La Vieille Ferme 2006 Côtes du Ventoux, about $8: Vieille Ferme is always a reliable choice for affordable wines from the south of France, but the 2006 Rouge is particularly good, with bright raspberry flavors lashed with licorice and spice. It’s not too heavy — excellent for a warm night or a simple grilled strip and a salad.
Wingnut 2005 Amador County Zinfandel, about $13: From the Three Thieves, a trio of guys that includes California winemaker-and- zinfandel-genius Joel Gott, this has all the spice and blackberry fruit you could ask for at $13 — plus a cool package created by design students at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta.
Familia Zuccardi 2005 Mendoza Q Malbec, about $20: Nobody does grilled meat like the Argentines, where the Malbec grape grows far more plump and juicy than it ever did in its native France. Zuccardi makes a perfectly delicious $8 malbec under the Santa Julia label, but the Q is worth the splurge, with rich plum flavors and firm, yet soft tannins that can really dig into a thick T-bone.
Zette 2003 Cahors Malbec, about $11: Well, OK — some French winemakers have found a way to coax lush, plummy flavors out of malbec on its home ground. Alain Perrin, proprietor of Château Lagrezette, designed Zette to drink right now, rather than after the decade most Cahors wines take to soften up. The chocolaty black fruit has just enough spice, licorice and tannin to sink into a rib steak.
Hardy’s South Australia Sparkling Shiraz, about $20: Just because you’re eating red meat doesn’t mean you have to forgo the bubbles. The Australians don’t. Hardy’s Sparkling Shiraz is as deeply red as the still wine, with smoky, bacon-edged plum flavors. The bubbles just add lift, keeping your palate revved for the next bite.
