Did you know that 90 percent of all the wine sold in the U.S. is sold for less than $15 a bottle? Most of it is bought at grocery stores or in wholesale clubs.

Yet, very few of these wines are ever reviewed by the serious wine press.

Enter Mark Spivak – our own sometimes wine writer, and host of the radio show Uncorked! which airs Tuesdays, 7-8 p.m. on WXEL-FM, the NPR affiliate for the Palm Beaches.

Spivak has just written and released as an e-book  The Affordable Wine Guide to California and the Pacific Northwest. For a very economical $9.99 you can download the book to your Kindle, print it out as a PDF guide, or load it to several other devices.

We shop frugally

Spivak knows the secrets that make most wine brokers nuts – that most of us are not drinking $40 bottles of Sancerre as an aperitif every night, nor deciding which new home cellar security device to buy, nor are we reading the Wine Spectator cover to cover to ferret out the very few nuggets inside that we can afford.

Instead, we’re at the grocery store, pondering the cost vs, eco-friendliness of dish detergent and deciding on green vs. yellow peppers at a $2 per pound difference. We’re reading the shelf labels to compare just how much the different olive oils are per ounce. And we hit the wine aisle.

Thus, he guides us and reviews the wines displayed artfully on end caps that you pass by every week on the way to the ice cream freezers. These are wines that have become part of the vernacular because they won the star positions at the front of the store, or have eye-level placement and savvy marketing: Smoking Loon, Red Truck, Cupcake, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Blackstone and Erath, Bogle.

You don’t see them on many restaurant menus because they’re considered “everyday” wines or “grocery store wines”  – sniffed at by connoisseurs.

Too bad – Spivak ferrets out some gems among them.

Wine and food

Spivak knows his wines — he’s been writing and talking about consumer wines for more than a two decades; but he also knows his foods. He was a working sommelier in high end restaurants for years, and has befriended all the top toques along the way. He’s well traveled to the many wine regions around the world.

His pairings alone are worth the price – and will save diners wasted energy and money tasting and pairing foods on their own.

Read 30 percent of the book for free

Spivak writes in an upbeat, approachable style that anyone can understand, avoiding insider wine-snob terms. Nonetheless, you’ll learn a good deal from the glossary and easy-reading reviews.

The guide is a no-brainer at under $10; buyers can save that much on one bottle of bad wine they didn’t buy at his advice. But if you’re still not sure, you can download and read 30 percent of the book at no cost on the web site.

Spivak plans to follow up with guides to other international wines in this series of Affordable Wine Guides.

To get the book or just look it over, go to the Smashwords web site.

Assume you are a highly successful commercial farmer, with assets in the billions. You decide that you want to grow corn in some region of the world where corn will not naturally grow: under the polar icecap, or in the Mohave Desert. You want to do this because you’ve always been able to accomplish anything you wanted to do, because you feel it will bring you status and acclaim, and most of all because you can.

After fighting the elements for years, you finally produce your corn. The only problem is that it has cost a fortune. In addition to investing millions to create artificial conditions where the cultivation of corn was possible, you had to buy heavy equipment, and hire both skilled managers and a qualified labor force. Your corn comes to market at $5 per ear, which is reasonable considering the cost of the project. The public, however, refuses to buy it. They don’t care about your dreams and aspirations, or what you wanted to prove to yourself. They only want an ear of corn.

GEYSER PEAK HITS AND MISSES

Of course, this is an exaggeration. Geyser Peak is not actually similar to a $5 ear of corn. The better comparison is to something which costs $1.50 and vaguely resembles an ear of corn. Some of these releases (Cabernet Sauvignon) do taste like wine, but others (Chardonnay) are not even close. They are grotesque examples of wine-like beverages.

Harsh? Sure. But not as harsh as Geyser Peak Chardonnay.

