The January 8th, 2011 Vintages release

It's time for the annual “Oh my God I’m broke but can’t stop buying wine” Vintages release. This one and probably the next have a focus on bargain priced wines – remember bargain is relative when you look at the Barolos or Brunellos – but there are a few that stand out.

The Whites
2009 3 Stones Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - $12.95 : Great price for lemony, grassy, “lets have seafood tonight” accompaniment.
2009 Dominio del Plata Crios de Susanna Balbo Torrontes - $11.95 Susanna Balbo is a specialist at this grape. Want a change from SavBlanc or Chardonnay? Try this.
2010 MAN Vintners Chenin Blanc - $12.95. Used to be South Africa’s signature white. Again, if you want a change from SavBlanc or Chardonnay, here’s an option.
2009 Domaine Bellevue Sauvignon Blanc Touraine - $12.95 :
2009 Roux Pere & Fils Les Murelles Chardonnay Bourgogne - $14.95.
2009 Gehringer Brothers Dry Rock Vineyards Unoaked Chardonnay - $18.95 : A gold winner and well priced for this quality of BC Chard, and unoaked for you fans of fruit.

The Reds
2007 Altocedro La Consulta Reserva Malbec - $23.95 : WS92 points – My number one pick of the release. If I buy nothing else, I’ll buy this bad boy.
2008 La Posta Pizzella Family Vineyard Malbec - $15.00 : 90 points and 15 bucks. What’s not to like? ’08 was a more challenging year in Argentina but this should still be a good one.
2007 Villa di Cigliano Chianti Classico - $18.95 : A very good producer and a very good year. There might be better priced wines in the release but I’m not sure there’s a better wine for the buck.
2008 Majella 'The Musician' Cabernet/Shiraz - $19.95 : James Halliday says 94 – you might say 90 but still a good price for this age worthy red.
2007 Flagstone 'The Music Room' Cabernet Sauvignon - $17.95 : The best of the South Africans in this release.
2008 Thorn-Clarke Terra Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon - $14.95 : A very consistent producer for fans of those big, bold Cabs and really well priced.
2008 Cat Amongst The Pigeons 'Alley Cat' Shiraz/Grenache - $15.95 : The CATP 9 lives Shiraz was a big mouthful, this’ll be more of the same.
2008 Chateau Le Pey - $17.95 : A Bordeaux ‘wine of the month’ from a very good producer. Not to my palate but might be worth a shot!