3 Weakday Wines

Let's face it; Monday stinks.  Tuesday isn't much better.  Then you've got Wednesday. Eww, there's a reason it's also called humpday.  These are the weakdays of the week.  Thursday?  Now you're talking.  And really, who doesn't live for Friday?  Alas, in order to get to Thurs. and Fri., you must slog through Mon., Tues. and Wed.  Unless a holiday or birthday happens to fall on a weakday, I normally don't get too hot and bothered about lunch or dinner.  That's why god made simple, less-expensive wine.  It's there to help you through the doldrums of Monday dinner or Wednesday lunch.  Here are three wines that will make your weak go smoothly, and if you're lucky, they'll also make Tuesday feel more like Thursday.

Chusclan La Ferme Gicon 2004 Côtes du Rhône ($7)
I wouldn't say that this wine struck me as a particularly good example of Côtes du Rhône.  Rather, La Ferme is a juicy little number that costs only seven-damn-dollars.  Call it value-vin, cheap red or tasty treat.  Whatever you call it, once you take a sip, you'll realize that this is the ideal sub-$10 wine.  There's no unnecessary faux oak scents or unpleasant 'green' tannins.  It's fresh, lively and fruity.  Simply good - and good with simple foods such as Belgian fries, spicy sausage or cheesy bean burrito (admit it, you nuke a burrito in the microwave every once in a while).

Schloss Gobelsburger Riesling 2004 ($16-$18)
Terry Theise, Germanic wine guru extraordinaire, pitches this wine as a "classic everyday Riesling."  By, "classic everyday Riesling," Mr. Theise doesn't mean a German-style wine.  Gobelsburger is more Alsatian in style - it's fuller bodied, offers less honey & fruit character and emphasizes crisp mineral flavor.  However, I do have one minor gripe with the price - an everyday wine in my vocabulary/financial situation means something in the $8-$14 range.  If you see this Austrian wine for fifteen bucks or less, grab as many bottles as you can carry.  Try it with a Lebanese dish such as Kafta or Tabbouleh.

Bonny Doon Clos de Gilroy 2004 ($13)
Think back to that first Hostess Blueberry Pie you ate as a kid.  Now, picture that concentrated blueberry goodness distilled into a wine glass.  One whiff of Bonny Doon's Gilroy brought me back to my less-than-healthy childhood obseesion with over-sugared, preservative laden baked goods.  Thankfully, this Grenache-based wine doesn't actually taste like a processed berry pie.  Rather, it's a fruity, slightly spicy red wine that is made for today rather than tomorrow (or next year).  Pair it with low effort food like a simple spaghetti or zero effort food like delivery pepperoni pizza.

Tagged with: wine  + austrian wine + french wine + california wine + riesling + grenache

Comments

[Randy]

I remember those hostess pies. I loved them but they always made me sick later. I think they were toxic. Not to cast dispersions on the wine.

[Rick Dobbs]

Any wine that goes with delivery pizza belongs in my wine rack...

[Rick Dobbs]

Any wine that goes with delivery pizza belongs in my wine rack...

[is bronchitis contagious]

I remember those hostess pies. I loved them but they always made me sick later. I think they were toxic. Not to cast dispersions on the wine.

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