 So – we've established that y'all don't mind a tipple, and sommelier Belinda Chang dropped by 5@5 yesterday to share expert tips on sassing up an inexpensive bottle. Commenters surprised us (as you often do), with staunch pro and con notions when it comes to more gently priced wines. So, today, we're asking: Yes, that's crazily specific, but people reeeaaaaalllly have strong feelings on this topic. As always, pour out your feelings in the comments below, and while you're at it - share a few of your bargain faves. |
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We're generally Beaujolais drinkers – that blend of reds that's actually better the less it's aged and what you tend to get in France when you ask for the "house red." You can get excellent bottles of French Beaujolais for $7-$12. If we're drinking white, it depends on the sweetness level we want – usually more sweet if it's for guests who aren't into wine. You can get similarly cheap but fine-tasting dry German whites, cheap American or French Chardonnays for something a little sweeter, and excellent American Zinfandel blends that are sweet but not too sweet – all for less than $10.
Concha Y Toro. Enough said.
a great refreshing summer white is vinho verde. it's a light sparkling from portugal. and super cheap...around $5!
I just buy mine at some wineries throughout the year. I buy by the case, so the average cost per bottle can be under $10 sometimes. but mainly about $12 to $15. But it works for me, I love wineries, I love wine, and I dont run out! ; )
Gosh forgot about the white wines – I don't drink white but my wife and just about all her girlfriends do. I buy so many for her that are great deals under $11 – from Chardonnays to Pinot Grigios to Sauv Blancs. Just about all of the New Zealand and S. Africa Sauv. Blancs are reliable as well as the Californians. Russian River Chards are also consistent for the price ($9-15). I stay away from most French Whites under $15. The Aussies created some hugely popular, affordable Chards years ago but have lost their edge, IMO and bringing over a bottle of Yellow Tail is kinda like bringing over Budweiser. Italian Pinot Grigios are usually a bargain ($7-10) for pre-dinner or appetizer quaffing as are French Sparkling wines. Spanish and South American whites are spotty – so I stay away from those.
I wish I liked Whites as much as Reds – I'd save a heluva lot of dough....
Every time I give a Kaiken bottle of wine as a gift people ask me where did I buy it. Kaiken has become my first choice.
Exploring Meritage, blends of wine is a joy and a great way to find value and expand your tastes.
Cheers
Trader Joes has Black Mountain, Pinot Noir, Cab., "Fat Cat" Chard all at under $6 and great. Used to sell for over $20 20 years ago. Good sourced juice. Choose the specific area where you like your choice of varietal to come from then find your best price from that area. Best price for best wine. Not just Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara go more specific like Howell Mtn, Oakville, Alexander Valley then you can get even more specific. Terroir search for your style.
Try any Bogle wine from Calif.Very good wines at very reasonable price.
I'll go for pretty much any chardonnay from Russian River (Sonoma County) but especially love Rombauer. The pinot noirs from there are the best too, many for low $20's. We just got back from a wine tasting tour of Calif Central Coast and are big fans of Four Vines, their Biker zinfandel rocks for $18!
Biltmore Estates Festival of Flowers- once a year treat for ~$15. Yum!
Reisling- most any brand....
Dr. Konstatin Frank Dry Reisling from the Finger Lakes region of NY
Spanish wine for me...mostly tempranillo. Can find a decent bottle for about $13.
For around $25, my favorite is Sterling Cab.
My fav is regional so probably only available here in the NW. It's Snoqualmie Reisling and it runs right around $8/bottle. So good! Actually my true fav right now is Del Rio Vineyards Rose Jolee (a mix of muscat and merlot) but at $12 / bottle, I can't afford it all the time. And before people start knocking me for being some kind of "wine newbie" just b/c I like a sweeter wine, you should know I've been tasting wines for 10 years and yes I'm also over 30...so there your other theory is out the window too. I tell other people who like sweet wine, be proud of what you like no matter what and I follow my own rule.
Did Miles and Maya ever hook back up?
My sister-in-law turned me on to 2006 Darioush Signature Cabernet Sauvignon and I've been a huge fan ever since!! About $65.00 for the bottle, so it's only for special occasions.
I personally love Columbia Winery Cellarmaster Riesling. It's very sweet which I love but I know some people don't like the sweet wine. I think it's usually around $10 bucks. Also Verde which is a sparkling wine and they have flavors like green apple, raspberry and peach...very cheap(like 6 bucks) but also very good...perfect for a girlie movie night!
