The other part is to alert readers to the worthy and the wonderful. Two weeks ago, we lamented in this space about the sorry state of the bulk merlot industry, and how it was exacerbated by lots of new red wine drinkers who haven't grown up to the taste of real adult red wine yet. These wines scrupulously avoid any of the sharp or astringent notes that are historically associated with wine. In order to strip out the wine cooties, it's usually necessary to eliminate most of the taste as well. Then we went on to talk about a few excellent wines that could maybe lure the new wine drinkers away from the simple plonk that's poured in the name of merlot these days.
All selections are available in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
This isn't a blockbuster, it's a genuinely elegant wine. What makes elegance different from wimpiness is the crisp complexity of the light berry flavors and the long, tart finish. This wine won't scare off the most timid drinker, but it will definitely allure anyone who pays attention. Markham is a flat-out great winemaker. Every year, they produce large quantities of excellent wine at prices that are somewhere between cheap and reasonable.