sc

  • Search

Your Favorite Inexpensive Wine

1 to 43 of 43

  1.  
  1.  

    I always enjoy hearing what people's favorite inexpensive wines are. After all, anyone can pick a good expensive bottle of wine. But it takes some skill to pick out a reasonably priced wine that has a good nose and an excellent finish.

    Recently I've been discovering excellent South African wines that offer great value. The Pecan Stream label from the Waterford Estate has a great Shiraz that is about $10 in the States. And Boekenhoutskloof's The Wolf Trap usually sells for under $10 is also superb.

    I could go on, but I'd be interested to hear what everyone else's favorite reasonably priced wines are.

    I look forward to your picks. Cheers!

  2.  

    We enjoy the cabs from Groth (Napa) & Caymus (Napa).

  3.  

    J.L. - Cabernets from Camus are, indeed, wonderful. I've had the pleasure of enjoying some of their finest over the years. However, I never heard of anybody describing them as "inexpensive." If you don't mind me asking, what Camus Cabernets, and what years, did you consider to be inexpensive and how much did they cost?

  4.  

    "Inexpensive" is a relative term, and we are discussing this topic on Extravigator.com after all.... yes?

    Thanks from: DonPablo
  5.  

    I see that you haven't answered my question and, in not answering the question, you've actually provided the answer to us.

    Yes, "inexpensive" is a relative term. However, I would not consider a Camus wine to be "inexpensive" any more than I would consider most of the items, locations or services discussed on Extravigator.com to be "inexpensive." Over the years, I have never heard anybody use that term to describe Camus. It's usually considered to be an expensive wine but, on the other hand, it's one of America's finest and, if one is looking for a spectacular wine for a special occasion, at the end of the day, the price one pays for a wine for such an occasion isn't all that important.

    J.L. - leaving the question of whether Camus wines are inexpensive or not aside, I am sure we can both agree that they are among the best coming out of Napa today. In fact, I am sure that, if the topic of this discussion was something like "Great Values in Wine," we would be in total agreement here.

  6.  

    — J.L."Inexpensive" is a relative term, and we are discussing this topic on Extravigator.com after all.... yes?

    Uh, let's be serious here, J.L. I don't care if you are the Prince of Monaco. Caymus wines are expensive relative to the average price of a bottle of wine. End of story.

    (BTW, I recommend reading Eric Asimov's recent article, Napa Valley cabernets: A bottle's price tag tends to outpace its quality for more information about how Napa wines are priced).

    So, maybe I need to clarify.

    What are your favorite wines under $25?

    My question stems from the fact that even those who can easily afford a Caymus usually have a few inexpensive bottles of wine (under $25) that they like to fall back on when they are having a casual evening. Picking out a Caymus doesn't really take skill. You know what you are getting.

    But, when you get a recommendation for an inexpensive bottle of wine from those who have actually had a Caymus, you know it's probably going to be very good. That was my reason for asking.

    Thanks from: DonPablo
  7.  

    Just to clarify...

    I have a friend who is a wine distributor, and we get a lot of nice bottles of Caymus as gifts. FREE. "Free" pretty much defines inexpensive for me. So, heck if I know how much Caymus costs, though I'm told they are quite expensive, should I actually have to buy it retail...

    Notice... I did NOT, in any way, say that I was any sort of expert at wines. My rule on wine is simple. If it tastes good, I say I like it. Period. The year? I don't usually look, and honestly I can't comment on it even if I did.

    By the way, it's spelled Caymus.

    Respectfully to all,
    J.L.

  8.  

    Let's keep moving as I know there are many other wines out there to talk about. A new favorite of mine is Chateau d'Or de Gueules Costieres, 2003. I am a huge fan of old world wines after living in Paris for a year and drinking many fine reds. At 13.99 I think it would be considered a very good value and will surprise.

    Thanks from: DonPablo, Abbott
  9.  

    I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with a Vinho Verde, from Portugal, if you haven't tried one yet. Most people will avoid them because they are usually so inexpensive.

    The name Vinho Verde means "Green Wine" but it actually has a yellowish hue and it is really a mix of Red, White with touch of Rosé and a little bit of sparkle.

    Vinho Verdes tend to retail for under $5 and are refreshing, light and delicious. The alcohol content tends to be lower than an average wine. I recommend trying it as an apéritif or with a salad.

    Thanks from: DonPablo, Abbott
  10.  

    Forager - it's interesting to see that you've suggested a Portuguese wine. My wife and I have been to Portugal a few times over the past three years and we're planning to go back to Lisboa again for a week this coming May. On previous trips, we were amazed at how wonderful many of the Portuguese wines were and how even the inexpensive ones were remarkably good. One evening, we were dining at "Eleven," one of Lisboa's finest restaurants, and we had the opportunity to get into a long discussion with its sommelier. He told us that the Portuguese value their own wine so highly that less than ten percent of it is actually exported out of the country. The great majority of it is consumed internally. Based on our experiences traveling through Portugal, their best wines are exceptional and even the inexpensive ones are most often really good.

