What is a sustainable wine if not one which will last forever? That is the question being asked by consumers who recently bought wines from a Mendocino County organic winery with the belief that the bottles would never run empty.

But two wines, a red and a white, from Parducci Wine Cellars in Ukiah, California have not lived up to their names, allege miffed buyers of the products.

“They say it’s ‘sustainable,’” complained Noah Peter, a San Francisco native who, confronted with what he believed was a never-ending bottle of red wine, made the $11 investment in the 2008 Parducci Sustainable Red at a local Whole Foods. “Well, we hadn’t poured more than five glasses before it was entirely gone.”

Alicia Young, a school psychologist for South San Francisco Unified School District who says she does her best “to be green,” bore similar sentiments.

“They might be saving forests with this wine, but it is it definitely, positively not a quote-unquote ‘sustainable wine’,” said Young, who tasted the Sustainable Red and reported that aromas of prune, jam and strawberry set the stage for a brilliant flavor parade of cherry, blackberry and chocolate. Young says she opened the wine while preparing for a dinner party at her apartment in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.

“But before my first guest even got there the bottle was empty,” she says. “We had to go buy cheap stuff at the corner store.”

Peter said he tasted smoke in the Sustainable Red, perhaps attributable to the Syrah comprising 26% of the blend. Peter also reported licorice and pepper notes, descriptors often associated with Zinfandel, which constitutes 39% of the blend.

Parducci Wine Cellars’ Sustainable White, a 2006 blend of five grapes, carries a label that makes claims of sustainability identical to those of the Sustainable Red. Also like the Sustainable Red, the white has drawn criticism from drinkers who report that, while the $11 wine carries a lovely fragrance of pummelo and peaches and a tantalizing taste of summer stone fruits, a bottle may run empty after as little as three generous pours.

But the sustainability claims of Parducci Wine Cellars, which prides itself on environmentally conscious efforts like recycling and supporting local farms, may refer more to forest preservation than to bottles of wine. In a statement released March 2, the company’s executives assured that for every bottle of Sustainable Red and Sustainable White sold during the month of April, 2010, the company will donate $1 to American Forests tree planting projects. The wines can be found exclusively at Whole Foods, Safeway and Sprouts.

They come from a land down under, where spring is fall and cyclones turn backward. Yet red wine, in this land of opposites called Argentina, remains red. Stranger still, by some inexplicable function of cargo load and fuel efficiency, quality wines of Argentina manage to remain quite cheap, while it seems so many upper end wines from our local producers often run two, three and four times as much. Of Argentinean wines, we’ve rounded up several red bargains, of three grapes and two wineries in the eastern hilly province of Mendoza.

Bodega Septima, a winery established in 1999, is situated in the Lujan de Cuyo area at more than 3000 feet of elevation, with additional acreage in the Valle de Uco. The winery’s 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($12) is bright and floral, with trace aromas of cigar, old dignified leather and prunes. It tastes rich and fruity, yet laced with savory smoke. The 2007 Malbec ($12) is a bit woodsy on the nose, with some cherry and ham and a remarkable taste of bacon fat, leather, and even onion. It puckers the mouth a bit – tannins at work – and a few years in a dark place might smooth this one out.

We also tried the Syrah and Malbec of Finca La Linda, one of three labels of Bodega Luigi Bosca, a family-owned winery in Lujan de Cuyo. The La Linda 2006 Syrah ($10.99) bears an intense, deep jam and cherry aroma, with some rather peculiar traces of bacon, mushroom, raspberry, pomegranate and tar in the mouth. Bold and aggressive, it’s a bit puckery and acidic and seems to bear the structure of a wine that could grow with some aging. In the 2006 Malbec ($10.99) we smelled smoke, raspberry, and hickory, and a sip went down very smoothly while passing off flavors of jam, cherry and chutney, with only a trace of cloying tannins and a nice bite of acidity. Lastly, we also tasted the Malbec of 2007 ($10.99). It, too, was a spicy, fruity wine, reminding me of a Zinfandel, but in the mouth in ran a bit harsher than the prior vintage.

A word on Malbec: Though many red varieties have been successful in Argentina, this French grape has ascended as the rising star of Argentina, though its roots will always lie in the soils of Bordeaux. Here winemakers have long used this inky dark wine as a blending tool, as so many wines of France are. Thus the Malbec variety itself never became famous in its own solo right. By contrast, Argentinean Malbec has stolen the stage, for it is favored for use as a 100-percent varietal wine. This trend, very Californian, has put the grape’s name plainly on millions of bottle labels and spotlighted Malbec’s earthy and often savory virtues – well expressed by the Finca La Linda vintages. This grape will be worth watching in the imminent future, as might other wines of Argentina, where high quality can come just a degree north – or is it south? – of $10.

Any good BrokeAss gourmand knows that you can find some amazing wines for $10 or less, which is why today’s Joffer is something of a dream come true. Spencer and Daniel’s (basically BrokeAss wine heaven) has partnered with Joffer to offer $10-worth of wine for a mere $5. This is a steal people. I’ve already bought 5 of these Joffers, which translates to $50-worth of wine for a measly $25, which goes far at Spencer and Daniel’s. Get in on this amazing deal!

I would be friends with Brett even if he didn’t have one of the most amazing kitchens I’ve ever set foot in…but I have to say, it’s a great bonus. Additionally, the fact that he seldom uses it and happily gives me free reign as long as I feed him means that I do a fair amount of entertaining at his place. So, when Angove Family Winemakers asked me to put together a dinner with food that showcases their Nine Vines collection, Brett and I decided to make it a holiday dinner party. I cooked all day and then, around 7, our friends started arriving. Holiday music played in the background, Brett mixed his signature holiday drink, which we coined “White Santas” (White Russians made with egg nog instead of cream. OMG.), and friends piled in. Once everyone was settled and hungry, I began serving the courses.