There are some truly great local wines for $10-20. There are some surprisingly tasty wines for under $10. It depends on what's drunk: white, red, rose, fruit or chocolate. Also it depends on where it was purchased. From the winery or from a wine festival you can usually get really good wine for fairly cheap. If you go to a wine specialty shop, you're going to pay a lot more.
If I missed a comment above about this wine, I apologize; but you cannot go wrong with Black Opal cab or shiraz for $6.99! The cab is full-bodied (plum, cherry, blackberry) and the shiraz is ripe and smooth.
Love the Black Opal shiraz
Because of the weather being so stifling ! I've been sampling as many Rose's as I can get my hand on. My local vinter (First and Vine) has a selection from$9.99-$24.00 for the PinotNoir Sancerre Rose.
So glad no has mentioned our favorite $10-15 red right now: Apothic Red. Wait a minute...
I love the people who mention Two Buck Chuck for romance – they spend more on the condoms than the wine. I'm sure they're comfy in their trailer park. High end Burgundies are the answer – like the Good Lord Himself sliding down your gullet wrapped in velvet.
When we're celebrating, it's a bottle of Veuve Cliquot at about $40 a bottle. Every time my husband or I get a raise, promotion, etc., the widow comes out!
For everyday wine, it's typically $8-12 and for a really special occasion $15-20. I've had a few $50 bottles of cab, which I've loved, but I love a lot of wines in the $20 range and seldom can rationalize the $50 bottle when 2 $20 bottles can be so good.
Wine depends on what you're eating and time of year. In Vegas it's way too hot to drink a red in the summer so I really like Beringer White Merlot ($5-$8) or Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio ($18-$25). You just have to start trying a different wine every time you stop at the store. Barefoot Merlot ($5) goes great with a steak. If you have Costco or Sams Club around they usually have a pretty good selection at better prices than liquor and grocery stores.
Sam's Club has Sutter Home Moscato at about $5/bottle. Wonderful, light and inexpensive after a hard day at the office.
Try a So. African Chard or Sauv Blanc. They are excellent. I lived in Europe for 4 years and they became my favorites.
Love South African wines! Lived there for 2 years and found a lot of great ones:
Angel's Tears – has a great rose ~$12
Sebeka Chardonnay $12-$15
I'm a particular fan of "Old World" wines, particularly French (although I do love Spanish Tempranillos and Itallian Tuscanos and Primitivos). There are some pretty amazing wines from Europe in the $12 to $18 range. Once of my favorite reds is Puyduval, a Northern Rhone which usually runs about $16 a bottle (and drinks like a $25 – $30 bottle). A great, simple summer wine is Vielle Ferme's white (Cote du Luberon) which runs between $7 and $9 a bottle, and magnums can be found for around $12.
I just avoid Gimmick Wines (Marilyn Merlot, Vampire, etc). They all have notes of Focus Groups on the nose, along with an astringent Marketing Campaign finish, and the price tag to boot.
California Zins or Aussie Shiraz, $10-$15, with pizza......mmmmmmm.
The Show – a fab Cab I priced at the NH State Liquor store between 11.99 to 13.99 a bottle, at one of my favorite eateries they sell it for 11.00 a glass.
Merlot..$18
We don't cook often, so it's an occasion if we do. And that means the good wine.
On days we order pizza, we stick with the $10-$15 stuff. Sebastiani makes some great wines in that range. We also drink a lot of champagne in that range as well– we keep a case of Gloria Ferrer Brut on hand at all times.
gloria ferrer brut is hands down my favorite sparkling. i think for the price, you get a great wine!
i am also a huge fan of cava, specifically cristalino brut. it's usually around $7 but a fantastic bubbly!
Monkey Bay – Sauvignon Blanc $10 – $15 (semi-sweet)
Barefoot – Moscato $8 – $10 (sweet)
Boordy – Jazzberry $10 – $12 (sweet)
Most all the wines produced by the above companies are great and under $15, I just listed a few of my favorites. Also, Linganore. Honestly, Sutter Home makes a lot of descent stuff, not just but especially for the price.
Arrogant Frog, I think it is $10-12. Quite tasty in our opinion. Or Little Black Dress, I believe that is also around the same price, and is also very good. Normally we try not to go over $15. Both have a variety of reds and whites to allow for a pretty decent pairing with whatever you are cooking for the evening.
