Now that Gut Check's World Goblet 2010 tourney is in the books -- France won, if you've been asleep in a cave for the past month and a half -- here's a handy shopping list of the wines we consider to be the best values we tasted, along with a link to the pertinent post and an encapsulation of their respective merits.
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It's been more than a month since Gut Check got a wild hair up our corkscrew and decided to stage a World Cup, as it were, of value-priced wines. We did it because we're cheapskates, and because we drink a lot of wine, and because we blog like a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest. Well, we had some justification for doing it; we just can't remember what it was.
Be that as it may (as Gut Check's mother used to say), when the sippin' was done and the glasses were washed, rinsed, and gently set down to dry, France won the World Goblet 2010.
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches, click here...
Jean-Claude Traindenuit, captain of France's victorious World Goblet 2010 team
What have we learned after drinking 42 sub-$12 wines? Well, first off, we learned that the state of the value-wine market is better than we thought. (The hangover, not so much.) We did stumble across some soulless industrial dreck, but not nearly the quantity we'd expected.
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While scanning the World Cup groups in order to plan our daytime drinking over the next month, Gut Check noticed that most of the great wine-producing nations are represented in the tournament field, including all of those with a reputation for crafting good, value-priced wines. Because Gut Check never saw a value we didn't like, we resolved to stage our own tournament to determine the 2010 World Goblet Champion.
Well, folks, this is it. We're really plumbing the depths of each of our finalists' value selections, and New Zealand has begun to show the strain. There just aren't that many $12-and-under Kiwi wines these days. The ones we've found have been impressive, but can we scrape up one more?
The French, on the other hand, enter the final with their national pride restored. After initially pegging them as the No. 2 seed in the tourney, we've been pleasantly surprised by the quality and diversity at the $12 level.
Now, one last time, we pop the bottles.
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches to date, click here...
Next: The bookmakers peg the odds at France 4-5, New Zealand 10-1...
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While scanning the World Cup groups in order to plan our daytime drinking over the next month, Gut Check noticed that most of the great wine-producing nations are represented in the tournament field, including all of those with a reputation for crafting good, value-priced wines. Because Gut Check never saw a value we didn't like, we resolved to stage our own tournament to determine the 2010 World Goblet Champion.
One moves on to the championship tilt, one goes home. Each nation sends something out of the ordinary for the occasion. For the Aussies it's a white blend of viognier and pinot gris; the French offer a marselan, an offspring of cabernet sauvignon and grenache. Both are uncommon options, both come well-recommended. Let's see which of these dark horses comes through and propels its nation to the finals.
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches to date, click here...
Next: We know, we know, the suspense is killing you...
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While scanning the World Cup groups in order to plan our daytime drinking over the next month, Gut Check noticed that most of the great wine-producing nations are represented in the tournament field, including all of those with a reputation for crafting good, value-priced wines. Because Gut Check never saw a value we didn't like, we resolved to stage our own tournament to determine the 2010 World Goblet Champion.
The final results are in from South Africa, but here at Gut Check we've just whittled it down to the final four. (Is it significant that Spain's still in the running?) New Zealand checks in with another of its signature sauvignon blancs, while Spain brings a monastrell (better known by its French name, mourvèdre) from super-importer Jorge Ordoñez. Can the Kiwis continue to surprise at the low end of the price scale? Can Ordoñez tame monestrell while retaining its varietal character?
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches to date, click here...
Next: Boy, are we ready to drink us some more wine!
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While scanning the World Cup groups in order to plan our daytime drinking over the next month, Gut Check noticed that most of the great wine-producing nations are represented in the tournament field, including all of those with a reputation for crafting good, value-priced wines. Because Gut Check never saw a value we didn't like, we resolved to stage our own tournament to determine the 2010 World Goblet Champion.
Well, it's 18th and final match of the group stages. Even now our semifinalists aren't decided, as a win from Portugal will put that nation in a three-way tie with France and New Zealand for the fourth and and final spot. For this match the Portuguese send out another Dão, this time with a bit more bottle age and, unfortunately, a slight penalty for exceeding our $12 price limit by two bucks. The South Africans hope to send Portugal's wine home to join its soccer team and score their first points of this tournament with a blend of shiraz and cabernet sauvignon.
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches to date, click here...
Next: Do we ever find ourselves with no pithy epigraph to stick in here? Oh, shut up.
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While scanning the World Cup groups in order to plan our daytime drinking over the next month, Gut Check noticed that most of the great wine-producing nations are represented in the tournament field, including all of those with a reputation for crafting good, value-priced wines. Because Gut Check never saw a value we didn't like, we resolved to stage our own tournament to determine the 2010 World Goblet Champion.
France losing to Greece in a wine tasting would be like Kamchatka singlehandedly taking over all of Asia on the ol' Risk board. Regardless, the French must beat their Mediterranean neighbors in order to pull even with New Zealand. They're in with a syrah from the reliable importer Weygandt-Metzler. We were forced to break our $12 limit to scare up another Greek entrant, but will the extra couple of bucks produce a contender?
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches to date, click here...
Next: That's why we play the games drink the wines...
While scanning the World Cup groups in order to plan our daytime drinking over the next month, Gut Check noticed that most of the great wine-producing nations are represented in the tournament field, including all of those with a reputation for crafting good, value-priced wines. Because Gut Check never saw a value we didn't like, we resolved to stage our own tournament to determine the 2010 World Goblet Champion.
Australia has already made off with the top spot in Group C, but Chile and Germany each have a chance to bow out with their heads held a bit higher. We knew Germany would have a tough time in this competition owing to the price limit -- most of its decent "value" wines cost north of $12 (if only by a few bucks), but Chile's performance has been a real surprise. Their wines have been, frankly, crap, and that's despite our best efforts, including recommendations from good wine merchants, to source them. Today the Chileans check in with an organic wine. Decent organic cabernet for $10? Let's see.
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches to date, click here...
Next: Fill, don't spill!...
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While scanning the World Cup groups in order to plan our daytime drinking over the next month, Gut Check noticed that most of the great wine-producing nations are represented in the tournament field, including all of those with a reputation for crafting good, value-priced wines. Because Gut Check never saw a value we didn't like, we resolved to stage our own tournament to determine the 2010 World Goblet Champion.
It's put up or shut up time for Italy -- they need a win to have a shot at staying in. New Zealand can't slack either, as they're even on points with powerhouse France heading into this last match. Italy shows up strong with a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, one of Gut Check's favorite regions to scour for value, while the Kiwis step out with a chardonnay-dominated white blend.
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches to date, click here...
Next: Some gotta win, some gotta lose...
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While scanning the World Cup groups in order to plan our daytime drinking over the next month, Gut Check noticed that most of the great wine-producing nations are represented in the tournament field, including all of those with a reputation for crafting good, value-priced wines. Because Gut Check never saw a value we didn't like, we resolved to stage our own tournament to determine the 2010 World Goblet Champion.
This group will go down to its last match, and both nations here have a chance to stake a claim to the top spot. This time it's a battle of the darling value reds of the past decade: Argentinean malbec and Spainish grenache. Neither contender is pricey, but is either worth drinking? Only one way to find out.
To view all 2010 World Goblet matches to date, click here...
Next: Grape expectations...
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