Top Picks From the Wine Cellar: Try these 6 Chairman's Selection varieties

Plunge into 2020 by discovering new quality wines to expand horizons. You won’t have to break the bank to do it by taking advantage of Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits’ Chairman’s Selection program.

The program began in 2004 when former Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Chairman Jonathan Newman worked to leverage the Commonwealth’s massive wine buying power. Newman negotiated steep discounts on purchases of the entire inventories of various wines beginning with prominent California producers. Pennsylvania consumers reaped the benefits with Chairman’s Selection wines typically offered at 50% or more below nationally quoted retail prices.

After Mr. Newman’s term, recently retired PLCB wine guru Steve Pollack ran the program and aggressively expanded the program into European and other international wines. The Chairman’s Selections quickly reflected Pollack’s unpretentious approach and passion for easy drinking, full throttle yet well-made bottles. Pollack’s successor, Josh Hull, brings similar passion but with an expanded eye for selections from the southern hemisphere and small, artisan European and West Coast producers.

The PLCB’s website provides a full list of current Chairman’s Selection wines at lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us.

To check availability, click on the wine’s Code Number. This leads to a Product Page which conveniently allows an availability search by county and specific retail stores.

Try the following widely available Chairman’s Selection wines which provide excellent quality and value:

White wines

• The 2017 M. Chapoutier, “La Ciboise” Blanc, Luberon A.O.P., France (Luxury 79271; Chairman’s Selection On sale: $8.99) comes from the southern French region of Luberon. The wine offers the region’s traditional white blend of Grenache blanc, Vermentino, Viognier and Roussanne. The Luberon’s wide swings between daytime and nighttime temperatures allows the grapes to ripen evenly and slowly in the region’s sunny climate.

Fermentation and aging in stainless steel tanks captures the grapes’ lovely fruity flavors. The wine offers ripe apricot peach aromas with touches of wild herbs and honey. In the glass full-bodied citrus, apricot and honey flavors balance with fine freshness and enticing creamy notes. The wine finishes fruity yet dry. Pair it with a white pizza topped with plenty of minced garlic, herbs and a drizzle of honey. Recommended.

• The 2018 Winzer Krems, Sandgrube 13, Grüner Veltliner “13,” Niederösterreich, Austria (Luxury 79123; Chairman’s Selection On Sale: $9.99) comes from one of Austria’s leading cooperative wineries. Over 900 growers hold ownership shares in the cooperative, and together the growers cultivate over 2,400 acres of vines. They pledge to maintain high quality. For example, the entire harvest occurs primarily by hand to capture the best grapes for fermentation.

This wine uses Austria’s trademark white wine grape, Grüner Veltliner. Fermentation and aging in stainless steel tanks preserves freshness and crisp flavors. The wine opens with delicate floral, citrus and white pepper aromas. Crisp citrus and ripe pear flavors follow with pleasant herbal accents. Bright acidity and creamy notes balance the delightfully fruity, crisp finish. Pair it with a kale salad tossed with almonds, mushrooms, feta cheese and a light vinaigrette dressing. Highly Recommended.

• To produce the delicious 2018 Domaine Vetriccie, Corse Blanc A.O.P., France (Luxury 79147; Chairman’s Selection On Sale: $11.99), winegrower Daniel Barcelo uses Vermentino grapes. The variety grows well in the island of Corsica’s maritime Mediterranean climate. Plenty of sunshine and cooling sea breezes allow the grapes to ripen fully while retaining vital freshness.

To capture this beautiful balance, the fruit ferments and ages in stainless tanks. This tasty wine opens with pretty honeysuckle and peach skin aromas. Flavors of ripe tangerines and lemons follow balanced with zesty acidity and subtle creamy notes. The wine finishes fruity, yet dry and crisp. Pair this lovely little wine with shrimp scampi. Highly Recommended.

Red wines

• The 2018 Zuccardi, “Series A” Malbec, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (Luxury 79156; Chairman’s Selection On Sale: $9.99) offers a delicious rendition of Argentina’s signature red-wine grape, Malbec. The fruit comes from high altitude vineyards unfurling in an alluvial plain against the dramatic backdrop of snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains. After harvest by hand, the grapes ferment in concrete tanks before a portion of the wine ages in oak barrels.

The wine unfolds forward black cherry and brown spice aromas. Juicy black cherry flavors follow with a balance of freshness and velvety tannins. Pair the wine with good, old-fashioned cheeseburgers on brioche buns. Recommended.

• The 2014 Regio Cantina “Donpà” Aglianico del Vulture, Italy (Luxury 79045; Chairman’s Selection On Sale: $11.99) comes from the Basilicata, a southern Mediterranean province straddling the “arch” of the famous boot-shaped Italian peninsula. The Aglianico vines toil on the steep slopes of an active volcano. The grapes ferment in stainless steel tanks to capture ripe fruit before aging for 16 months in French oak casts for an elegant texture.

The wine’s ripe plum, tobacco and smoky earthy aromas open to intense ripe dark fruit flavors. The wine also nicely balances full concentration, fresh acidity and firm, elegant tannins. The alcohol by volume clocks in at 14.5%. Pair the wine with pasta topped with grilled spicy Italian sausage. Recommended.

• The 2014 Domaine Terlato Chapoutier, “Lieu-Dit Malakoff” Shiraz, Pyrenees, Australia (Luxury 79154; Chairman’s Selection On Sale: $15.99) comes from the single Malakoff vineyard in southeast Australian near the current devastating bushfires. American wine importer, Anthony Terlato teamed with northern Rhône grower and vintner, Michel Chapoutier, to develop the site in 1998.

The wine uses Syrah — referred “Down Under” as Shiraz — grapes fermented in concrete tanks before aging in French oak barrels. In the glass, ripe dark red fruit, spicy white pepper and smoked meat aromas unfold. Then juicy, delicious dark fruit flavors follow with medium concentration balanced by fresh acidity and soft tannins. Pair the wine with pot roast. Highly Recommended.