Wine of the week: Stephen Vincent, 2008 Crimson California

<p>Here's a budget-savvy secret: You don't have to be a big spender to throw a great party. Just pick tasty party reds.</p><p>Our wine grid offers some great choices — red blends that are $13 and under so it's feasible to buy several bottles or maybe even a dozen.</p><p>Our wine-of-the-week winner is the Stephen Vincent, 2008 Crimson California, 14.2 percent, $11. It's a zesty blend with aromas and flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, anise and cracked black pepper.</p><p>Winemaker Bob Goyette said, “We wanted to express the fruit flavor of syrah with the complexity of petit syrah. We avoided using percentages of each so that it would allow us to make the best wine we could.”</p><p>The goal behind the bottling has always been twofold, Goyette said of his Petaluma winery: “Making the wine the most drinkable and complex has always been our dual purpose.”</p><p>Goyette said the price point of the wine is key. “From the start, we wanted to keep the price at a level that is comfortable to a lot of people.”</p><p>Other inexpensive reds include:</p><p>Marietta Old Vine Red, NV Lot 53 California Red Wine at $12.</p><p>Menage A Trois, 2009 California Red Wine, $10</p><p>Evodia, 2008 Altovinum Old Vines Garnacha, Spain, $13.</p><p>Trentadue Winery's Old Patch Red, 2006 North Coast Red Wine, $10.</p><p>These red blends have scored well over the years. In fact, the Marietta Old Vine Red and Trentadue Winery's Old Patch Red have won as wine of the week in past “hamburger-red tastings,” wine tastings that search out the best wine to pair with a burger.</p><p>All the wines listed pair well with pizzas, pastas and, yes, burgers.</p><p>One tip: With budget wine of $13 and under, it's always a good idea to test a bottle yourself before pouring it for your guests just to check for consistency. At that price point, the trick is securing consistently good grapes.</p><p>With the holiday just weeks away, it's a good time to plan your party, pour by pour. Cheers! </p><p>Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com</p>