SAUVIGNON BLANC: Light to medium-bodied, with good acidity and bracing citrus flavors; rich enough to serve as a cocktail, yet has the ability to pair well with shellfish and fish in light sauces.  Spivak rating: B-

CHARDONNAY: Medium-bodied and heavily oaked, with low acidity and lots of residual sugar. Spivak rating: C

MERLOT: Soft and rich, with low acidity and a lush texture; while cleanly made and pleasant to drink, the price is out of line with the quality in the bottle.  Spivak rating: C+

CABERNET SAUVIGNON: Ripe, vibrant flavors of stewed plums and dark berries are nicely framed by good acidity; pair well with dishes ranging from roast chicken up to (and including) red meats.  Spivak rating: B

GEYSER PEAK SUMMARY:

• PRICING: $11-17
• BEST WINE: Cabernet Sauvignon
• WORST WINE: Chardonnay

The Spivak Scale
A = An excellent to outstanding wine of spectacular depth and character; worth a splurge; cellar material.
B = Good to very good; worth the money for current drinking or laying down.
C = Fair to average; suitable for current drinking; pricey compared to other wines of its type.
D = Poor to below average; a weak example of its type; seriously overpriced.
Plusses and minuses are awarded. The value-for-money ratio always comes into play; a wine which deserves a B at $15 may rate a B+ at $10, or a B- at $20. If most wines within a category normally cost $15, those selling for $25 bear a special burden. If a wine sells for $75-$100, it bears a burden regardless of its peers – this is a steep tariff for a bottle of fermented grape juice, and we all expect it to perform accordingly.
For those addicted to the 100-point scale, here are the rough equivalents:
A = 96-100
A- = 92-96
B+ = 88-91
B = 86-89
B- = 82-85
C+ = 78-81
C = 75-79
C- = 70-75
Mark Spivak hosts the wine show Uncorked! Radio on WXEL-90.7 FM Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. He also writes his own blog, Spivak on Wine, and is the wine and spirits editor for the Palm Beach Media Group. Here, he writes on the wines most often purchased on a daily basis by consumers, typically bought at grocery stores, warehouse stores, and other outlets that are not wine-specific.

By Mark Spivak, consumer wines columnist

Mark Spivak on Consumer Wines

First, a little background: Englishman Peter Newton, who ran the Sterling International paper company in San Francisco, founded Sterling Vineyards in 1964 with 50 acres of grapevines. The first wines appeared in 1969, positioning Sterling in the second wave of new California wineries to appear after Prohibition.

From the beginning, the wines garnered critical acclaim; the winery building, completed in 1972, became the focal point for many first-time visitors to Napa Valley.
The operation was sold to Coca-Cola in 1977. Five years later, when the soft drink guys realized they were on the wrong train, they sold it to Seagram’s, which morphed into Diageo in 2001.

Peter Newton went on to smaller and better things, founding Newton Vineyards on Spring Mountain. Sterling Vineyards currently owns 1200 acres of vines, and still enjoys a good reputation among consumers.

Looking at the wines today, it’s hard to figure out why. The Napa releases are quite pricey, considering the quality in the bottle. The situation is further complicated by the Vintners Collection, a second tier of wines in the $15 range, which has a more dubious price/quality ratio. They span a range from pleasant to terrible, and none of them bear much resemblance to the grape varieties they are supposed to contain. They can do better.

Spivak’s Consumer Wine Ratings of the Week:

VINTNERS COLLECTION RIESLING ($12): Medium to full-bodied, bone-dry, with a lush texture and prominent flavors of apricot and lemon zest. A nice wine to sip, and a good match for grilled fish or chicken. B-

VINTNERS COLLECTION PINOT GRIGIO ($13): Light and soft, with a lush texture and vague flavors of citrus and peach. Nice cocktail wine, but there’s no reason not to buy Italian Pinot Grigio at the same price. B-

VINTNERS COLLECTION SAUVIGNON BLANC ($13): Light, weak and dilute, with low acidity, watery citrus flavors, and an unpleasant finish. C+

VINTNERS COLLECTION CHARDONNAY ($15): Dominated by cloying flavors of vanilla, honey, butterscotch and caramel. Despite the wine’s richness, there is very little real intensity or depth. C

VINTNERS COLLECTION MERLOT ($15): This medium-bodied wine reveals layers of complex and interesting flavors: earth and bramble, plums and cherries, minerals and mint. A very satisfying match with a variety of game and meat dishes, particularly those in dark, rich or earthy sauces. B

