Plonkapalooza

Our second comprehensive review of red and white wines available in Massachusetts at $10 and under -- what we call plonk -- is designed to help you do just that. Last year three Globe staff members and I tasted 50 wines, and it was such a success we have been offering "Plonk of the Month" (five bottles) ever since. We decided to do the big tasting again.

The process is a simple one: We asked five retailers to nominate the six to eight best red and white wines they have tasted this year that retail for $10 or less. After eliminating duplicates, we settled on a list of 50 wines, evenly divided between whites and reds, to be tasted blind -- no labels visible -- by a panel of savvy professionals. Their task was to choose their top five red and white wines in the group and say what they liked about them. Each taster was free to apply his or her personal criteria in judging the wines.

Joining me on the panel this year were Beth Cleary, bartender at Easter n Standard in Kenmore Square and former wine buyer at Pigalle in the Theater District; Julie Cappellano, wine buyer at South End Formaggio; and Alex Murray, who teaches courses in wine at the Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center at Boston University.

Retail shops offering their pick of the plonk for 2006 were The Wine & Cheese Cask in Cambridge, Leary's Fine Wine of Newburyport, Lower Falls Wine in Newton Lower Falls, Harkey's Wine & Spirits in Millis, and Marty's Fine Wine in Newtonville. All the wines were purchased at retail price. The tasters gathered to appraise the store's selections one afternoon earlier this month.

Having a chance to taste so many wines at once is always instructive. As happened last year, the majority of wines nominated by the retailers this year originated in European vineyards -- proof that, despite the sustained strength of the Euro, the Old World continues to be our primary source of high-quality, value-priced wines. It helps that in 2004 and 2005 Europe enjoyed strong, back-to-back vintages. By contrast this year, only two wines from California (reds), a single wine from Chile (white), and a pair of Argentinian labels (reds) were presented. The retailers did not offer any Australian wines.

A real surprise was the number of South African wines nominated -- three reds and three whites -- and how well they performed. The 2005 Ken Forrester Petit Chenin, surpassed all other white wines by appearing on all four tasters' top five lists. "I love the refreshing grapefruit bitterness I get in the finish," said Cappellano, the Formaggio buyer. The appeal of the South African wines seems to lie partly in their pure, uncomplicated drinkability and partly in their uncanny ability (more pronounced in reds than whites) to convey a genuine sense of place. It's a combination that wines from Australia and South America in the same price category are hard pressed to match.

The other four-star performance was Chateau La Grange Clinet's 2003 Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux. Not only did every taster rate it a favorite, several immediately pegged it as small-time Bordeaux -- proof that even little wines can carry enough information about their place of origin to be readily identifiable. In this case, a nexus of fine concentration, ripe fruit, and enough tannins and acidity to provide some real grip helped win the panel's heart. Panelist Murray of BU found it "immediately appealing for its minty, cassis , and plum aromas."

Two wines were short-listed by three panelists. The 2005 Weingut Gebruder Steffes , Kaseler Kehrnagel Riesling Kabinett (a white) was admired for its distinctive varietal expression and sure-footed, if not quite impeccable, sugar-acid balance. Taster and bartender Cleary loved its "indicative riesling nose with a little petrol and spice." The panel's enthusiasm for the 2004 Salice Salentino "Maiana" from Leone de Castris (a red) seemed to focus on the dense cherry fruit, richness, and smoky rusticity of this negroamaro-based wine. I loved it.

Additionally, three whites and three reds received a hearty thumbs up from two of the four panelists. Whites were the 2005 Mar de Castilla Verdejo, the 2005 Zeta Viura/Chardonnay, the 2005 La Chappelle de la Bastide Picpoul de Pinet; reds were the 2004 Sepp Neusiedlersee Zweigelt, the 2003 Les Vergnes Bordeaux, and the 2005 Trere Sangiovese di Romagna "Vigna del Monte."

A total of 24 of the 50 wines we tasted made it to someone's top five -- an indication that in overall quality and appeal, these everyday wines are far from ordinary.