    I'm going to take you up on your suggestion and try to find a Portuguese Vinoh Verdes the next time I'm looking for a wine. (For $5.00 or less, how can you go wrong?)

  11.  

    DonPablo, make sure you serve your Vinho Verde chilled!

    btw, you might be interested to know that Vinho Verdes are now the second most exported wines from Portugal, next to Port wines.

    However, as romantic as it may sound when a sommelier tells you that the Portuguese essentially hoard their wine because it is so good, the truth is that a vineyard will only make an concerted effort to export its wine if it can produce enough to make it worthwhile. Most Portuguese vineyards are note equipped to do so. If you compare a country the size of Portugal to the size of the United States (let alone the rest of the world) it gives you an idea of how many more millions of bottles of wine would need to be produced from each vineyard that wanted to export its wine to various stores throughout a nation. Let's not even get into how many more hectares of land each vineyard would need if they wanted to grow their own grapes (though a common practice is to purchase grown grapes from elsewhere to satisfy customer demand under non-estate labels).

    That doesn't mean that a crafty importer can't get a hold of a special bottle of Portuguese wine. It just means that the small vineyards aren't going to waste their time and money exporting and marketing their product when they only have the resources to satisfy the demand of a small country like Portugal.

    Actually, I like your story better. But I think that realistically the economics and production resources probably has much more to do with it than anything else. On the other hand, you could say that small Portuguese vineyards value their own wine so highly that they wouldn't dare invest in ramping up production for fear of sacrificing quality. That statement I might believe! But, if the sommelier had told you about the economics of Portuguese wine, you might have fallen asleep at the table.

    Incidentally, the Boston Globe recently ran an interesting articles on inexpensive Portuguese wine that you can buy in the United States — especially with the dollar so weak now. The title is fittingly titled, "Price is right in Portugal."

    Thanks from: DonPablo
  12.  

    I'm a big fan of Portugese wines as well - I picked up a bottle of vinoh verde on a whim at Trader Joe's (hey, it was only $3.99 - what's there to lose?) and it was surprisingly good. Very crisp and light.

  13.  

    For those who've never tried it, Moscato d'Asti is a type of Italian dessert wine that is wonderful and inexpensive. It also works great as an aperitif. It's delicious, sweet and slightly fizzy. Almost tastes like a cream soda. I actually prefer it to Champagne and the price is nearly always unbeatable.

    Thanks from: DonPablo
  14.  

    Veron, you are so right. Moscato d'Asti is dessert in a glass and if it is on a menu I always order it. Not sure that I like it better than Champagne but it is a great treat. Had to mention the $13.00 bottle of Kendall-Jackson Meritage that I am sipping on while I get dinner going. Just discovered it over the holidays and must say, I am a fan.

    Thanks from: DonPablo
  15.  

    this has been one of my favorite threads so far. thank you for sharing!

  16.  

    Just found a new one that I am in LOVE with: Cameron Hughes Lot 59. It's a Russian River chardonnay and it's excellent. I just stocked up on 8 bottles of it today after opening 1 last night.
    It's so reasonable - $11.99/bottle. It completely trumps chards 3-4 times the price.
    I also enjoy Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc as a good "house" wine. I can find it for about $17/bottle.
    Unfortunately for reds, my faves tend to be a little pricier - Beringer PR Cab, a number of Nickel & Nickel Cabs.
    I do drink a pinot that's wonderful - R. Stuart & Co Autograph Pinot Noir. It's pretty reasonable $25 for wine club members.

    Thanks from: Abbott, Elinesca
  17.  

    ooooooo, I love this thread! And I cannot wait to try some imports based on suggestions above. My "expertise" is with yummy reds under $25, mostly from California. The list changes often, here are some current faves:
    2003 Boodeaux Syrah $17
    2004 Borra Fusion Red Wine Lodi (yes, LODI) $17
    2005 Core Red Blend $20
    2005 Parcel 41 Merlot Napa Valley $17
    2004 Ten Mile - Broken Road $10

    cheers!

    Thanks from: Abbott, Elinesca
  18.  

    We asked a wine-distributor outside of Boston this very question. His recommendation is J.Lohr Chardonnay for whites. We have not been disapointed. Unfortunately,we have converted so many people that it gets difficult to find sometimes. Also, the J Lohr Merlot is wonderful. - CTM

    Thanks from: Abbott
  19.  

    camus averages 200.00 cdn here in Quebec - to me that is expensive BUT i can buy a caymus at 81.00...so perhaps there are two different brands of cabernet? I am not much a wine coinnaisseur but i fell in love with a Corvo wine in Italy last year...

    Thanks from: Abbott
  20.  

    oh oh, i made a mistake: camus is a cognac, caymus is a cab

  21.  