VINTNERS COLLECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($15): Medium to full-bodied, rich and voluptuous, with mineral notes and ripe blackberry flavors. Easily the best of the bunch, this is a good accompaniment to grilled meats, ribs and slow-cooked dishes. B

VINTNERS COLLECTION ZINFANDEL ($14): Light to medium-bodied, the wine offers a pure texture, good acidity and vivid pepper notes, all of which enhance ripe flavors of blackberry and plum. A good match with the usual range of bistro dishes (pate’, grilled steak, poultry, etc.). B

• PRICING: $12-15
• BEST OF GROUP: Cabernet Sauvignon
• WORST OF GROUP: Chardonnay

NAPA SAUVIGNON BLANC ($15): Medium-bodied and lush, with a rich texture, hints of oak and residual sugar, and flavors of overripe melon and citrus. The finish is long and unpleasant, with a sweet and cloying character. C+

NAPA CHARDONNAY ($17): Nicely balanced, with decent acidity and creamy flavors of citrus and apple. Well-made, but a poor value. B-

NAPA MERLOT ($25): Bright and lively, with candied flavors of cherries and plums, good acidity and concentration, and a brash, fruit-punch quality. This has enough sweetness (whether natural or induced) to pair well with a range of spicy cuisines such as Thai, Mexican or Szechwan. B-

NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($25): Light and lilting, displaying a silky texture and flavors of cinnamon, stewed cherries and black currant jam. Not a “blockbuster Cab,” but full of nuance and charm. B

• PRICING: $15-25
• BEST OF GROUP: Cabernet Sauvignon
• WORST OF GROUP: Sauvignon Blanc

The Spivak Scale
A = An excellent to outstanding wine of spectacular depth and character; worth a splurge; cellar material.
B = Good to very good; worth the money for current drinking or laying down.
C = Fair to average; suitable for current drinking; pricey compared to other wines of its type.
D = Poor to below average; a weak example of its type; seriously overpriced.
Plusses and minuses are awarded. The value-for-money ratio always comes into play; a wine which deserves a B at $15 may rate a B+ at $10, or a B- at $20. If most wines within a category normally cost $15, those selling for $25 bear a special burden. If a wine sells for $75-$100, it bears a burden regardless of its peers – this is a steep tariff for a bottle of fermented grape juice, and we all expect it to perform accordingly.
For those addicted to the 100-point scale, here are the rough equivalents:
A = 96-100
A- = 92-96
B+ = 88-91
B = 86-89
B- = 82-85
C+ = 78-81
C = 75-79
C- = 70-75 

     Mark Spivak hosts the wine show Uncorked! Radio on WXEL-90.7 FM Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. He also writes his own blog, Spivak on Wine, and is the wine and spirits editor for the Palm Beach Media Group. Here, he writes on the wines most often purchased on a daily basis by consumers, typically bought at grocery stores, warehouse stores, and other outlets that are not wine-specific.

Mark Spivak

Readers: Today I welcome a new columnist to my stable of writers on my blog. He’s Mark Spivak, who will be reviewing consumer wines — the everyday kind that most of us drink. Spivak, a fellow reporter, hosts the wine show Uncorked! Radio on WXEL-90.7 FM Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. He also writes his own blog, Spivak on Wine, and is the wine and spirits editor for the Palm Beach Media Group.

Here’s his introductory column, Spivak on Consumer Wines. Look for it twice a month here at JanNorris.com, and feel free to leave a comment for him – he’ll answer for everyone to read.

Spivak on Consumer Wines – An Introduction

Welcome!

My blog entries on JanNorris.com will be devoted to providing tasting notes and profiles of the wines most people buy on a regular basis – those costing $8-12 for daily drinking, $20 for a special occasion.

Think this is no big deal? Consider: No one else is reviewing these wines, yet 65 percent of the wine sold in this country is bought in drug stores, convenience stores, supermarkets (in the 15 or 16 states where this is legal) and big-box stores such as Costco. But no one mentions them, save for the obligatory “best buy” issue of the Wine Spectator or Wine Advocate.

