Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha “Veraton” 2009 - $29.99
Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha “Alto Moncayo” 2009 - $44.99
(100% Garnacha aka Grenache; Campo de Borja, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain)

Alto Moncayo is a joint venture of superstar importer Jorge Ordonez, Jose Miguel San Martin of Bodegas Borsao and importer and bacon baron Dan Phillips in conjunction with Austalian “flying winemaker” Chris Ringland. The winery is located in northeast Spain in the town of Bulbuente in the middle of the Campo de Borja DO. Grapes are sourced from very old Garnacha vines planted on very unique soils of red clay and red slate that are shallow and very poor in organic matter. As you know, poor soils make great wine, just the opposite of Iowa sweet corn. The weather is generally perfect, and Alto Moncayo's facility is state of the art and tailored to Chris' exacting specifications. Add to all these  pre-existing conditions it's from the great 2009 vintage and you're destined to have an amazing wine. The prior five vintages of "Alto Moncayo" (2003-2007) averaged 94 points from Wine Advocate. 2009 produced the finest wines yet at Alto Moncayo, a near-perfect meshing of luxury cuvee Chateauneuf-du-Pape and one of John Alban's stellar domestic Grenache bottlings. In short, you'd be looking to pay nearly twice as much for a wine of comparable quality from anywhere else in the world.

After that build up, the wines pours dark purple. Their noses offer room-filling perfume of ripe raspberry, blackberry, vanilla and dried flowers. Elegant on the palate, with vibrant red berry, smoked meat and baking spice flavors, silky tannins and crisp mineral bite. There's no excess fat or sweetness here, but their opulence is outstanding. They finish with palate-staining intensity and brilliant focus. Both were aged in new French and American oak for 17 months and bottled without filtration. The "Alto Moncayo" is a barrel selection of older Garnacha vineyards. It is bigger, fuller, richer, deeper than the Veraton. Both are sumptuously delicious.

Piaugier, Sablet “Les Briguieres” 2007, $19.99
(70% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre; Sablet, Rhone, France)

One of our current favorite Rhones red comes from Sophie and Jean-Marc Autran of Domaine de Piaugier. The winery is situated in and around the village of Sablet, which sits at the feet of the jagged Dentelles de Montmirail that looms over the vineyard in the Vaucluse department of the Southern Rhone. The Autran's Sablet is a mellowed red at a perfect point in its aging cycle showing much rich and complex red and black fruits billow that from the purple-stained glass shot with licorice and pepper notes. The full-bodied palate is intense yet smooth with ripe tannins on the lingering finish. Try with cassoulet, braised lamb shank, or beef bourguignon.

Bebè, Sparkling Rosè NV, $10.99
(80% Raboso, 20% Prosecco; Veneto, Italy)

Made from a blend of Prosecco and Raboso grapes, this is a cheerful, lovely sparkling rosè from a small family-owned estate in northeast Italy that will brighten the dark days of winter. Its a bit drier than most other Proseccos, which suits my taste. Emanuele Guarin of Siema Imports sourced the grapes from one of his wineries and made at another. A true collegial effort. Bottled in a ceramic top, it did not need the classic champagne cork closure due to its lower pressure. Don't worry, Bebè still has enough bubbles to tickle your fancy. Chin-chin!

Cocchi, Americano Aperitivo Bianco, $19.99
(100% Moscato; Asti, Piedmont, Italy)

This aperitivo, similar to a vermouth, has been made since 1891 from Moscato d’Asti, a sweet white wine fortified with a touch of brandy, then flavored with gentian, cinchona bark and other bittering aromatics, along with orange peels and herbs. In Italy it is served chilled with ice, a twist of orange peel and a splash of soda to enhance its natural aromas and flavors. Outside of Italy it is revered as one of last great white aperitif wines, essential to a wide range of classic mixed drinks. There many similar products on the market, but cocktail enthusiasts are now excitedly discovering Cocchi Americano because it is close in taste to the now defunct Kina Lillet.

Cocchi, Vermouth di Torino Rosso NV, $19.99
(100% Moscato; Asti, Piedmont, Italy)

For its recent one-hundred-twentieth anniversary, Cocchi resumed production of its original recipe Vermouth di Torino. They are best known as a sparkling wine house, but this returns them to their roots. The flavor profile is unmistakable, with rich and vibrant notes of cocoa, citrus, rhubarb and a balanced bitter undertone. Delicious on its own, and ideal for use in classic mixed drinks. A true Vermouth di Torino, it uses as the wine base Moscato from the family estate in the Asti region outside of Torino. Vermouth di Torino stands apart as one of only two protected geographical indications of origin for vermouth.

Vergano, Nebbiolo Chinato (500 ml), $54.99, on sale $39.96
(Nebbiolo with spices and herbs; Piemonte, Italy)

This vermouth-like fortified wine is a nuanced substitute for aperitifs like Lillet and a must-add to cocktail hounds' bar carts. "Chinato" describes a wine infused with quinine bark, a tradition dating to the late 19th century when the Piedmontese created Barolo Chinato from Nebbiolo grapes. The tradition all but died, but these wines fascinated chemist Mauro Vergano, who went pro with his chinato-making hobby.

“This was my first creation. The wine I use is a Nebbiolo from Barbaresco that comes from the Rabajà hill. It is produced by Giuseppe Cortese’s winery in Barbaresco; this is a small-scale producer who, in my opinion, produces excellent quality wine even if it is not organic. I usually use a two-year-old wine since I want the final product to retain that fresh “winey-ness”. The extract is the result of a complex mixture of aromatizing substances. Besides China in its Calisaya and Succirubra varieties, there are particularly bitter ingredients like Chinese Rabarbaro and Ginseng, while the aromatic component comes from spices and herbs like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander, bay leaf, etc. What makes this wine characteristic is the extreme persistence of its aroma due to its perfectly balanced ratio between sugar, alcohol and aromatic extract content.” --Mauro Vergano