What's a Quaffer?

What's a quaffer? Well various sources define "to quaff" as a term that means to drink a beverage deeply and enjoy it heartily, especially an intoxicating one. We're not advocating chugging any of our products but in our world, we use the word quaffer to describe wines that are inexpensive, pleasant, and fun to drink. It's an everyday wine with a bit of a gulpability factor, something to enjoy simply and without pretense. They are also good quality and a better alternative to large format industrial wine brands.

Here's a current list of wines that qualify:

Whites

North Fork Project Chardonnay 2010 1L ($12.99) - Unoaked chardonnay from Long Island, it's dry with nice crispness and a great price for a liter.

Giacomo Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie 2010 ($11.99) - An inexpensive pinot grigio that's expressive, clean, and dry with apple tinged fruit.

Douglas Green Steen, South Africa 2009 ($11.99) - Steen is South African parlance for chenin blanc. This one is unoaked and completely dry with nice mouth feel and character.

Zum Martin Sepp Gruner Veltliner 2009 & 2010 1L ($14.99) - A great deal in the one liter bottle, here's an earthy gruner veltliner that's delicious.

Reds

L'escale Anjou Rouge 2009 ($14.99) - This is all gamay, a quintessential quaffing grape, and it has great freshness with just a touch of underlying mineral. Although it's a little pricey for this category it's still worth it.

AG Cotes Du Ventoux 2008 ($8.99) - Red stone fruits and crisp acidity from the south of France. Made from grenache, carignan, and syrah. What more could you want?

Les Clos De Vauriou, Touraine 2010 ($13.99) - Mostly gamay with a pinch of malbec, known as "cot" in this part of the world, this is a perennial favorite here at Windsor. It's got lovely juicy raspberry tones and nice complexity for the price with herbs and a chalky mineral note in the background.


Cheers,
Michael