I'm always on the lookout for good wines at a fair value. Ok so maybe cheap wines that taste expensive. Anyway, are there wines that you've had recently that you would consider a terrific value for the price? I personally enjoy the merlot and chardonnay from Clos du Bois which both cost about $14 in New Hampshire. To relax with a glass of either and listen to my music (classical and jazz) does make the early evening sit pleasingly well.
Here's another vote for Charles Shaw. I had some sort of red wine from them--I cannot remember exactly what, unfortunately--which was amazingly good. Apparently, "Two Buck Chuck" has become quite popular in some circles.
Hey cpdunn, they were alot but wine is sort of our hobby. So we finally sprang for a pair. They rip apart bad wine even more than the normal riedels.
Hey Duke, Your in NY? We go to Zachys for most of our first growths. Susan goes to Morrels in the city because its close to work for her. She hates Sherry Lehmann because they were rude.
And the real poetry is in the company, the wine and the music....
Galeriehughie--- wish I could afford those Riedel sommeliers! They are damn nice, but the Spiegelau are not too shabby, either.
Theduke: hey, what's the name of those knock-offs? Not Spiegelau? Amazing what a fine combination of wine, glassware, and audio can do! Sounds like a great evening... :-)
You can get German made high quality knock-offs of the Riedel wine glasses at Fortunoff's here in the NY-NJ area for $5 -$7 a piece. I have a friend who has both. He says the knock-offs are virtually indistinguishable from the Riedel's. I agree.
While listening to his Martin-Logan's, we drank a nice 2000 Cousino-Macul Antiguas Reserva and found both glasses to be excellent.
Hey Cpdunn99... I thoght we were the only people who break out the cheap glasses for cheap wine (under $75) and use the Riedel Sommelier's for the good stuff!
How many use inexpensive glasses for inexpensive wine, or have you made the plunge for Riedel?! Amazon just had a great 2-for-1 deal on Spiegelau (I got 6 Magnum Bordeaux and 6 Magnum Burgundy glasses for $45!).
Here's another great cheapo wine: Artazuri Navarre 2001 (Grenache). I don't give a damn about Robt. Parker, but I agree with him that this is a "grenache whore!" 92pts from him, and under $10!
If you like Chateauneuf-du-Pape, you will like this.
Bigest surprise I have had in years at a recent "wine tasting" were a Chardonay by a small Nevada County (Calif) winery called Indian Springs. Light (for a Chardonay) very fruity, little after taste, moderately priced at $9. However THE BIG SURPRISE (I liked it much more than 2 different l986 Cabs I brought!), was an imported Spanish red wine, a 2001 Rioja by Castillo Labastida. Full bodied - no harshness whatsoever - fruity. At $6 a bottle! I went to the market and bought two cases. Served it over the hollidays - every one loved it.
"On the crisp side, with pretty honeysuckle and spice notes around a nice core of pear and citrus flavors, finishing bright." - 88 Points Wine Spectator May 15, 2003"
Not particularly good at making comments myself, but was struck by how unique this tasted - assertive notes up front, w/a body that stands up to Asian cuisine. Definitely a tropical delight to pair with summer fare (although tasted in winter).
About $9 on sale at NH liquor stores - probably $10-12.
Try Talomas from California. Its a collaboration between Rosemount of Australia and Robert Mondavi. The Cab/Merlot and Shiraz / Cab blends are both excellent. Can be found for about $13/bottle.
Here's an incredible deal on a 2000 Bordeaux (one of the best vintages in a long time):
Château La Grange Clinet (Premières Côtes de Bordeaux) 2000
This is a spectacular wine and will cellar nicely for 5-10 years. I bought it after tasting it at my wine shop for.... only $8 a bottle! Bought two cases, naturally. After I got home, I checked Wine Spectator. Not that I go by their thinking or ratings, but James Suckling gave it a score of 88.
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon or the more voluptuous Cuvee Alexandre Merlot are great wines ! I also enjoyed the Morning Star Chardonnay produced by Chain of Ponds from Adelaide Hills, South Australia - a burgundian (Puligny Montratchet) chard clone at a saner price.
