A list of light and fresh red wines to buy – 9/2/2023 – Red or White

With the half-bowl winter this year, light and fresh red wines go better than pancadões like the Uruguayan tannat, the Chilean cabernet sauvignon or a reserve from the Spanish region of Rioja, for example. Therefore, I chose the three wines below to debut the series of recommendations that I intend to offer here with some regularity. Today we have three wines that I drank recently, that I really liked and that are reasonably priced.

Cheap or expensive are relative terms. A cheap wine for you may be very expensive for me and vice versa. This depends on several factors. Not just income. Of course, the purchasing power (or lack thereof) is quite decisive when choosing. I myself study, read, taste wonders at work, but in most restaurants, I end up choosing the wine by the column on the right, that is, the price. Most of the time, I only find one or two labels that fit my budget.

Everyone’s budget is different. While a good number of luxury restaurant goers easily pay more than R$ 1,000 for a bottle, the majority of the Brazilian population can only (when they can) pay for pet bottle wine, formerly known as carafão wine, made with grapes of table.

The consumption pattern, however, also depends on each one’s priorities. I have friends who spend BRL 2,000 on a bag and think it is unreasonable to pay BRL 80.00 for a bottle of wine. Others, like me, don’t even dream of having a handbag at that price and spend a little more on wines. The amount consumed also weighs. I, for example, buy few wines because I often drink at work events. When I buy, I try to spend up to R$80.00 on the shelf and up to R$120.00 at the restaurant. Preferably less. However, sometimes I have to climb this cut line. There are special occasions, of course, such as celebrations, trips or unmissable offers, where I spend more. Already, for those who drink every day or receive a lot of people at home, maintaining this standard can be very difficult.

And you, dear readers? What is your cut line? I imagine they are the most varied. So my bag will also be varied. Today I start with wines within my cut-off line, around R$80.00. I promise to look for wines below that that are worth nominating, but I warn you that it’s not easy because you already know the reserved Chilean at the supermarket and you don’t need me to recommend it. Sometimes, in these suggestions, I will go a little above my own budget, because there must be a lot of people out there who earn better (which is not very difficult) and even prioritize (I doubt it very much) wine more than I do. And, remember, prices change.
Here’s this week’s list:

Kernel Wild Gamay Noveau 2023
Made from the same grape as the Beaujolais, this Gaucho wine from the Southern Campaign is bottled a few months after the harvest. On Miolo’s website, it is written that it is the first bottled wine from the 2023 vintage in the world. This information is difficult to verify, but it is certainly one of the first. It doesn’t even come close to an oak barrel, which helps maintain the fruit’s aromas and freshness. I also feel aromas of black pepper and graphite which, oddly enough, make it very interesting. It can be drunk chilled. On the Miolo website, it costs R$80.11, but in some emporiums and supermarkets it is sometimes cheaper. Important, try to taste the 2023 because it is still fresh.

Circus Malbec
A malbec very different from the ones we are used to. It doesn’t go through oak barrels, so it doesn’t have that smell and that taste of vanilla and chocolate that please so much. On the other hand, it has something very fresh. It feels like we’re biting into a black plum. Or rather, a salad of black plums, strawberries, cherries, etc. On the nose, it also resembles these fruits. The body is medium to light and the acidity, a delicious sourness, helps to go down easily. It was a pleasant surprise when I tried it, so much so that I even made a post on Instagram thanking the seller who recommended it to me. Produced by Bodega Escorihuela Gascón, it costs R$80.66 in Grand Cru.

Emiliana Adobe Reserva Pinot Noir
This one I always buy. It’s a wine that I take to relaxed lunches or to eat pizza at someone’s house. Emiliana is a Chilean winery belonging to the Concha y Toro group, considered the largest in the world to work with organic and biodynamic vineyards. As with pinot noir wines, it is clear and translucent in the glass and light and fresh in the mouth. On the nose, it has the red fruits common to most reds, but here they appear fresh and quite evident. It has a slight hint of vanilla which must come from a small part of the wine resting for a short time in oak. It’s just a seasoning.
It costs R$84.00 on the La Pastina website, but at Sacolão de Perdizes (São Paulo), where I buy it, it costs R$59.90.

PRESENT LINK: Did you like this text? Subscriber can release five free hits of any link per day. Just click the blue F below.