Good Cheap Wine

[syracuse1976]

I've made a small list of what I think are very good cheap wines (<$20).

Thoughts? Additions?

1.) Columbia Crest Grand Estates (any of 'em, but especially the merlot)
2.) Bogle Phantom
3.) 7 Deadly Zins
4.) Kirkland Signature Chilean
5.) Klinker Brick Zinfandel

Cheers.

 

[chorse123]

Under $20? Perhaps under $10! Casillero Del Diablo, Concha y Toro Merlot is surprisingly good for the price, which is usually around $7.

 

[itsstillmatt]

I also wouldn't say that under $20 was necessarily cheap. I would say that 95% of the wine we drink is priced from $10 to $20 and while I cannot recommend anything in particular, we are almost always pleased with wine in this range from producers in Italy, Spain and even from some of the more village wines in France. I have a prejudice against Napa because of the smug factor. It is just too close to home not to be enveloped by the smug cloud.

I am not a big $$$ wine drinker as I find it does little to add to a normal dinner and with friends I am usually enjoying myself too much to take the time to really savor an expensive wine with the time due to it. Once or twice a year we might spend more than $30 but it is rare.

Generally, when we shop for wine we pick up tow cases of this from Kermit Lynch in Berkeley which allows us to try a lot but still have two bottles of each whenever necessary. IMO, they are still the finest wine shop for the non-collector int he US. I would bet Manto is familiar with them.

BARGAIN SAMPLER
You are not going to believe this one. My staff tells me that you, my very
c lientele, are more likely to try new wines if I lower the price. I’d be
o utraged if I were you. I assured them that the only thing that matters
to you is top quality, price be damned, but they assured me right back and
said, “You’ll see,” so I let them have their way. Why not keep ’em happy?
They picked out this case of their favorite already-well-priced wines, and I lowered
the prices to make them even greater bargains, in effect making them
IRRESISTIBLE BARGAINS. Or, to be almost precise about it, around $11.50
per bottle for fine imported wines shipped from France and Italy in refrigerated
containers.
This twelve-bottle Sampler includes:
normally
2004 Dolcetto di Dogliani “Surì” • Marenco . . $12.50
NV Prosecco di Conegliano Brut • Sommariva . . . 13.50
2005 Vin de Pays de l’HÃ

rault “Proteus”
Domaine du Poujol. . . 12.95
2005 Pinot Bianco • La Viarte. . 14.95
2005 Vin de Table du Vaucluse Rouge
SÃ

lectionnÃ

e par Kermit Lynch. . . 9.95
2003 E Prove Rouge • Domaine Maestracci. . . 17.00
2005 Bourgogne VÃ

zelay Blanc
Domaine de la Cadette. . . 19.95
2004 Bourgueil “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie. . . 14.95
2004 Cairanne “CuvÃ

e LÃ

a Felsch”
Domaine Catherine le Goeuil . . 16.00
2006 Bianco di Custoza • Corte Gardoni . . 11.25
2004 C orbières Rouge “La Demoiselle”
Domaine de Fontsainte. . 14.00
2006 T avel RosÃ

• Château de Trinquevedel. . 16.00
Normally $173
Special Sampler Price $138
(A 20% discount )

 

[Piobaire]

For a drinkable red, 2006 Sonoma County Pinot Noir by Siduri. Rated 91 by Robert Parker, $19. http://www.siduri.com/wines/2006_sonoma_cty.html

For a nice quaffing bubbly, 2005 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Moscato d'Asti Bricco Quaglia, $18. http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=172302

For a nice white, Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer Alsace 2004, $19.http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Wi...205084,00.html

 

[Manton]

Napa wine became crazy expensive in the Bay Area boom of the mid-late '90s. There used to be dozens of good $10 wines. Now $10 gets you glorified box wine. (The high end stuff is better than ever, but insanely priced.) Europe is a much better value, even after the import duties and shipping costs.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Manton

Napa wine became crazy expensive in the Bay Area boom of the mid-late '90s. There used to be dozens of good $10 wines. Now $10 gets you glorified box wine. (The high end stuff is better than ever, but insanely priced.) Europe is a much better value, even after the import duties and shipping costs.

IMO, the real values atm are from Chile, Australia, and New Zealand.

 

[syracuse1976]

Piobaire,

I look forward to trying the Pinot, thanks. My experience has been that, typically, there is a big difference between $10-20, but after that one pays exponentially more for marginal improvement.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by syracuse1976

Piobaire,

I look forward to trying the Pinot, thanks. My experience has been that, typically, there is a big difference between $10-20, but after that one pays exponentially more for marginal improvement.

You're welcome for the suggestion. I agree with your theory about cost/returns but my critical cut point is about $50 for a pinot, about $100 for a cab, and whatever the bank account can handle for the right port

 

[syracuse1976]

Agreed! Speaking of good port, I have yet to splurge on Vintage, but I was pleased with the Taylor Fladgate's Late-Bottled Vintage (2000?). I thought it was a bargain.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by syracuse1976

Agreed! Speaking of good port, I have yet to splurge on Vintage, but I was pleased with the Taylor Fladgate's Late-Bottled Vintage (2000?). I thought it was a bargain.

Totally agree, and LBV from any of the big houses is a bargin. I just put down a case of 2003, from various houses, for about 20 years of aging

Edit: clarification: 2003 true vintage, not LBV.

 

[horton]

too many to list.

pro seco is ridiculously cheap for what you get

many italian whites are super bargains and there's a ton of variety as well

If you like big reds, you'll get great value from Spain especially if you pay attention to the importers, e.g., European Cellars. Many of the best bargains are dominated with Grenache.

I am no longer a fan of Chile and barely of Argentina which I prefer to Chile (when looking for value).

For new zealand i think you can still get great sauv. blanc from the marlbourough area if you like tart gooseberry like wines (I do at least in Summer)

If you like Pinot, I'd strongly recomment Hamilton Vineyard from South Africa, very burundian at 1/2 to 1/3 the price of burgundy. they make decent chardonnay too

 

[hossoso]

Barefoot or Smoking Loon. Both winners of reputable awards and both can be had for under $10.

 

[thepataphysician]

i like to drink vinho verde in the summer. it is super cheap $7-$9/bottle. a good minerally white.

there are also plenty of good oregon pinot's around $15 dollars.

in baltimore there is a great wineshop called bin 604 with an well edited selection of affordable wines, I always stop by when I am in baltimore. they also have a pretty good website with listing of their wines.

 

[Bouji]

Looking for 'cheap wine' does not make sense.

If you like Burgundy reds, you'd any day drink a Nuits-villages over a 3rd growth Bordeaux.

If you like Chianti, you'd any day drink a non riserva Chianti over a recent vintage of Vosne Romane.

This of course assumes that you do not like both Burgundy & Bordeaux, or Chianti & Burgundy as much as each other.

I like Burgundy reds, and of course Romanee-Conti is stunning, but not cheap!
More reasonable Burgundies, which I like are:
Volnay, Santenots, 1er Cru Nicolas Potel
Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Christian Serafin
Chambolle-Musigny, Chatelots G. Barthod
Vosne-Romanee Domaine Rene Engel

I've recently been enjoying South American whites, some notable reasonable ones are:
Tierra del Fuego White Bodega Lurton
Vinamar Reserva Especial Chardonnay

 

[syracuse1976]

Bouji, I should have said "affordable" or "inexpensive." You know your stuff. Despite all the snobbery, wine's fun, and once in a while one should splurge!