I've been drinking one lately - Wild Horse Pinot Noir from the Central Coast - not cheap about $20 but with really good Cab's priced out o sight it's a bargain - and good!
Plan on buying Mad Dish Shiraz 2001 and Casa Lapostolle 1999 Cuvee Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon for diner party tonight. Both are under 20 and are this monthÂ’s flavor. Usually get ideas from wine.com. Mix it up every month.
highly rated 2002 debouef beaujolais village.about 7$ a bottle.if you don't mind spending 12$ they're fleurie beaujolais is the best out of france that year.both are generally available and outstanding values.
Yes, Ch. Musar is a little pricey. I've tried it and found it OK, but not outstanding. Usually goes in this area (Chicago) for $25-30 per bottle. On a scale of 0-100, I'd give most of it 83-85. For that price/score, I can find other wines. But that's the great thing about wine (and audio gear, music, etc)... there's something out there that delights everyone! Cheers.
Cutodian, Unfortunatley Ch. Musar is quite expensive in the States, retailing for about $40 a bottle. Excellent wine though I agree. For something a bit cheaper they have a second lable called Hochar Pere et Fils that's about $19 a deselection of the first wine, more forward and a bit fruitier.
My favourite inexpensive wine is "Chateau Musar" from the Lebanon. The 1995 is just about all gone now and the 1996 is widely available. 1995 is fuller bodied but 1996 is still delightful. Cost in the UK around £10-£12 per bottle, maybe cheaper in the US. I know the country of origin is a bit of a surprise, but seriously it is an outstanding wine.
Grapes are a blend of Cab-Sauv, Syrah and Cinsault
2-buck-chuck!?! What a contrast from the single-malt thread! Good wine doesn't necessarily mean expensive, but surely you'all could come up with some better suggestions for this poor guy than that..
There's a whole world of phenomenal wine bargains out there - fortunately, here in CA we have access to many more of the "domestic" (ie., California) selections than most of you on the east coast.
For awesome values, try:
Zin's - anything current from Rosenblum or Ridge (both have terrific mailing list programs) - Seghesio's nice, too...
S. Blanc's - current releases from New Zealand are great (Villa Maria, Mud House, Te Karanga, etc..) as are many 2001's from Sonoma
Pinot Noir - 2001 is about the best vintage ever for CA juice, after a couple of good years in Wash/Oreg - throw a dart at anything from the Russian River area...
Rhone - an epic string of vintages, both in the North and in the South, have flooded the market with terrific, age-worthy bargains...
Seek out a decent wine shop with proper storage conditions and seek out some suggestions - forget about Trader Joe's, the package liquor office, and your local grocery store. If the bottles are dusty, stored upright out in the open and near a sunlit window, don't buy them...
A couple of fantastic direct-order outfits here in southern CA will ship direct (check the allowable states): www.winehouse.com and www.thewineclub.com
And remember, life is too short to drink 2-buck-chuck! I wouldn't even cook with that stuff...
Niebaum Coppola Rosso is/was delectible for $9. I have not bought the rosso in a number of months, so the price may have went up.
I also tried the hot, at least in my area, Blackstone Merlot ($15.00) and Niebaum Coppola Merlot (~$15.00), but I think Kendal-Jackson is superior. I do not have that much experience with wine, though. But the rosso is worth checking out if any of you are in a convenient position to do so...or, if its the end of month and you want to through a party, but the bills are due...you know ;)
The St Nicholas Pinot Noir runs under $5 at Sams Club, and fits in the inexpensive wine list a lot better than anything over $16, tons better than any of the Yellow Tail wines.
1999 The Seven Surveys, Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre blend, by Lehman from downunder, about $13-14, this is very enjoyable and has aging potential, great fruit, concentration, depth.
2000 Perrin Nature, Rhone, around $9-10, excellent bbq wine
You are absolutely right about the 2000 Bordeaux. I have bought several cases myself (add Ch. Martinens to the list) and they are indeed many affordable ones. With the 2000 vintage being so good, and with many available for under $20, there are some obscenely good deals to be had.
