100% Montepulciano. This is the kind of wine you drink while making pasta and pour some in the sauce.

Xarel-lo is a grape grown in Catalonia used to make Cava (Spainish sparkling wine.) By itself and without bubbles, you get this bone-dry, affordable white wine perfect for a sunny lunch.

It’s a $13 Pinot Noir, from France.

Upside: We’re embracing this new trend of high quality, affordable, and drinkable wines that come in one liter bottles. Downside: Your bedtime just got later. If you’ve had a chance to sip with us, you know that we are all about value. This wine brings the quality of a unique blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino…. and adds the quantity. In Italian, we say “un altro frate viene…” and this wine gives you a little wiggle room to invite another guest. For you non-Sauv fans, not to worry, even Sarah and Club member Meredith love it.

Go big or go home. Yes, we are piggybacking on the success of our first ever one liter bottle in August. The Cote Mas Sauvignon/Vermentino Blend (pause for “what?”) was one of our most reordered wines ever. So we are bringing the same joy, but with a red. We have vetted this wine at three school events and it has proven to be very versatile. It can be served chilled or at room temperature, it holds up well for day two if you don’t finish it, it’s cheap enough to cook with, good enough to drink while you are cooking, and there is 33% more than a regular wine bottle. (Don’t bury the lead.) Although you don’t need to decant it, it’s perfect in a carafe. Plus, it’s a great wine for a holiday meal with at least one-too-many guests.

Don’t judge a bottle by its label. Sure, this gives old man vibes – the label touts awards they won in the 80s – the 1880s, that is. Don’t call it a comeback, they’ve made the same four blends since 1851. We loved this Syrah and Merlot blend, it’s a tiny bit more summer-y compared to the others.  When you hear stories about visiting Spain and drinking incredible wines for $5 a bottle, this is the type of wine they are talking about. Pro tip: Let it breathe a little.

If you think you haven’t had Pinot Meunier before, you’re probably wrong. It is one of the three primary varietals used in Champagne (with pals Chardonnay and Pinot Noir). And, if you think it is white wine, also wrong. It is light, has a long flavor, can be chilled, has a screw cap, and the flavor holds up if you don’t finish the bottle until the next day. Do you have the other half of this locket? It may be the perfect wine to stash in your bedroom so you don’t have to go downstairs for a drink. Affectionate pet name from Club member Heather: “Bedroom Wine.”

This Spanish Rose is always a crowd pleaser.

This may seem like a repeat wine but it has never been “in da Club.” We purchased it before the November Delivery even though we didn’t need it. Since then, we haven’t been able to keep our hands off it. Sorry! We drink it all the time, brought it to multiple parties, sold it to people looking for reds around the holidays. It even graced O’Dowd’s teacher appreciation. It is a well-done, affordable Gamay that goes with any food but has the body and pepper to go it alone. This may be the perfect Super Bowl Red. Did I mention go 9ers?

A step up from the basic Prosecco (in life and with this brand.) Still cheap enough to pour orange juice in but better if you drink it straight.

Garrafeira means “cellared wine,” meaning that its held in the bottle longer before release. Most people don’t have a true wine cellar, but if you do, I hope you don’t have many $18 bottles from 2011. They are probably vinegar by now, but this is the exception. Strong, balanced, with significant tannins, and made with the same grapes that go into port. And 2011 was an amazing vintage for port. What do you get when you have a 14-year old wine, from a great vintage, made in a place that is famous for aging wine and selling affordable, high quality reds? Lezgo.

IT’S BACK

The #1 selling wine we have ever done is back after a few year hiatus.

These pink bubbles were made famous when Obama and Putin shared a toast in 2015 at the UN. The tiny winery in Marche only found out later that their wine was served.

This wine is fun and delicious and should start every holiday celebration.

Good Domestic Rose. This won a blind tasting for a school event.

This wine was a shock to me, but it shouldn’t have been. When I hear Cabernet Franc, I think about the blending grape used to mellow out the Cabernet and Merlot in Bordeaux blends. It has been used that way since the 1700s. But there are records of Cabernet Franc in the Loire region of Bourgueil going back even further. The Caslot family has been on the same Domaine in that region since 1640. And in Bourgueil, Cab France is not a blending grape. It makes a meaty, peppery wine that belongs on the table with the main course. I would have guessed that this was a Syrah or Nebbiolo. Anxious to hear your thoughts.

Please meet this excellent Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero – a region we have enjoyed maybe more than Rioja. The designation “Crianza” means that it was aged for at least two years (at least one in oak barrels) before release. Riserva and Grand Riserva are aged longer. It has the mouthfeel of a California wine with a flavor that is obviously Spanish. Prepare – this may be a new fan favorite. Let it breathe.

Winemaker-friend Tony turned us on to Roccolo Grassi years ago because they “make wine the right way.” Since then we have enjoyed many of their white wines, but this is the first red that we’ve had in the club. Although this typical blend of Northern Italian varietals, it’s unique because half of the grapes are sun-dried like Amarone. 92 points from Vinous

2019 was a fantastic Barolo vintage producing plenty of ageable wines at every price range. If you are in that market and you can afford the Blue Chip producers, good on you. Spend the money and put some 2019s in your cellar to forget about for a while. For SRWC (to read: no blue chips), it means that we can get a 2019 Barolo that is affordable, approachable now, but can also stay in the bottle for a while if you want to wait. But we don’t.

You know the story…. grape is almost extinct, someone brings it back, you haven’t heard of it, it’s delicious, blah blah. But oops, we did it again. Schioppettino (skee-yope-eh-tee-no – repeat) is a great peppery summer red otherwise known as Ribolla Nera (event though it is genetically unrelated to Ribolla Gialla.)

Our High Road Reds tend to be French and Italian, but this Super Tuscan meets you in the middle. It is a classic Bordeaux blend (Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot), but distinctly Italian in flavor.

Traditionally we would recommend a Gamay or Pinot Noir for your Thanksgiving table, so this year we are bringing you both. There is a region in Burgundy called Passetoutgrains where they blend the two grapes, BUT this one is from California. The High Country Red is a blend of almost equal amounts of the two varietals and is from the Sonoma Coast. America!

It’s hard to get a Bordeaux in the SWRC price point, especially from Margaux. But we try! We taste them every year and they are either too expensive or don’t meet our standards. Enter 2019 – an excellent year in Margaux but not legendary like 2020. La Dame D’Angludet is the second wine of Château Angludet and is made from the younger vines of Cabernet, Merlot, and Petite Verdot. Club members Fred and Jennifer chose this as one of the “adult” wines for their daughter’s wedding, while the youngsters drink natural wine.

Meet this classic Pinot Noir from the premier Pinot Noir region in the world made by a family that has been doing it here since the 1800s. Critics of Burgundy will say that it is overpriced and overrated. But they also say it’s delicious.

An allocated wine is one that is in high demand, with limited quantity that the winery or importer dolls out sparingly, usually to reward loyalty. And boom! We got some. Alain Graillot is the maker, who over the past 30 years has been consistently lauded for high-quality Syrah from the region. 91-93 points. Our allocation is only 12 bottles for (and we already drank one.)