Lots of good values under $15 : Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cab; Mark West Pinot Noir; Many Argentinian Malbecs, Spanish Riojas and Chilean Cabs (especially the Riservas), Italian Valpolicella Ripassos(like a Jr. Amarone) and Super Tuscans (Sangiovese/Cab/Merlot blends) as well as a wonderful Montepulciano D'Abruzzo from Zacagnino. Also Australian Cabs and Shiraz from the Barossa valley or reserves (Lehman, Greg Norman etc.), French Cote du Rhones (very versatile especially the Villages style). In the end – it's not about the price it's about what you like and what you're eating. Sometimes I enjoy plain old Carlo Rossi Burgundy ($6) if I'm eating pizza or hamburgers and then a Gran Riserva Rioja ($24) for strip steaks. As far as the "romance" is concerned – lube each other up with a couple of vodka based drinks or shots of tequila before the meal and the wine will become irrelevant. The romance will then be all but guaranteed afterward.
Voga Pinot Grigio. Retails for $11 or so, and is very good.
It really depends on what the meal is. We choose a wine that goes very well with it. It may be $10 or less bottle or it might be one of the pricey Stag's Leap cabs for a special occasion, or if it's just a nice steak & not overly special occasion, Bernardus Marinus is a favorite Bordeaux style blend we love.
I agree it really depends on the meal...and what I'm in the mood for I guess.
Good wine is something that is very important to my wife and me. We are far from rich, but this is one of the areas where we are willing to spend extra money. We opened a $70 bottle of wine this week on Monday night at home on our own with a $5 plate of fresh vegetables, just because it was a wine that we have been wanting to try. We don't drink wine just to have alcohol. Instead, practically every bottle of wine we open is an "experience" for us, and it is worth every penny.
I'm with you – while also not wealthy, I'd open a $100 bottle of wine with a pizza if the mood suited. I'd rather have one good bottle of wine per week than 7 cheap bottles that taste like cough medicine.
I generally spend $10 or $11 on a bottle. I especially enjoy Pinot Noir and will walk into the store and try to grab a new bottle everytime. Though, I am partial to Robert Mondavi Pinot.
The absolute best cheap Cabernet – Columbia Crest Grand Estates. Under 10 bucks a bottle, and fabulous. For a great Cab under $20, check out Fransiscan. I agree with others – have a wine party where everybody brings a bottle under $15. We found some great wines at my "tasting," Our winner was Windmill Petite Syrah for about 13. It was amazing!!
Hear hear on Franciscan; what a delicious bottle that is. Count yourself lucky to find it under 20 these days.
Yep! Also agree with Franciscan!!
I've made a science of sampling thousands of inexpensive wines over the years and recording detailed notes in a spreadsheet. Though everyone has different personal taste, I found that Columbia Crest (Washington) has a consistent lineup of great inexpensive wines. Their Grand Estates wines are creamy with distinct buttery notes, and the Chard is consistently the most buttery Chard I've ever tasted (they use a batonnage technique where the lees are periodically stirred). Though I have a number of favorites, an exceptionally good inexpensive wine is the French white Augey Bordeaux. It has a full, round, well-balanced taste, and can be found for $7 in the states. A good cheap red is Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel.
I have to admit that those of us in CA have a whole lot more (and better) wines available for cheap. When I go back home to PA to visit, the same wines that I get for $15 are $25 or more. Estancia is one such wine. The syrah is really good if you can find it. the Cab and Zin are good too. My absolute best fall-back wine is Shiloh Road...it's never let me down and if you hit up BevMo's $0.05-sale, it's only $8 a bottle. :)
Agree with the Estancia. Quickly became one of my very favorites. I get it here in VA for about $14. Another, similar in taste and price, is Hands.
For bold, inexpensive reds (under $10/bottle on sale) try a Spanish Tempranillo or Argentinian Malbec.
bold? Are you sure youve had a tempranillo or malbec? The charecteristic is far from bold... these are mild to medium bodied fruit forward wines. Bold wines are cab sav, cab franc, grenache and syhrah varitals. Tempranillo and malbec closely resmeble a pinot noir, which can take on spice notes, but are low tannic and far from exploding in your mouth. The reason you should drink these wines is because they are versital and go well with many meals, and are light enough to drink with casual appitizers, but can still hold there own next to a steak.
