I had M. with me when wine shopping on the weekend, so we ended up with a case full of mostly sub-$13 experiments. (Yay, strong Canadian dollar!)

So far:

Willm Riesling Reserve, France, Vintages, $15.85: all petrol and varnish on the nose. Tastes a bit thin. Won’t buy again at that price, but those fond of very dry, very petrolly rieslings may like it.

Spinelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy, $6.95: not a lot there, but very smooth — no harshness at all. Pleasant with food; managed somehow not to clash too badly with my tunaburger and D.’s pork chops. Good alternative to Farnese. Would buy again.

Volto Primitivo, Italy, $13.95 in a PET bottle: thought we’d give it a try because of the PET bottle despite the rather goofy label (at left — purple with a carnival mask). Decent character — nothing special but perfectly drinkable; possibly moreso than the Wolf Blass PET offering. A shoo-in for camping trips. Will definitely buy again.