St. Louis' best house reds

The challenge: Find the best “house” red wine for $9 a glass. The reality: You rarely hear someone ask for a glass of “house” wine. Moreover, locating interesting reds on restaurant and bar menus at $9 is becoming difficult; that $10 note seems to have become the tipping point if you want to go beyond what is easy to find, pronounce and sip. Luckily, I discovered a trio of well-made wines that were unique, pleasurable and so affordable, I wouldn’t think twice about a refill.

At Olio, for $8, you can get a glass of Kavaklidere 2011, a blend of öküzgözü and bogazkere from Turkey. Olio’s general manager and beverage director Andrey Ivanov has pushed all previously known limits of wines by the glass with this earthy yet fruit-driven pick. If you simply ask for the “house red,” you won’t have to try to pronounce it. Olio, 1634 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.1088, oliostl.com

For $9, you can get a delicious Domaine Chatelus de la Roche 2011 Beaujolais from Burgundy, France, at The Restaurant at The Cheshire. Beverage director Patricia Wamhoff selected this lovely, fruity and juicy Gamay because it’s so drinkable with or without food. Beaujolais is often overlooked, but I’m always reminded when I taste one how much I enjoy it. The Restaurant at The Cheshire, 7036 Clayton Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.7818, restaurant-stl.com

My most amazing revelation was at Five Star Burgers, where I found “House Pinot Noir” printed on the menu, aggressively priced at $5 a glass. My first question to the server was, “May I see the label, please?” It was Backhouse 2011 Pinot Noir from Cecchetti Wine Co., on California’s central coast. I’ve had Cecchetti wines, but I hadn’t seen this one before or imagined that it would taste so good – or that I could pay in quarters during happy hour (daily from 4 to 6 p.m.), when the price on by-the-glass house wines (all four varieties) drops to a mere $3.50. Five Star Burgers, 8125 Maryland Ave., Clayton, 314.720.4350; 312 S. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, 314.394.2250, 5starburgersstl.com