SIPPED

You don’t have to spend a lot to get a decent wine these days, thanks to today’s competitive industry. I tasted a slew of bottles under $14 to find you the five dirt-cheap 90+ers. Of course, scores reflect value for money; a 90+ $10 wine is not the same as, say, a 90+ $40 one, which must be held to a higher standard. But these riveting discoveries are worth every cent.

2016 The Beachhouse Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa (LCBO 122390, $9.95 in stores only)

Wow! I recommended the 2015 many moons ago, but this 2016 vintage is even better. It’s fresh and ripe tasting with full-on flavours of green apple, lime, kiwi and lemon grass all tightly wound and shinytasting with a cool, steely core. Quite fruit forward, but it retains a certain sophistication that stems from the satiny mouthfeel and dry, crisp structure. Great bottle to have in the door of the fridge to pull out and pour with salty potato chips, spicy noodle dishes or jerk chicken. Score: 90+ 2016 Barone Montalto Pinot Grigio, Sicily, Italy (LCBO 73148, $9.45 in stores and online)

Pinot Grigio lovers, you’ll want to taste this suave Sicilian. Rushing understated flavours of lime zest, lime sorbet and fresh pear unfurl, leaving hints of stones, grapefruit and a kiss of bitter almond in the wake. In short, this Pinot Grigio offers more complexity and sophistication than you’d expect for the price. What’s not to love? Pour it with a nice antipasto plate or white pizza. Score: 91+ 2015 Dunavar Pinot Grigio, Hungary (LCBO 335422, $9.55 in stores and online) I recommended this hidden gem in January, but I’m writing about it again because it’s one of the top sub-$10 wines available in Ontario. Aromas of freshly sliced lemon lead to lively flavours of lemon curd and crisp, green apples. While it’s not particularly complex, it offers the pristine purity of fruit and a seamless mouthfeel. And it goes with almost anything you care to serve with it. But I particularly like it with fish tacos. Score: 90 2015 Ogier Ventoux Rosé, Cotes du Ventoux, France (LCBO 134916, $13.95 in stores and online) Sheer flavours of rose petals, white peach, ruby grapefruit and the slightest suggestion of wild strawberry hover on the nose and palate of this always-available dry rosé from France. Love the long finish of wet stones that seems to draws you back again and again. Pour this wine with seared scallops, crab cakes or coconut shrimp for a whole lot of easy fun. Score: 91 2014 Fonseca Periquita Original Red, Setubal, Portugal (LCBO 25262, $7.95 in stores and online)

This particular bottle was Portugal’s first-ever bottled red produced since the 1840s — hence the word “Original” on the label. The blend of three native Portuguese grapes — Castelao, Trincadeira and Aragones — delivers articulate flavours of blackberry, black plum purée, ripe black cherries, bright raspberry and dried figs edged with black earth, toasty oak, coffee and vanilla. Great value. And the clean, mouth-watering finish and gentle tug of finely grained tannin yield a food friendly structure. Pour it with dry-cured ham and aged cheeses.

Score: 90