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Good wines
are available
for $10 or less

Just the other day, a good friend asked me to recommend some wine. I get that request every day, so I started to mention several that I love to drink. He quickly interrupted me and said, "But it has to be $10 or less." That stopped my rambling and forced me to think really hard.

It's easy to find great wines at higher price points. To narrow the search to the price range of a plate lunch is not an easy task, but not impossible. These wines are good and well made, but also interesting and full of character:

The first wine that came to mind was the 2003 Domaine du Salvard Cheverny ($10). It's amazing that you can find such a great wine at this price point from Europe, especially with the exchange rate favoring the euro. This sauvignon blanc is blended with about 10 percent chardonnay from the Loire Valley. The Delaille family grows and bottles the wine and sees to it that it has plenty of "guts."

It has wonderfully refreshing aromas of grapefruit, passion fruit, freshly cut grass and minerals, with a vibrant core of citrus and balancing zippiness. It offers elegance and persistence beyond any sauvignon blanc in this price range. This is not only a great wine for under $10, but just a terrific wine. Enjoy oysters or mussels on the half shell with a couple glasses of this. This will also nicely wash down salad greens topped with goat cheese.

The 2003 Paringa Shiraz ($10) is for people who like full throttle, powerful wines -- NOT wimpy reds. Shiraz is a grape that has become the darling of the American drinking public. Now this is not a 100-point wine, but it certainly over-delivers with tons of ripe, jammy raspberry and blueberry fruitiness. It gushes onto the palate with plenty of ripe black and blue stone fruits, a nice soft finish and just a touch of vanillin. It offers all the sunshine of its homeland Australia in a glass, without the high ticket price of some other shiraz from down under. I've enjoyed a glass with garlic-marinated grilled sirloin and grilled portabello mushrooms. Fantastic.

Now, if you're into reds, but don't like them weighted down with alcohol of bursting flavors of oak, the 2002 Palacios Remondo Rioja "Vendemia" ($9) is your style. It opens up with a pretty and complex aroma of spiced red and black fruits, a touch of leather and cedar. On the palate it is super smooth, recalling a slightly heavier pinot noir or a lighter style of merlot. It has such a pleasant flavor and smooth character that I can gulp it by the BIG glass load. For pairing, roast chicken is not out of the question, or try grilled ribs or lamb marinated with garlic and rosemary -- and call a friend.

There is plenty to choose from for around $10, but these are particularly unique, with character and intensity. Try a bottle, or even a case, with your friends. You're sure to find them interesting and ultimately great with food.

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