Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Sarah Baraba

​Walking into Copia Urban Winery & Market (1122 Washington Avenue; 314241-9463), Gut Check was a little intimidated and frankly nervous that they had misunderstood our request for a wine under $15. The white tablecloths, fireplace and sparkling décor didn't exactly indicate we'd be finding a bottle bargain. But, oh, did Copia's wine buyer David Schaeffer prove us wrong. He sat down with Gut Check for a taste of Charles Smith Wines' the Velvet Devil Merlot, that will set you back $15 on the nose.

This 2009 merlot hails from Washington State's Columbia Valley, giving it something California wines cannot. "Washington makes great wines, and they're pretty much known for their pinots," said Schaeffer. "The climate is a little bit cooler than when you go down south to Napa or Sonoma and that allows the grape to stay on the vine a little bit longer and gives them a little bit more sugar so they can make better, fuller wines."

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Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Erika Miller

​Always on the quest for easy-drinking, low-budget wine, Gut Check has picked up on some of the telltale traits that separate a decent bottle from a forgettable one. In our experience, wines that come with a twist-off top are often placed in the forgettable category, but Gut Check's opinion was changed by the Villa des Anges cabernet sauvignon from the Wine and Cheese Place (7435 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-727-8788).

Andy Silver had this cabernet ready for us when we walked in the door and told us that for only $9.99, this wine is one of the store's better sellers.

"The price is absolutely right," Silver said. "To get a cab with some character for under $10 is very good."

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Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Emily Wasserman

​Normally when one hears the words "Fall Fling," images of tulle-lined party dresses and flowered lapels come to mind. Maybe you feel a shiver run down your spine at the memory of a school-chaperoned event, complete with punch bowls and a greasy-haired DJ.

Luckily, Saint Louis Cellars' (2640 South Big Bend Boulevard; 314-880-9000) 2nd Annual Fall Fling was a much different affair. The event, which allows the general public to sample over 90 wines for only $5, is part of a biannual event series that started in the spring of 2010, and marks its fourth anniversary this Fall.

"We were originally trying to think of a one-year anniversary idea, and we thought of having an event where customers could sample everything in the store. We go to all the distributors and get to taste the wine before we buy it, so we thought it would be fun if people got to do it, too," manager and marketing director Diane Blaskiewicz explained.

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Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Erika Miller

Parker Station pinot noir is as light and playful as the panda on the label.

​The recent shift from boiling hot temperatures to cool, breezy days had Gut Check in a mellow mood when we waltzed through the sun-drenched doorway of Starrs (1135 South Big Bend Boulevard, Richmond Heights; 314-781-2345). Owner Bud Starr kept our pleasant mood going with a rare find - a pinot noir under $15.

When Starr asked his staff members their favorite low-cost pinot, they chorused "Parker Station." This 2009 pinot pick is sourced from Santa Barbara, California and is a "go-to" low-cost pinot, according to Starr. For only $10.99, Parker Station is as clear and light as the weather outside and shines a soft scarlet color. Starr said the light color of the wine indicates that no syrah snuck its way in, which can sometimes be the case with cheap pinot noirs. He also pointed out that the Parker Station actually smells like a pinot noir, a scent many low-cost pinot noir wines lack.

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Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Ettie Berneking

​After teaching a class full of wine laymen about the tasty traits of chardonnay, Phil Peimann, a salesman at the Wine Merchant Ltd. (20 South Hanley Road, Clayton; 314-469-4500), had plenty to say about the store's recent chardonnay newcomer: Gatekeeper. After wowing us with a mouthful of wine trivia, Peimann invited us to sit down for a taste of this fruity wine.

Many people have perceptions of which wines are within their budget and tend to steer clear of iconic wallet-busting varietals. That's why Peimann likes Gatekeeper so much. "There's no pretension behind this wine at all," he says. "It's meant to be drunk." And at the sale price of $13.99, it's easy to do just that.

One reason Gatekeeper, which hails from southeastern Australia, is bargain priced is that it's not a single-vineyard product. That, Peimann points out, can actually work to a wine's advantage when it comes to flavor, because it helps to ensure balance.

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Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Erika Miller

Campos de Luz garnacha is a little sip of summer.

​Although the sweltering heat of the past few weeks is (hopefully) a thing of the past, it's still summer in St. Louis, and at Grapevine Wines and Cheese (309 South Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood; 314-909-7044), summer means a glass of garnacha.

To prove this point, co-owner Bob Gray pulled out a slightly chilled bottle of Campos de Luz 100 percent garnacha from the Cariñena region of Spain. Gray says garnacha, or grenache if the wine hails from outside of Spain, is the perfect summer wine because it's light on the palate but doesn't skimp on flavor.

This red is served slightly chilled, with the optimal drinking temperature hovering around 55 to 60 degrees. Gray describes the wine as flavorful, with strong raspberry flavors and a spicy nose. It's similar to pinot noir on the palate but features more fruit-heavy flavors. Like pinot, garnacha pairs well with light pasta dishes, chicken, seafood and anything spicy to match the spicy quality of the wine. It's also easy to drink on its own because the flavors are subtle and don't need to be balanced by a meal.

At only $12.99, the Campos de Luz garnacha is a steal. Last summer, the 2006 version of the same wine was the best seller at Grapevine. Gray speculates that the only reason why the 2007 isn't the best seller is because there's so much more competing with it this year. Along with the Campos de Luz, almost half of the wines in the main display at Grapevine are garnacha or garnacha blends.

