Vine Lines — Antano Crianza is inexpensive, but needs extra care

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/04/2018 (2943 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s pretty hard to find a good bottle of wine for under $20.

I’ve known that for some time (and have purchased accordingly), but it was really brought to my attention by an offhand comment from a friend, who said he’d noticed the wines I recommend in this column have been creeping up in price over the years.

And while he likes good wine, and is willing to spend that threshold amount to purchase something he’d enjoy drinking and be proud to serve to friends and family, he, like a lot of folks, is always on the lookout for something that costs less but tastes just as good as a $20 wine.

I fit into that latter category too — I love a bargain — but I’ve pretty much given up on that pursuit. I find I’m usually disappointed when I try something that’s less than $20. I have found the odd bottle that’s $17 or $18, and am actually excited when I can save even a couple of bucks and still get something I find pleasing.

And certainly when I discover these little gems, I write about them right away! (Case in point: the Sterling Vintner’s Collection Cabernet Sauvignon and the Sterling Vintner’s Collection Chardonnay Central Coast, both $16.01 and from California). But those fab finds are few and far between, and once you get below $15, well, it’s pretty much a guarantee that something in your wine will be lacking. (Or that it will have too much residual sugar, which is another issue entirely.)

That’s the problem with moving up to — and beyond — that $20 level. Once you taste the difference between a good wine and an only OK one, it’s hard, if not impossible, to go back to something you now consider inferior.

Just as an aside, I’m talking local prices here — plenty of friends have told me, and I discovered this myself in California a couple of years ago, that some great wines we pay $27 for here in Manitoba can be had for $10 or $12 (or I guess $12 or $15 in Canadian funds once you take the exchange rate into account) in the States. That’s always frustrating, but that’s the way it is. And I’ve made my peace with that.

However, if you like to drink wine and your finances are a little tight and you’re willing to put in a little extra time and effort, sometimes those under-$15 wines can be converted into more acceptable beverages by aeration, by planning ahead, and by paying careful attention to what stage your wine is at.

I recently sampled the Garcia Carrion Antano Rioja Doca Crianza from Spain. I’m told it used to sell for $11.99 at one point — now it’s $13.99. Aged for 18 months in oak, the Antano is a blend of Tempranillo, Grenache, Mazuelo and Graciano, and has plenty of raspberry and blackberry notes tinted with spice. Its makers proclaim it to be the best-priced Crianza in Canada, which I’m sure it is.

But for fans of Old World wine, this product needs a little help. When I opened it and tried it, I could certainly detect the oak and the berry flavours. But it seemed harsh. While I like juniper, cedar and barnyard notes in Spanish wine, these were very much to the fore, and consequently, my initial impression wasn’t positive.

However, I chose not to give up. The Antano had been presented to me by a wine rep, and I figured if she thought it would be something my readers and I would be interested in, it deserved a second chance.

So I “let it breathe” for a few hours. Its edges softened a bit. But it still wasn’t where I was hoping it would get. So I left the bottle open in the fridge overnight. The next day, it was more approachable, but still not nearly as captivating as some of the more expensive Crianzas out there. (And I guess that’s the thing — what do you expect for $14? But that’s sort of the point of this whole column.)

Finally, for supper that evening, I used an aerator to pour a glass. While it still didn’t have the elegance or finesse of other Crianzas on the market, it was definitely much improved.

So if you’re willing to patrol your wine — that is, tend to it, check it, wait a little extra time before drinking it — then give the Antano a try. You’ll be saving yourself a whole lot of money per bottle.

 

» Diane Nelson is a longtime journalist and former Sun staffer who really likes wine. A lot. diane.vinelines@gmail.com » Twitter: @vinelinesbdn