Hey, the holidays happened, and we spent on the big, special bottles of wine for our special occasions. For me they were definitely worth it. But here we are in January, and I’m trying to go with more affordable choices. This is one at the top of my list. It’s an Australian Rhone-Valley style dry red called The Stump Jump from d’Arenberg. It’s made with Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre, like wines from the Rhone Valley. There’s magic in this combo – some fresh fruit, some spice, soft tannins, lots of balance. This wine is easy-drinking, versatile, and it has a screw cap (which I love) and passes my “drinking nice 3 days later” test (which I love). And the price? Under $15 in most places and even under $12 in others. We can economize but we don’t have to compromise!
