It's Red. It's Cheap. It Works.

The original concept behind the ElmCityWino project was to offer a sort of Wine For Dummies-type reference, while keeping the bottles affordable. I have never thought much of spending $30 for a bottle of wine, as wine tends to be consumed for a special dinner or occasion. I had never considered a $30 bottle as anything but affordable for such an occasion. It turns out many of my friends are more deserving of the title, Wino, than maybe even I, and I have been getting requests for a decent wine closer to the two-buck-chuck set.
Not one to run out and grab every "flavor" of Boone's Farm (Grandma Joyce warned me of that), this proved to be a daunting task. Various $10 and under bottles were purchased, consumed, and dumped.
One ecWino fan suggested I try hitting up South Shore Wine & Spirit (10 Coe Ave. East Haven, 203.466.9463), as they have a nice $10 section. Even there, I ran into the Aussie hurdle. It's not that an Aussie wine can't be good, it's just that there is definitely a marketing research survey behind every cuddly critter emblazoned on a wine bottle. The French don't put animals on their bottles, now do they?
So I looked into France. Unfortunately, most French wines require at least some knowledge of the wine other than what is printed on the bottle. A $200 Bordeaux and a $7 Burgundy will have deceptively similar looking labels. I tried a few of the cheapies, and with the exception of Chateau Cazenove, most were simply terrible. I decided to head further South.
As I perused the Spanish sections of several local shops, I kept leaning towards Rioja, when it came to me. I know of a certain wino stuck in the CT "heartland" (read: Marlborough) who buys Eguren Protocolo by the case.
Dominio de Eguren Protocolo ($) is a Tempranillo grown in the oft-overlooked appellation of Tierra de Castilla, located in Don Quixote's Central Spain. Jorge Ordonez's name is on the back of the bottle, so I knew I was on the right track.
The wine is surprisingly big, with tastes of chocolate and cherries. The tannins are grainy and dissectable (not a word?) with a spicy aftertaste (ole!).
This wine will not change your life in the ways that many of the wines of Montsant will, but it works. It exceeds any expectations I would have had regarding an $8 bottle, and will probably end up in the rack often.