So it took me three weeks to find the perfect cheap bottle of wine...

A passion of mine is to find the perfect bottle of wine for less than 10 bucks. My mother-in-law and I share this passion, and we first bonded over a bottle of 'Concha y Toro ' (reliable, good value Chilean wine) when I was remodeling her cinder block unfinished basement into an apartment in 1991. The long days of oil painting here in Tuscany, and late nights with an inexpensive wine remind me of those long days of construction and the bottle of good rotgut that followed. Cheers, Mom J, nice to be reminded of those late nights in the Seattle summer.

The most excellent wine we've ever found in this under 10 dollar category was a bottle of Codice, vintage 1997, six bucks. It was a fantastic bottle of Rioja. It was so good that the next day we went back to the store and bought a couple of cases, and for a while it became the house wine. Fantastic. We savored the last few bottles over several years. Of course it had sold out immediately, and we could not obtain more. It defined Rioja for me. Subsequent vintages from that label were not nearly as good.

And now, I have found the Codice equivalent, after three weeks in Italy and lots of sampling, the last day here. Morellino di Scansano, 2007. A DOCC wine, Wine Spectater gives the vintage 2007 its top ranking and compares it to 2001 and 2004. It's been a fun challenge, sampling wines from the 5 to 6 euro range. All but one have been ok.

Here's the label, my translation "And a wine with intense ruby red color with nuances of smoke. Presents a 'odore vinoso' (winy smell? Um, right), light, with a soft dry flavor. Recommended pairing: game and mature cheeses." They forgot the tannic bite, that compliments the interesting nose, and notes that go on long after the wine is drunk. Mom J, I'll save a bottle for you.