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'Good, Better, Best Wines' A Guide to Popular Wines (June 23, 2010)

By Eileen Fischer

In her book, "Good, Better, Best Wines, A No-Nonsense guide to Popular Wine" (Alpha Books, $12.95), author and wine critic Carolyn Evans Hammond declares that more ink is spilled writing about high-priced, hard-to-find wines than on the big-name, cheaper (under $15) ones most Americans are buying.

When she realized there was no book that tackled the well-known brands, such as Yellowtail, Gallo and Sutter Home, to name a few, and even, horrors, boxed wines, Hammond knew she had to write it. After all, as she says in the foreword, "... with upward of 20 big-brand eight-buck chardonnays on the shelf side by side, it's hard to know which one to choose. You certainly can't taste or even smell them all before you buy, and there aren't many scratch-and-sniff labels. So clearly it's high time some critic took a good, hard look -- and taste -- of the most popular wines in the United States ..."

Drawing from the top 120 brands listed in the Beverage Information Group's "Wine Handbook," Hammond, who lives in Toronto, made the sacrifice to taste-test 500 wines on our behalf.

"The book took me about eight months to research and write," Hammond wrote in an e-mail. "The tasting portion took about four months, and I tasted all flights of wine comparatively. For instance, I would devote an afternoon of tasting (and spitting) $5 to $8 cabernet sauvignons -- that sort of thing. Not all the wines I tasted ended up in the book, of course, only those worth recommending."

The featured wines are all under $15 since 90 percent of the wine sold in the U.S. costs less than $15, she said. Hammond divided the price points even finer in her book: under $4.99; $5 to $7.99; $8 to $10.99; and $11 to $15.

"I tasted for typicity, balance, individual expression and value for money," she said. "I set personal preferences aside, which is necessary as a professional taster."

So, what does the woman behind the glass enjoy drinking herself?

"My favorite wines vary by mood, season and setting," she answered, "but I tend to gravitate lately toward leaner, minerally expressive whites such as chablis and riesling -- I find them interesting.

"And for reds, I particularly enjoy nicely structured, food-friendly reds that aren't too high in alcohol, such as Nero d'Avola, Beaujolais and good pinot noir -- probably because they're supremely `drinkable.' "

If guessing which bottle of wine to buy just won't do, there's help from "Good, Better, Best Wines." Here are a few examples from wine critic Carolyn Evans Hammond's book on which to choose:

Chardonnay ($5-$7.99)
Good: The Little Penguin, Australia
Better: Leaping Horse Vineyards, California
Best: Lindemans Bin 65, Australia

Chardonnay ($11-$15)
Good: Clos du Bois, California
Better: Columbia Crest Grand Estates, Washington state
Best: Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Jackson Estates Grown, California

Sauvignon blanc ($5-$7.99)
Good: Pepperwood Grove, California
Better: CK Mondavi Family Vineyards Willow Springs, California
Best: Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, California

Sauvignon blanc ($8-$10.99)
Good: Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve, California
Better: Fetzer Vineyards Valley Oaks, California
Best: Rosemount Diamond Label, Australia

Merlot ($8-$10.99)
Good: Fetzer Vineyards Valley Oaks
Better: Bogle Vineyards, California
Best: Rosemount Diamond Label

Pinot Noir ($11-$15)
Good: Jacob's Creek Reserve
Better: Robert Mondavi Private Selection, California
Best: Beringer Third Century, California

To see the review on the source website please click here.