I have just one question: How can a wine of this quality, at this price, have existed for so long without me knowing about it?

The Gicon is a red blend from the Cote du Rhone (grenache, syrah, and mourvedre) made using carbonic maceration, the same fermentation process that produces Beaujolais nouveau. This makes the Gicon more accessible, not a bad approach for inexpensive Rhone wines, since they tend to be green or tannic. It also holds the price down – about $9 (available at Central Market).

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The Gicon is a solid, steady, dependable Cote du Rhone, the kind of wine that everyone who loves wine wishes more producers made. It’s not showy or spectacular, but it’s not supposed to be. Look for a bit of cherry fruit and some spice, and drink it with most simple red meat dishes – burgers, meat loaf, and even roast chicken.