it. Isn’t Mother’s Day soon?

2004 Terres Dorées Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay - ( white, medium body & dry $12) Beaujolais Chardonnay? Outside of possibly being one of the best stripper names ever, this is a fun and fruity unoaked wine that has a nose of more exotic yet zippy fruit (green banana? kiwi?). Cool, clean and light.

2003 Terres Dorées Pinot Noir Bourgogne - (red, light & dry $16) Now I feel bad I’d ever only had this winery’s Beaujolais Nouveau, tasty though it may be. I feel robbed. This Pinot has the same seductive, “hi there” red raspberry fruit you expect, with a bit of earthiness and pepper, and a healthy dose of acidity. Very few under $20 Burgundies in this world…impressive.

2003 Mouthes lle Bihan Côtes de Duras Rouge Vieillefont - (red, medium+ body, $12) You’ll have to ask for it, very limited quantities… From the Southwest, near Bordeaux, this wine bitch slaps its more name-recognizable competition. Can you even get an un-swill Bordeaux for under $15 anymore? Rarely. This wine is Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, and Malbec. It has an intense wild blackberry aroma and flavor, with sweet spice and great structure. And it’s organic. If I had to describe it to a fellow colleague, I’d say think of a kinder, gentler Cahors. You want a cheap cellar starter? I got your cellar starter right here.

2004 Chateau d’Oupia Hérétiques Vin de Pays de l’Hérault - (red, medium body, $8)

So, outside of a cool ass label and name, this wine has been on my permanent best buy list for a while. 100% Carignan. It is the typical earthy, rich, country French wine. It has more character and depth than most wines of this price. It also has a developed quality to its fruit and a backbone. I also love giving it to people who only buy budget wine to show them that “budget” does not have to mean crap or fruit bomb; and it doesn’t mean you have to settle. Buy it by the case, and most places’ll give you another 10 to 20% off.