To start, I brought out salad plates with Lemon-Basil Ricotta Crostini over Mixed Greens with Roasted Red Peppers. Crispy crostini with creamy, refreshing ricotta and sweet roasted red peppers paired perfectly with a chilled 2008 Viognier. A mere $12 per bottle, this very floral wine was light and refreshing, perfectly complementing the brightly-flavored ricotta and sweet balsamic-dressed greens.

Next up was a rich and earthy Winter Lasagna with Fresh Beet Pasta and Sage Bechamel. The creamy bechamel, sweet roasted pumpkin and caramelized onions were layered with bright purple fresh beet pasta, creating an indulgent and beautiful dish. The perfectly-chilled 2008 Grenache Shiraz Rosé, with its cherry and raspberry aromas and crisp, fruity flavor was a lovely accompaniment, nicely showcasing the subtle sweetness of the beet pasta and the caramelized onions. This wine is typically priced at a very reasonable $13.50.

Following the pasta we had Grilled Lamb Chops over Carrot-Gorgonzola Smash. Simply-flavored lamb chops, marinated in olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper were perfectly grilled and served atop a slightly chunky sweet gorgonzola-enhanced carrot smash. I paired this dish with Angove’s 2007 Shiraz Viognier. Peppery and dry, this delicious wine brought out the smoky char from the grill as well as the succulent juiciness of the lamb. Again, this wine costs a very doable $12.

By the time dessert rolled around, we were all quite full (not to mention pretty tipsy), but we still managed to eat some absolutely amazing Ginger Butterscotch Sauce Over Ice Cream in Won Ton Cups.

I looked around at my friends and the sparse remains of the absolute bounty of delicious food and wonderful wine that we had demolished and felt so very blessed and lucky.

I have really excellent friends. It’s true. Friends so supportive of me and of BrokeAss Gourmet, that on Sunday, they piled into cars and made their way from San Francisco to my parents’ home in Santa Rosa, CA to join me on a most excellent adventure—a mini-tour of cheap/free Alexander Valley wineries. We were tired of the crowds and overpriced tasting scene in Sonoma and Napa. We wanted to relax and sip delicious wine in gorgeous scenery—not fight to get a spot at the bar in the midst of multiple bachelorette parties, as in Sonoma and Napa. I am no wine expert, but I do love just about any activity that involves drinking wine, sunshine and good friends. And so, the BrokeAss Gourmet Alexander Valley Wine Adventure was born.

The day began with frittata, sticky cinnamon rolls, fresh figs from my parents’ tree, heirloom tomatoes from Paul’s mom’s garden and plenty of coffee to go around. Once we had fueled up and settled our stomachs (some of us had “had a few too many White Russians” the night before…), we divided into cars and made our way north to the Alexander Valley, land of unpretentious, inexpensive and free wineries.

Our first stop (after a little confusion on the way—GoogleMaps = not so awesome) was deLorimier, in Geyserville, where an extremely friendly pourer charmed us with generous pours and loaded us up with free wine magazines, maps and coupons. Generally I’m not a fan of Merlot, but I enjoyed the plummy, soft-tannin-y 2008 version she was pouring so much, I bought a bottle for $23. The open, warm, tasting room was welcoming and casual-feeling while still being classy and attractively designed. There was no charge for tasting and we left with goodies and great pointers.

Next, we made our way to Sausal Winery, a tiny tasting room set on lush grounds in Healdsburg. Again, there was no fee for tasting and the staff was incredibly attentive and friendly. None of the wines blew me away, but they were still enjoyable. Here’s the thing about Sausal though—there are cats everywhere. I’m not even talking about real live cats—there were a few wandering around, yes, but what stood out the most at Sausal was the cat-wine paraphernalia. Cat coasters, cat wine charms, cat wine stoppers, t-shirts with pictures of cats drinking wine. If you’re into that kind of thing, Sausal is the winery for you.

Onward we moved, our allergies only slightly irritated by the kitties at Sausal, to Hanna Winery. Paul (the boyscout of outings—always prepared) had researched Hanna ahead of time and determined that its tastings are not actually free, but actually cost $5. Fortunately, Paul also discovered and printed out several of these coupons, so we were covered. Our pourer, it turned out, went to high school with me (go Panthers), and so we chatted as he poured a delicious ‘05 Cabernet, a black-cherry-ish Pinot Noir and a delicious, refreshing Rosé. The Rosé originally cost a mere $15 and was on sale for just over $10. Our pourer, Ryan poured generously, was incredibly knowledgeable about the winery’s products and paid close attention to us. Ultimately, his good customer service paid off when we bought several very well-priced bottles.

Finally, as the sun was setting, we made our way to Field Stone Winery, also in Healdsburg, where we’d heard there was port. Castle-like architecture surrounded the tiny tasting room where we were greeted by what I believe was a husband-and-wife pouring team. I was pleasantly surprised when one of the pourers came out from behind the bar to hand glasses of wine to some members of our group who hadn’t made their way up to the bar yet like a gracious host greeting her guests. Again, there was no tasting fee and the pours were heavy and plentiful. One of our group members wasn’t drinking whites and so was offered different reds as the rest of us tasted whites. The port, served with complementary chocolate, was a sweet finish to a beautiful day.

Our cheeks flushed from the wine sunshine and our trunks full of newly acquired bottles, we headed back to the city to reenter the real world. Lesson learned: Alexander Valley is where it’s at for a budget-friendly, crowd-free, wine adventure.

And also cats.