Argentine Malbec is excellent–try Norton's for about $13 and you'll be hooked!
I agree – I recently discovered Tempranillos, and have really enjoyed them (Tapena was good). Most of the bottles I've tried are mouth-filling, fruit forward, slight to moderate tannins, and no bottle has been more than $17 that I've purchased. Also, Spanish garacha's are very nice bargain wines (Flor garnacha is $10-11; didn't like their Tempranillo as much).
We must note that two-buck Chuck is now $3, but I agree, it's a fine wine for the price. Argentine Malbec's are still the best value for a full bodied red. I buy through wine express by the case and normally average about $12 / bottle and get things that I wouldn't try on my own. 4 Seasons wine is another on-line "club" if you will that provides good value by the case in the $12 range. Remember that life is too short to drink bad wine, so drink to your tastes.
Big thumbs up for the Melbec. That's one of my favorites. I don't think I've yet to have a Melbec that I really didn't like and they're frequently more reasonably priced than a Pinot Noir, which is about the only other red that I regularly drink.
Ironstone Chardonny 2008. I love it, the first time I ever liked a Chardonny. A case is about $7.50 a bottle bought straight from the vineyard online. Very nice with cheese and crackers or seafood or it is nice sipping on it's own – on the porch on a summer's evening with the one you love.
I used to drink Yellow Tail but they really dropped the ball. They used to be cool and different but now they are just like all the others. Oh well. I've moved on and encourage all my friends to do the same.
I agree. I used to drink YT all the time – it was my goto wine for everyday situations – my bookclub, lunch with friends, etc, But then they became too big. They made this really lame commercial with people singing. Trying to be funny but not. Now I drink Beringer. Costs a little more but so worth it.
Umm maybe I'm not grasping the situation correctly but it sounds like you stopped drinking YT because it became popular? If so that's the stupidest reason I've ever heard. Drink good wine because you like the taste and price, not just because it's some new and different brand... I mean if it's truely a good wine then eventually it will become popular because of the taste. Now if you dropped it because it lost quality after mainstreaming then I can understand. I had YT years ago but it was never really my favorite, prefer an Argentine Melbec or something similar.
I personally stopped drinking Yellow Tail because the quality deteriorated - they seemed to start producing a lot of mediocre wine when they became popular.
TWO BUCK CHUCK!!! You really just get what you pay for there. Actually if you do a little home work, there's LOTS of very good wine for under $20, especially these days. Depending on your taste, you can find many European varietals in this price range. Calif wines still seem over priced to me and though they're FINALLY starting to let some characteristics other than WOOD come through, they still have a ways to go with understanding that wine is life and it's not the same year after year.
So, if you spend $30 on a bottle out, you're actually getting a $10 to $15 bottle of wine... why do this and then buy the same bottle at home? Seems like an opportunity to taste something better for the same price.
There are a lot of good wines under $15.
Want to find some... have a wine tasting party with friends. Everyone brings a bottle, $15 or less.
Food, friends and wine: what could be better?
We do this once or twice a year.
"Two buck Chuck" from Trader Joes is very drinkable for the price!
I agree, unfortunately I have moved to a state that does not have alcohol in grocery stores.
Yeah, that's my fav too. You can't get a better value than Two Buch Chuck :)
I love 2 buck chuck! But I now live in a state where Trader Joe's or any grocery for that matter can sell alcohol : (
Don't care for the 2buck chuck but I do like to go to Trader Joe's and buy a bunch of whatever 3 and 4$ bottles of wine they happen to have at the time. You really can't go wrong. Many of them are very good and if you don't like it... well you only spent 3 or 4 $.
I buy my Wine on base, so there is no taxes, so I'm not sure my vote fits here as it's always under 8 bucks a bottle...
Ditto
Blackstone – Pino Grigio is a wine that my husband and I both enjoy, and is very reasonably priced for its quality of taste.
Casillero del Diablo cab sauv. $7.99.
I agree with your choice, and btw they make a nice Chardonnay as well
So funny! I just had a Casillero del Diablo pinot grigio that was great. I think it cost $10.99.
You have to try New Age- its from Argentina and is a great, crisp summery wine. I found it at World Market. Also good if you add a lemon and lime slice.
Yeah thats good. I also like a few of the Big House wines.
Don't waste your money. Crane Lake is where it's at. No kidding. The taste to price ratio is surprising.