Among collectors and wine geeks, there’s even a common belief that people who don’t spend a lot of money on wine can’t appreciate a quality product.

You and I know this isn’t true. We’re either cheap, affected by the present economic downturn, or unable to spend a ton of money on wine due to our psychological hard-wiring. My wife is from New England, where frugality is a virtue, and wouldn’t spend $100 on a bottle of wine if she won the Powerball jackpot.

Excellent wine exists at $8 and $12, just as it does at $70 and $100. Mediocre wine exists at every price point as well. I’m going to guide you to quality wine you can actually afford to buy, and alternately, warn you about bottles to avoid.

I do things differently

Vintages

When you’re scratching your head in the supermarket wine aisle, you’re not puzzling over the difference between the 2001 and 2002 vintage in Tuscany. You’re trying to figure out what will go with the pork roast, how to get out of the store without the kids screaming, and how to wrap up dinner in time to recover your sanity for the day.

So I won’t review specific vintages. Most wine in the $10 price range is made in large quantities (500,000 cases or more for national distribution). These are not estate-grown and estate-bottled wines, where the vintage makes a difference. Most mass-market producers buy grapes from dozens or hundreds of growers, then blend it all to achieve a standardized product. If you buy a bottle of Hess Select Chardonnay tonight, it likely will be identical in taste to the one you drank five years ago.

Ratings

 Most publications that review wine tend to focus on the upper-bracket collectibles, useful to the wine geek. Many worthwhile publications exist, along with various systems of ratings. Some writers and critics use the 100-point scale; some employ 20 points; still others have devised different levels of symbols and codes.

My position is that the average wine buyer will not readily distinguish between a wine rated 91 points and one scoring 88, and that he/she is dealing with more basic concerns (“Is this worth the money?” or “If I open this for company, will it taste like pickle juice?”).

Since I taste a wide range of wine, from grocery store selections to world-class collectibles and everything in between, I wanted to devise a system of evaluation which was understandable and fair.

The Spivak Scale

With that in mind, I use the following scale:

• A = An excellent to outstanding wine of spectacular depth and character; worth a splurge; cellar material.
• B = Good to very good; worth the money for current drinking or laying down.
• C = Fair to average; suitable for current drinking; pricey compared to other wines of its type.
• D = Poor to below average; a weak example of its type; seriously overpriced.

Plusses and minuses are awarded. The value-for-money ratio always comes into play; a wine which deserves a B at $15 may rate a B+ at $10, or a B- at $20. If most wines within a category normally cost $15, those selling for $25 bear a special burden. If a wine sells for $75-$100, it bears a burden regardless of its peers — this is a steep tariff for a bottle of fermented grape juice, and we all expect it to perform accordingly.

For those addicted to the 100-point scale, here are the rough equivalents:

• A = 96-100
• A- = 92-96
• B+ = 88-91
• B = 86-89
• B- = 82-85
• C+ = 78-81
• C = 75-79
• C- = 70-75

Producer profiles

In each column, I’ll focus on a specific producer (Mondavi, Bolla, Yellow Tail, etc). The product line will be reviewed, with an eye toward two criteria: What does it taste like? What kind of food does it go with? The wines will be rated, and the best and worst wines in the range will be singled out.

Let’s get busy!

Here’s a pair of values to get us started:

Clayhouse Adobe White, Paso Robles ($9)

This rich, yet balanced white has a medium to full-bodied texture; flavors of peaches, apricots and citrus are underlined by good acidity. Pairs well with fish dishes in “serious” sauces, as well as chicken, veal or pork. Rating: B

TMI*: The 2007 is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Viognier, and a grape variety called Princess.

Quattro Mani, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo ($10)

Bright, zesty and spicy, with wonderful acidity and mouthwatering berry flavors. Goes with pizza, pasta in tomato sauce, and grilled white meats. Rating: B+

TMI: Quattro Mani means “four hands,” yet the back label informs us that the wine is a collaboration among four Italian winemakers. Are they all one-handed?

*TMI: Too much information – a/k/a “geekspeak.”