Montsant, Spain - $15
Only a month removed from the frantic spending spree that is December, February wine-buying is all about sniffing out value-laden gems. But be warned: value is more than just the price you paid. Rolling up to a party with the cheapest bottle of wine you can find is a great way to ruin any game you may have had. If, however, you score a killer bottle of vino at a great price, you can bet you’ll snag a cutie and have enough cash in your pocket to spring for a cab ride home.
So how do you find that proverbial needle in the haystack? Sometimes finding the perfect bottle of wine at the right price takes just a little bit of know-how.
Montsant, in the Catalan region of northern Spain, is one of those out-of-the-way places that often gets passed over during conversations about value. Overshadowed by the nearby district of Priorat (wines that start around $30 per bottle) Montsant offers much of that region’s intensity and power at a fraction of the price. Awash in century-old vines and seemingly endless sunshine, the wines of Montsant can add legit bargain-hunter street cred to any wine-buyer’s regular stable of wines.
The 2007 Capcanes Mas Donis definitely lives up to the Montsant region’s reputation for big-time wine at low-ball prices. Concentrated aromas of berries and a diverse palate of jammy, licorice-y goodness will make sure that all of your drinking companions venerate you as their wine-buying deity.
Drink liberally with adobo, tuna steaks, hard cheeses and a room full of new friends.
