The best red and white wines for under $10 from Dayton Fleurs de Fete

Those lucky folks who thumbed their collective noses at the weather forecast and attended the Fleurs de Fete at Carillon Park on Sunday were treated to a vast array of interesting wines and some fantastic food samples to go with the (mostly) lovely weather.

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Some of my best wine finds — and no, I didn’t try all of the hundreds of bottles available for sampling, not even close — were among the less expensive offerings, including these two under-$10 bargains from Spain:

• Tarima Blanco 2015, Bodegas Volver: This refreshing white — perfect for summer sipping — is a "3M" blend of relatively obscure grapes that even the geekiest of wine geeks would be hard-pressed to describe, let alone pronounce: Merseguera, Macabeo and Moscatel. It's intensely flavored, fruity, yet finishes dry. I found it priced at $8.99 — the current release price may be $1 more — in the bargain case stacks in the rear of Arrow Wine & Spirits' Far Hills store, although it may be available at other wine retailers as well.

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• Tarima Monastrell, Bodegas Volver: This non-vintage-dated wine is made from the grape varietal known in France and the U.S. as mourvedre, and it's a big-boy red, with a blast of fruit up front and a dry finish. I didn't get the "notes of licorice, chocolate and a hint of dark violets" that the label promised, but I'm willing to keep trying. It's a tad high in alcohol at 14.5 percent, so it benefits from a slight chill — I wouldn't serve it at "room temperature" on an 85-degree patio. I found it for $9.99 at Arrow Far Hills.

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What separates these two wines from others in the under-$10 category was their intensity of flavor. They come from high-altitude, relatively arid vineyards in the Alicante region of Spain, which I’m sure contributes to the quality. I’m not sure how they accomplish all this at an under-$10 retail price point.

These wines outshine wines that cost twice as much.

Any other stars at the Fleurs that I missed out on?

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