The Best Of team rates Moldovan merlots available here without the border hassle.
Wine can often be complex. And that extends far beyond the flavor. In the West, the cottage industry spawned by the new popularity of all things viticultural can dazzle and spin even the most sophisticated connoisseur. Magazines on the subject are replete with terms like malolactic fermentation and mouth-feel, while nouns as incongruous as pencil shavings, salami and cat’s urine are all officially recognized “wine descriptors” used to describe the flavor of a particular bottle.
The Best Of team, however, is proudly high and low. We watch productions of “Uncle Vanya” as happily as we see movies filled with explosions. And, what’s more, we like to drink wine. Lots of it. Regardless of whether or not snobs turn up their noses at the vintage we choose. In the spirit of democracy, we want to try and take some of the mystification out of what’s possibly the world’s most captivating drink.
This week’s Best Of will ideally be the inaugural column for several comparisons of popular regional and reasonably priced wines. And with Moldova so often in the news these days concerning border disputes – and now a ban from Russia on all their wine exports – we thought our beleaguered neighbor might benefit from a little decent press. This time we chose merlots, with no bottle over Hr 38 (and most far cheaper). Thanks to the helpful staff at the Furshet inside Mandarin Plaza, we sampled what they said were the five most popular bottles.
We’ve overheard and taken part in many an argument concerning the quality of Moldova’s wines. And after this test, we found that both sides were right. Several of our bottles were truly terrible, but a few were nice for the price and even quite good after a little helpful breathing. So, with a nod toward the ridiculous but often creative (and inadvertently comic) way wine mavens explain their subject, we offer the results of our own test.
We began first with a 2004 Asconi (Hr 19), a wine we found far too eager, like a nine-year-old boy with no self control, who raises his hand in class whether or not he knows the answer. The color, too, was prepubescent, a bit pale and thin for what we want to see in a merlot. In the explosion of flavor, some of the notes were decent, but were often drowned out by the cacophonous masses. Tart and tangily metallic, said some tasters. After breathing for a good while, however, the anxious child took its Ritalin, becoming calmer, a bit more stable, perhaps even focused. Still not a recommendation.
The next bottle was a 2001 Basvineks (Hr 19). Honestly, we’d thought the drink was mislabeled. Though what poured into the glass was close to the right color, its bouquet had a hint of the bright-blue cleaner Mister Muscle. And what we tasted was a ghost: empty, a hint of a baleful rattle but in the end unable to generate even a bit of substance. It was as if the spirit of the spirit had tired of itself long ago. And now so had we.
A Corten 2004 (Hr 38) followed, with only slightly greater success. While its bouquet was promising and its hue a rich deep mulberry, the flavor itself was far too sharp and jarring, like a well-dressed man who knows he has little to say and thinks that merely raising his voice will add importance. We soon stopped listening. You shouldn’t start.
A very close second was the 2004 Acorex Reserve (Hr 38). It was a bit too fruity, reminiscent of those juice boxes your mom used to pack in your lunch, but it had a pleasant mellow aftertaste that seemed a bit bashful – almost begging a pardon for its earlier insouciance. However, these last notes end abruptly and make the whole experience a bit thin. Still, after some extensive breathing, this vintage too filled out.
Our final winner was a 2003 Grand Reserve (Hr 26). While initially likable, it seemed a bit too light after a few minutes, like a new love interest bound to grow tiresome after the first couple of dates. However, as with underestimations of romance, the wine soon offered us more than we expected – we found notes of much richer complexity and deeper resonance where we thought was buried only decent body and ethereal charm – and our commitment soon grew (lasting long into the night).
2003 Grand Reserve, available from
FURSHET (Mandarin Plaza, 230-9522)
Open 24 hours
