By The Glass Chuck Furuya

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Good wine is plentiful for all budgets

ONE of the headlines on the front page of the Dec. 29 Honolulu Star-Bulletin read, "Ahi for all budgets plentiful this year."

It was great news in the week before New Year's, and one that inspired a theme for this article: "Good wines for all budgets plentiful this year."

Because of continual advancements in viticulture and all of the innovations and the growing education in winemaking, I believe more good wine is available to consumers than ever before.

$10 or less

2004 Esser Chardonnay: If you can afford $10 for an everyday drinking wine, this is a very pretty, delicious, round and quite refreshing California chardonnay.

2006 Lurton Pinot Gris: 2004 was the first vintage of this dry, surprisingly lush, crisp Argentine white. I don't know what happened in 2005, but the wine lacked the vigor, balance and vitality of the '04. The 2006 is back on track and at roughly $8 offers great value for everyday drinking. I read in a recent magazine article that Italian pinot grigio was America's No. 1 import. Experts are saying this is the same grape, but this wine is done with riper, rounder fruit and much more crowd appeal.

2005 Wishing Tree Shiraz: It would be hard to beat this ripe, juicy, peppery Aussie red wine in the $10-and-under category, especially if delicious-ness is the main criteria.

Insider's scoop

2005 Robert Mueller Chardonnay "Russian River": Mueller was recently featured in the Wine Spectator as one of 2006's Top 20 California pinot noir makers. As much as I like his pinots, I like his chardonnays at least as much. Both the 2004 and now the 2005 are stellar, offering classy, pristine, uplifting fruit with a grace, elegance and "suave-ability" I think you will love. Those who like Russian River chardonnays should definitely search this out.

2002 Ici La-Bas Pinot Noir "Anderson Valley": California pinot noir has come a very long way in terms of quality in the past 10 years. Prices have also increased considerably. This Jim Clendenen-crafted pinot truly offers one of the very best values for your dollar. I understand that $26 a bottle ain't cheap, but the quality you get is incredible -- and much higher than most other expensive, highly acclaimed pinots I have tasted.

2003 Carlei Shiraz "Green Vineyards": I cannot believe the incredible hype and frenzied demand that has accompanied the recent release of Mollydooker wines from Australia. Talk about show-stoppers! They're like a big freeway moving into a quiet neighborhood. If you're looking for an Australian shiraz that will provide a great comparison to Mollydooker, here is a favorite. I like to refer to the Carlei style as more of a pinot noir approach, with much more elegance, class and seductive textures -- quite the opposite of Mollydooker's credo. One isn't necessarily better than the other -- just different. And diversity in wines is worth cherishing.

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