The Robert Shaw cab I referred to is sold out @ our local retailers. It was the 2000 vintage and I can only assume that CDunn is referring to the 2001 (the 2000 was not "lacking" anything for an under $10 cab).
Can't recall the Chard vintage tasted as I did not purchase any of it.
Most any 2000 Bordeaux red will satisfy. I purchased 10 cases of Chateau Potensac for $16 a bottle. Absolutely superb wine for the money! Tannic, blackcurrant, with a hint of rasberry, very long finish and did I say dry? If you are a Parker fan, he claims the 2000s are better than the 1982s. Another excellent cheapo is Chateau Camensac. Seconds of the first growths will be excellent buys, too!
There are several good suggestions listed already, but ultimately, it's a matter of personal taste. I've tried the Yellow Tail and Charles Shaw and found them seriously lacking. They're OK if you have a large party and don't want to blow a lot of money on better wines.
I will concur strongly with the above recommendations regarding: 1. Seghesio zinfandels. They produce several, of which I prefer the Old Vine, but it is pricier than their others. They are all excellent values. The "lower end" is less than $15.
2. Falesco Vitiano Umbria. 2001 Under $10.
3. Amano Primitivo. The primitivo grape is the same as the zinfandel. Outstanding Italian pressing. Well under $10 (or should be).
4. Paringa Shiraz 2001 from Australia. This is one hefty shiraz.
Others worth considering: 5. When the Foppiano Petit Syrah 2001 (Paso Robles) comes out, I suggest jumping all over it. It should be under $15 (maybe even closer to $10). Barrel tastings have been excellent.
6. Benziger (not to be confused with Beringer) Chardonnay.
7. Kestrel (the Washington winery, not the California one of the same name).
8. Peter Lehman's wines are all outstanding. His Riesling is excellent and is not the sweet German/Johanisberg style, but is semi-dry and crisp.
9. Nautilus. A great New Zealand (Marlborough) savignon blanc. Maybe close to $20, but well worth it.
10. Nobilo is another Marlborough worth looking into.
OK, I'll leave it there. It's only 10am and I'm suddenly getting a little thirsty!
Boonesfarm..whats it up to these days? 3 bucks a bottle? When I drank it when I was young(er) it went for <$2 I think. Best 'wine' I ever tasted..It tasted best in a water pipe if I remember correctly.
The best value in table wine (currently available) is probably the Cab and Chard on the Charles Shaw label ($2-$5/bottle depending on the retailer). The ex-wine buyer, for a company I no longer work for, helped to develop the current bottlings/offerings.
They also have a SB and a Merlot (which get no cigar due to lack of acidity, but they would be fine/smooth for cocktails). I no longer drink wine myself, but tasted the line 5-6 months ago. I use the Cab to cook with (lamb necks/shanks, chicken in wine, etc.).
Hannibal Lechter is the ultimate gourmet. Sure, his taste in meats was a bit over the edge, but his selections of wine show true oenophile instincts. The movie version of the book Silence of the Lambs does not do him credit, though. They 'dumbed down' his fine wine passion to a pedestrian wine - Chianti. His true passion was for a much bolder red - Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico! Yesterday for my birthday my wife gave me a bottle of Tommasi Amarone. I must say that I never drank an Amarone I didn't like. But it's expensive, so in our house Amarone is reserved for those special occasions.
The Kendall-Jackson label has never failed me in its consistency. A "supermarket" wine to be sure, but still has enough oak, fruit and finish to satisfy. I also like Clos du Bois.
The Australian wines have always been good and have remained very resonably priced. There is a huge glut of juice right now especially in California so there are some good deals out there on occasion. Plus, spirits are growing again for the first time in several years which makes matters worse for wines especially smaller esoteric companies.
I found a chenin/chardonay blend that I feel is great value in my books. "Robert's Rock" It's no more than $8.00 to $.9.00 I encourage you to give that a whirl. My girlfriend only requests that I buy that bottle if we cook at home. Great tasting wine. Bob.
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