Every week I get requests for wine recommendations, be it for pouring at events, at a special occasion, or simply to enjoy at home. The dreaded “B” word always has to be approached very delicately as most people generally don’t like to talk about “budget”, but I have noticed a trend.

I was not terribly surprised when I saw a very interesting statistic come across my desk last week – “Surprising US market trends for 2014: …. sales of high-priced wines are rising, while low- priced wines are falling”. This is important on a number of fronts as the United States is the largest wine market in the world by dollars, and in 2013 it surpassed France to become the world’s top wine market by volume, although not per capita. Our markets’ wine trends and selections are somewhat influenced by the US market and I have noticed that the budget amount given to me to select wines in recent times has inched up a bit. Is it that people are just tired of drinking cheap wine? Or is it that I am getting more requests from those further up the socio-economic scale?

Over the weekend, I received three requests for wine recommendations, two for home consumption and one for a party. Here are my suggestions for a mixed case of wines between J$1,500 to J$4,000. I prefer to recommend six different wines, two bottles each instead of 12 individual bottles. I zipped through the supermarkets on the weekend and these caught my eye.

The White Wines – Ruffino Orvieto ($1,700) – very easy drinking, fresh, crisp, pour and drink, light and delicious (works great as a party wine, if budget allows).

King Estate Pinot Gris ($3,200) – In a recent edition of Wine & Spirits magazine’s annual restaurant poll, a survey of only the top Zagat-rated restaurants across the United States ranked King Estate Pinot Gris as the number one domestic wine in the Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio category – fruit-forward aromas boasting citrus and tropical fruits, without excess residual sugar levels.

The Red Wines – Meiomi Pinot Noir($3,900) – one of the most delicious Pinots on the market, a brilliant, rich garnet colour, it opens with lifted fruit aromas of ripe strawberry, plum and sweet cherry, along with light cedar and spicy vanilla notes. Bold and expressive boysenberry, plum, cherry cola and toasty mocha flavours lend complexity and depth on the palate.

Red Diamond Merlot ($2,000) – Rated as one of America’s Top 10 Restaurant Merlots by Wine and Spirits magazine; deep garnet colour, sweet fruit, ripe berry fruit aromas with vanilla and mocha notes; ripe and smooth with soft, spicy notes; very enjoyable (also great for a party).

Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi ($3,000) – Lodi, in the northern part of California’s Central Valley, is known as the Zinfandel Capital of the World. “No wimpy wines” is the motto of the winery; this wine is bursting with concentrated sweet blueberry, plums and spice aromas. Bright and fruity with soft, ripe roundness and well- balanced acidity, filled with vanilla and toasted spices that linger on the finish.

Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere ($3,300) – Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere is an exceptional deep, dark red wine showcasing intense aromas of ripe black fruit coupled with spicy black pepper. On the palate, the wine is voluptuous with flavours of blackberry, dark chocolate and hints of vanilla from the oak.

Life is too short to drink bad wine!

Christopher Reckord – Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Instagram: @chrisreckord Twitter: @Reckord