Wine Logic for Cellar-Worthy Wines
By Gaby Israel
“WineLogic – where buying wine makes sense…” With so many incredible wines out there, are you confused as to what to buy? Should these be wines that got 90+? Should these be wines for cellaring? Should these wines have a good Quality to Price Ratio (QPR)? Does your wine budget require planning?
If you answered ‘Yes’ to all or most of these questions, then this column is for you.
Thinking of having 6 people over for dinner: you want to start with white and continue with red? (1 bottle can serve 5-6 people)
Start with the 2010 Anakena Viognier Lilén Single Vineyard for $14 (1 bottle) and then move to the 2008 SANTA EMA RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON for $17 (2 bottles). You can serve a cheese platter as a starter and any kind of beef as a main course. TOTAL = $51
Looking for a food friendly wine? For Pizza night or Spaghetti Bolognese or even veal parmesan, go for the 2006 Rocca Delle Macìe Chianti Riserva – $16. It’s a consistent producer, amazing vintage and, if you like Chianti, it will be one of the best $16 you’ve ever spent on wine. Buy 3 bottles. TOTAL = $48
BBQ anyone? Try the 2007 LES VIGNERONS DE VISAN CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES VISAN for $13 (2 btls) and compare it with the Chilean 2009 Emiliana Syrah Adobe Reserva, Rapel Valley for the same price (2 bottles). TOTAL = $52
Preparing scallops and/or shrimp with rice or spaghetti with Alfredo sauce, buy 2-3 bottles of the 2009 Domaine De Rochebin Blanc Clos St. Germain Bourgogne for $20 per bottle. TOTAL = $40-$60.
Apple pie as a dessert or just for fun? Try it with 2009 HOFFMANN-SIMON RIESLING SPÄTLESE – $20. These wines are great. Again, a classic vintage at the Spatlese level and for a reasonable price. Buy 2-3 bottles. Keep one in the cellar and try it after 5-8 years. TOTAL = $40-$60.
Gaby Israel has been providing wine tasting notes and buying recommendations for several years now. The name WineGPCi (pronounced Wine 
Gypsy) was given by his friends. GPCi stands for Gaby’s Potential Cellaring Index. While searching for “treasures for the cellar” without going to the bank, the GPCi was initially used to calculate the ratio between the price of the wine and the number of years it can potentially be cellared for; trying to find the wines that had the smallest index/ratio possible.
Any good wine that had a GPCi of 3.5 and under, was worth buying (mainly if you were planning to develop a cellar). Many years and “750 bottles in the cellar” after, his knowledge, experience and passion continued to grow. He continues to focus on helping the consumer finding “logical” ways of buying wines and planning the budget for it.
His great passion for wine revolves around old-world wines such as Spain, France and Italy while experimenting the new world exciting regions of Chile, Argentina, Australia, Canada, the US and others.
Posted with permission of the LCBO.
Posted with permission of the LCBO.
