Budget wine recommendations?
 

I searched but didn't see a thread that really corresponded to my question.

I don't have much wine knowledge or an educated palate; I just know some of the French wines I've enjoyed in the past include

a good Muscadet to accompany seafood
Pouilly Fumé
Tavel
Bandol
Saumur Champigny
Sancerre rouge
Beaujolais Villages
Côtes du Rhône
St. Émilion


Now I'm in the US and have no idea where to start! Based on the "profile" above, can you recommend any wines available here for under $20?

I don't drink whites, so I'll let other folks chime in with those, but from your list, certainly Cotes du Rhone and Beaujolais Villages remain good values here in the U.S. Other good red wines to try would be just about any Spanish red, including Riojas, and Monastrells, Argentine Malbecs, Chilean Carmeneres and Cabernet/Merlot blends, Australian Shiraz, and California Zinfandels and Rhone varietals like Syrah and Grenache that fit within your budget.

Thanks for your reply. That's a very broad listing, almost as overwhelming as standing in front of the wine selections at the store. :eek: I guess I'll just have to try some and see. Thanks again.

Well, If I were you, I'd start with the Argentine Malbecs, and the Spanish Reds, as well as the Cotes du Rhones you're already familiar with.

If you're near a Costco, there's going to be several in the $12-$18 a bottle range of each of those varieties, as a starting point.

You may find some pointers in these threads:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...12-bottle.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...12-bottle.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...wer-price.html

I think it also depends quite heavily on where you are in the US. I've seen reasonably priced French wine in both Boston and Philadelphia (last two cities I visited), but outside the bigger cities it will probably take some research.

I was up in Portsmouth, NH not too long ago and went in a wine shop, told the owner I was visiting and really wanted a nice French red. Instead he tried to sell me a German Dornfelder. Needless to say I left empty handed.

if you can stand rose' , one can find very good rose for about 10 bucks. in off season(fall through winter) rose gets dumped for around 5 bucks a bottle. rose is approaching 40% of all french consumption

this is my favourite grape at the moment, it produces very rich and flavoursome wines. Fortunately it's underrated so the wines are affordable.

Personally I avoid Riojas as they can be very hit and miss.

And if I may, English wines are up and coming as the climate is becoming more and more Mediterranean as time goes by. I have a bottle of English sparking wine in my fridge waiting for the right time to open it.

Thank you! I was looking for those threads and they didn't show up in my search.

I appreciate everybody's comments. I'm not in a big city or a location where out-of-state wine can be shipped, and my budget is such that I'd rather not just try blindly and waste money on a bunch of duds. I'll take note of what you've suggested and see what's available here. Thanks!

As a rule of thumb, New Zealand wines are nearly always reasonably priced here in the USA, and tend to be very consistently and reliably good, especially relative to the price. They do Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs especially well, with profiles that seem to me more similar to French wines than those from California or Australia.

I'm making sweeping generalizations, of course, but it can be a good fall back option when in doubt. Try getting reasonably priced wines at Costco or Trader Joe's if any are nearby to you.

I don't know where the OP is based, but if it's in a major city, then such mattes will be easy. I'm not so sure about pushing him / her to New World wines given the list that he / she presented. On the whites, both Muscadet and Pouilly Fume are relatively light and delicate wines. A NZ Sauvignon is also light but far from delicate whereas South American whites are quite different. Perhaps an Orvieto or Pinot Grigio might suit, or indeed an English wine (but that will be too expensive) but not New World wines.

As to the reds, with the possible exception of the Bandol, they are all of a style which is not really replicated outside France and will simply not be obtainable in an average store that sells wine.

If I were the OP and living in the SF Bay Area, I would head to K&L Wines and ask their recommendation - I shop there regularly and can think of several wines they have at the $9.95 level which would absolutely suit the requirements and are quite delicious. And what I'd suggest to the OP is go to the best specialist wine merchant in his or her city and do just that. But avoid big chains / supermarkets / Costco etc. who will only sell mass market swill at high prices.

Costco actually sells a very wide range of stuff at some of the best prices around. IMHO, their selection in locations like the SF Bay Area actually rivals K&L and the Wine Club, and their prices tend to be a dollar or two lower for the same stuff. I'm curious how the exact same wines, when sold at K&L, become "quite delicious", yet they are mass market swill when Costco sells the same bottles? As an example, one of my favorite wines is Chateau Montelena estate cabernet, and another is Dominus. Neither of these cabs would be considered "mass market swill", but Costco sells them for the best prices around. They also sell fine classed-growth Bordeaux, Burgundies, Rhones, Barolos and Barbarescos from producers like Gaja, They also sell many of the best wines one can buy anywhere for $7-15 a bottle, and they have a better selection of value reds from places like Spain and Portugal than K&L does. And they presently have several interesting St. Emilions for sale.

Which is not meant to denigrate K&L, it's a very fine wine retailer. But so is Costco.

And I'm pretty sure that good Cotes du Rhones are sold at Costco, and even most supermarkets.

I'm located in the Midwest, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We do have a Costco, but I won't be getting a membership. Other than that, it's basically grocery stores and one or two local wine/liquor stores that may offer a bigger selection. I'll check them out in the next week or two.

I think lhrsfo has correctly interpreted my flavor profile, which does tend toward the lighter and drier side. I enjoy some fruitiness but not much sweetness. I am not a great fan of tannins.

I'm still reading and taking in all your suggestions and appreciate your input. Thanks!

Before I left Australia, Pepperjack Shiraz was an absolute cracker for less than AUD$20 a bottle. West Cape Howe Sauvignon Blanc for around the same price is great too - the
Great Southern's terroir allows for an amazing crisp and dry SB!

I seem to recall reading that the Costco wine buyer buys the most wine of any retailer anywhere. In many states, you don't need a Costco membership to buy liquor.


Yeah, seems you and I have an Old World profile preference - more composed and rounded. Not a fruit bomb. I have found that Spanish wines tend to be very reasonably priced and high quality of the money. Check out things from the Rioja or Ribera del Duero regions. These tend to be Tempranillo which is a lighter red wine grape and quite tasty wine. Should be easy to find good stuff under $15.