It's very rare that I would recommend a wine that I haven't tried, but each year at this time Wellington Vineyards in Sonoma makes a wine called "The Duke" they sell for $8 a bottle or so. It's even less to club members.

I love their wines, just never been around when this was available for tasting, so I have not personally had it. And of course, depending on where you are, shipping can kill you on it.

Details on this page

http://www.securewineshop.net/wellin...22&cat=0&page=

Again, I have no personal knowledge of this wine, I'm assuming it's a blend they do of what's left in a few barrels so they have space to put the new harvest, but do love everything else I've ever had of theirs.

It's only available direct from them, and it goes fast.

I don't know if that's because it's good or because it's inexpensive or perhaps both.

Stuff is poison. One of my committee chairs was of the delusion that
one can't tell the difference ... tasting it I very nearly had to pay for
reupholstering of his couch.

Actually, the stuff is variable. Bronco Wine Co. makes quite a few labels of wine. He buys bulk from all over and some of the lots that go into the $2 Chuck can be from some top vineyards selling bulk overflow, and others aren't so good. In fact, they make dreck. So if a good lot is that chosen for tasting at a competition and it wins, a lot of people are going to pretend that they like something they hate, and others are going to rightfully vomit.

Back to the OP, as we still don't know where you are, we still don't know what is available in your area. If you have a state wine mafia, you will have a much more limited selection at higher prices. Close to my house, there is a local wine shop that gets small lots of imports (the store is called Odd Lots) and each month they have a "6 pack" of various wines, usually 2 white/4 red, or a rose thrown in, generally from France with an occasional Italian, or South American, or other thrown into the mix. About $43. Nothing is ever bad. Sometimes, something is very very good. They've had a $6.99 tempranillo I've bought cases of and people would have not been surprised if I said I spent $25/bottle. Try and scope out local stores like this. It is also much more fun than the "regular predictable bottle" of Ken Doll Jack's Son Shardon-Nayy.

Re Post # 15: Not inflation, but Michigan state taxes, additional shipping and a less competitive market--for wine at least. It was three bucks in Chicago the last time I looked, two bucks in California.

for a review raving about the Chard see:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3372578

"The connoisseurs may cringe, the snobs may even sob, but the judges have spoken: California's best chardonnay costs less than $3.

Charles Shaw Chardonnay, better known as "Two Buck Chuck," beat hundreds of other wines and was named the top prize in a prestigious tasting competition in California. ..."

The chardonnay seemed bitter to me, but the price is certainly enjoyable.

Surprisingly pleasant, widely available, and about $5 are the "Barefoot" Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. I would stay away from their reds and the Chardonnay.

The New York Times recently had an article for their choices for good wines under $10 per bottle

MisterNice

Rex Goliath Pinot Noir
 

$8 or so. They have a whole line that seems to be good for the money.

Estancia Chardonnay 2005
 

A mighty tasty bottle of grape juice for $9.99!

I am from northern NJ, bergen county. There are plenty of Trader Joes there. I go to school in Bethlehem, PA. Not the best area.

Let me re-phrase my question, I am looking for good bottles in the $15 range..not cheap cheap wine but obviously not overly expensive.

Thanks

The question then becomes what you think is good quality for that price range.

If looking for good (to my taste) wines in that price range, the first thing I would do is avoid wines from France or Italy: quality is high but so are prices. (As for France, I've occasionally found red Rhone wines in this price range which were excellent, but they are few and far between. Many of the cheaper quality French wines in American stores are Pays d'Oc, but I've found them disappointing.)

I'd also avoid Swiss wines, which can be good but are usually expensive. Some Greek wines are now coming on the market in the U.S., but I've found the quality disappointing. The best quality Greek wines I've found are regional ones which have limited distribution even in Greece.

That still leaves quite a field for bargain hunting quality wines in the medium price ranges. I'd look for Washington and Oregon state wines, especially Washington, and wines from Germany, Austria, New Zealand, and Australia. (I've found that Australian wines from West Australia or South Australia are generally better, though harder to find, than the mre common wines labeled Southeast Australia.) In California, look for wines that are not from Napa, Sonoma, or Santa Cruz: the farther away from those regions the grapes are from, the more likely the wine is to be a bargain. A convenient map of the regions is here.

We think the Alice White chardonnay is a GREAT deal for around $5/bottle! If you catch one of their rebate deals, I have gotten it for under $4/bottle...great everyday summer white!

While not on subject, it still amazes me how backwards the liquor laws are in Connecticut.

Sales? Not a chance
Rebates? Never
Trader Joes (or any grocery store) selling wine? Don't think so.

$19 is about double the price of dozens of medium grade drinkable "good" Chiantis. For $19, I expect damn good wine, not plonk (and with few exzceptions, most Chianti is only a step above plonk. Then there are "name labels", wines which the price is set based upon the celebrity or noteworthiness of the brand/winemaker. Francis Ford Coppola does not stomp grapes or move barrels, and over the years, I've had some "Stag's Leap" laid down where the stag took a leak, not a leap.

Not knowing what you "like", it's hard to recommend wine, but were it I in your shoes, I'd go to World Market, Sam's, or Costco and do some experimentation. Any large wine mercant will have a variety of Chilean wines of which many seem to provide a reasonable "cost benefit ratios".

Do they still run senior citizens bus tours to NH to buy liquor? And does the CT state police still pull them over as they cross the line into the state?