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Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Holly Fann

Cantele's Negroamaro Rosato

​
Rachel Buehrer was getting ready to teach one of the wildly popular weekly wine courses at the Vino Gallery (4701 McPherson Avenue, Central West End; 314-932-5665) when we walked in, sweaty and grumpy from the St. Louis heat wave. Wine, in all honesty, did not sound appealing at all. Buehrer, the owner and sommelier at Vino Gallery saw (or smelled) our distress and exhaustion and pulled a bottle of bright ruby pink wine from a table in the middle of the shop for us to try.

Long gone are the days when pink wine meant sweet and sticky. The resurgence of rosé-style wines has been strong with many French roses finding a standard place on local wine lists. Cantele's Negroamaro Rosato, however, is a varietal wine from Puglia, Italy. "This is a great rosé-style wine using negroamaro grapes," says Buehrer. "Negroamaro is also used to create big, bold reds that have lots of character but without any of that barn-yardy character you can find in big reds." Cantele is a small producer, just the type of unique, small-scale vineyard that Vino Gallery likes to search out and offer its clientele.

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Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Erika Miller

The Domaine Lafond Lirac Rouge is a blend of grenache and syrah from France's Rhone Valley.

​"I'm a Francophile," declared Dave Davis, assistant manager and "man about town" at the Wine Merchant (20 South Hanley Road, 314-863-6282) as he swilled a glass of 2009 Domaine Lafond Lirac Rouge from France's Rhone Valley.

When Gut Check popped in to the Wine Merchant on a sweltering (more like effing hot) July evening and asked Davis for a recommendation, he presented us with this red Cotes du Rhone. "If I had one area I could drink wine from, I would do the Rhone Valley," Davis says, citing its breadth of grapes and styles. "It covers all the bases."

The label on the Cotes du Rhone is as unassuming as the Wine Merchant itself, where helpful staff members dressed in casual T-shirts greet customers and traverse the many aisles making recommendations. The Wine Merchant appeals to wine experts and novices alike, with a huge selection of wines and an assortment of cheeses. For those wanting to expand their wine knowledge, the Wine Merchant offers classes and tastings several times a week.

During our impromptu lesson on Rhone Valley wines, Davis explains that this particular Cotes du Rhone is a blend of 70 percent grenache and 30 percent syrah. Grenache is predominant in the southern section of the Rhone Valley, while syrah rules in the north. This particular blend hails from Lirac, in the south of the Rhone. Davis credits the rockier soils for the nice mineral content of the wine, which he says shines through on the palette along with hints of dark red fruit and black pepper.

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Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Holly Fann

Robust owner Stanley Browne is a wine devil.

​It's the Fourth of July weekend, and Gut Check has two things on our mind: grilling us some meat (slathered in Maull's barbecue sauce) and drinking cold ones, be they beer or wine.

It might seem a little odd to some, but wine and barbecue are a natural combo -- if you choose wisely. "Wisely" not being an adverb typically deployed in a sentence with "Gut Check," we headed to Robust (227 West Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves; 314-963-0033) in Old Webster for some guidance.

Robust is a restaurant, wine bar and retail shop. A big wooden bar topped with thousands of wine corks afloat in Lucite wraps around the center of the space, with tables to the left, booths to the right and a separate dining room to the rear, not to mention stainless-steel tables on the patio. Inside, owner Stanley Browne, a certified sommelier, shows us a picture of himself with devil horns and a fake mustache. "I became a wine devil," he says, referring to the "Pinot Camp" in Oregon he returned from less than 24 hours prior. "I got up, and first thing in the morning, we had mimosas and then off to one vineyard to try 30 wines, lunch, and then another vineyard and another 30 wines," Browne recounts.

It's tough to feel bad for Browne. Clearly this is a man who relishes his work.

So it doesn't seem like an imposition to ask the tired wine expert what to pair with the meat we're preparing to Maull.

He looks thoughtful for a entire second, then pulls a bottle of Peltier Station Hybrid Petite Sirah 2007 from an open case.

"This is a great wine and retails for $12, Browne says. "It's got 10 percent viognier and 15 percent syrah blended with petite sirah. The petite sirah and viognier really soften the wine, smooth it out. Let's taste it."

Oh, yes. Let's.

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Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose in the air is while we're draining our glass.

Antonio Pacheco

Stettner opens a bottle of wine

​"We call that the 33 vortex," remarks Jeff Stettner, owner of 33 Wine Shop and Tasting Bar (1913 Park Avenue; 314-231-9463), as Gut Check finds ourself sitting at the bar, elbow-deep in conversation about food, wine and twitter scandals. If you're seeking a place to stop in, quickly grab a bottle of wine and exit, this might not be the place for you. Stettner takes great care in getting to know his customers and ensuring that they not only find the perfect bottle of wine, but learn about it, if they wish. "My customers are my friends; I care about them," Stettner says, remarking on a recent evening when he offered a ride home to a customer who had imbibed exceptionally enthusiastically. As customers walk in, Stettner greets them by name, gauges their mood and guides them toward a wine he thinks they'll like.

This neighborhood spot is tucked into an unmarked and unassuming storefront on Park Avenue in Lafayette Square. The large plate-glass windows illuminate an an otherwise deep and cavernous space, appropriately reminiscent of a wine cellar. The stone-tiled floors, sparse wall decorations and extensive wine collection visible from a propped-open door make the space feel casual and comfortable. The place is kept comfortably cool and the quiet is broken only by Stettner's mellow mix of music, inviting you to have a drink and explore the wines.

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