    I recently had a bottle of Norman's No Nonsense Red (about $22). It was quite good, good bouquet.

    Thanks from: Abbott
  22.  

    for white, i love the Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc. In LA, it's usually around $12 or $13/bottle, but in NYC sometimes Astor or Garnet will have it at $9.99 - BUY A CASE at that price.

    Thanks from: Abbott
  23.  

    I admit I am really illiterate about wines, but in case you haven't yet, I wanted to suggest you try some of the Argentine wines. Experts say they are some of the best in the world, and with the exchange rate they are incredibly "inexpensive" right now.

    I was searching the internet for reviews of Argentine wines, so you can see mine is not only a biased opinion, and this is what I found:

    http://www.torontolife.com/blogs/wine/2008/jan/16/argentinas-value-reds/

    http://starchefs.com/wine/starvintners/html/nieto_senetiner/nieto_senetiner.shtml

    http://www.greatwinecapitals.com/mendoza/index.html

    And I add this site so you can see the local prices:

    http://www.argentinawineguide.com/index.htm

    I'm sure you can find any of these wines in USA and other parts of the world.

    Thanks from: Abbott, Elinesca
  24.  

    Many thanks to all who have responded so far. There are a lot of great recommendations here. Let's keep them coming!

    With respect to the Wolf Trap that I mentioned above. I recently got a chance to try a 2005 and a 2006. In my opinion the 2006 is much better. The Wolf Trap is not one of the Boekenhoutskloof estate wines, so they just import different types of grapes each year for this particular wine, depending on what's good at the time, and they blend them. And, some years are much better than others. If you can grab a 2006 get it by the case! Hopefully the 2007 is just as good if not better.

  25.  

    myndych, you are right J.Lohr is a wonderful chardonnay for the
    price. Haven't tried the merlot yet

    Thanks from: Abbott
  26.  

    @Abbott, have you seen the John Platter Wine Guide for South African wines? It's the most comprehensive annual rating of South African wines. Anyone who drinks South African wines regularly should own one. As you know, there are a lot of bargains in South African wines--which are rarely overpriced. Owning a John Platters guide book will make finding the best a real cinch.

  27.  

    If I had $25 to spend, I'd go for a bottle of Hochar, the more affordable red made by Château Musar in Lebanon. Oak aged, it has the Château's distinctive (almost retsina-like) taste. Love it.
    http://www.chateaumusar.com.lb/english/home.aspx

  28.  

    One of my favourite inexpensive wines:
    Riesling Erbacher Steinmorgen 2005
    From the vineyards of Knyphausen.

  29.  

    I just discovered Inycon's Merlot from the Growers' selection - not sure what it would sell for in the states but in London you can get it for £5. Fresh and velvety, it's the perfect lonely evening wine - you can put the rest in the fridge and trust that it will still be good 2 days later.

  30.  

    Great Eric Asimov article on the Times's today about the psychology of wine pricing and the upcoming book, "The Wine Trials." The book delves into the scientific evidence about how the knowledge of a price of a wine can influence the perception of its taste. The book also reveals the results of a series of blind taste tests around the States.

    The article mentions some of the results, including the infamous Two-Buck Chuck which surpasses a $55 Napa Cab, and a mysterious sparkling wine from Washington state which outshines Dom Pérignon in the blind taste tests.

    I wonder which sparkling wine it is?

  31.  

    The sparkling wine appears to have been a $12 Domaine Ste. Michelle from Woodinville, Washington.

    It's mentioned in the free download of the first chapter of The Wine Trials.

  32.  

    I'm a wine novice, but I know what I like and I've never been let down by a Penfold Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet. They're very recognizable and easy to find.

    They've been making wine in Australia for over 160 years and in addition to the bottles you can pick up anywhere, they make some very good "expensive" wines as well, like the 1994 Penfolds Grange Shiraz.

  33.  

    Eric Asimov has an article in today's New York Times about the best wines from France that sell for under $20. Like Abbot, Asimov has found that wines under $20 tend to offer the most bang for your buck. He points out in the article that the Loire valley, for one, is "blessedly undervalued."

    Here are Eric Asimov’s French treasures under $20, listed alphabetically.

    Domaine des Aubuisières/Bernard Fouquet Vouvray Cuvée de Silex 2007, $16.99
    Rich and lively with minerals and a touch of honey. (Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pa.)

    Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Granges 2006, $17.99
    Pliant and fruity with a healthy dollop of earth. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)

    Pierre Chermette Domaine du Vissoux Beaujolais 2007, $14.99
    Pale, pure, absolutely dry and refreshing. Textbook Beaujolais. (Weygandt-Metzler)

    Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Cuvée Gamay 2007, $15.99
    Juicy and minerally; my Thanksgiving wine for crowds. (Louis/Dressner Selections)

    Marc Kreydenweiss Costières de Nîmes Perrières 2005, $15.99
    Felicitous combination of fruit, funk and earth. (Wilson Daniels, St. Helena, Calif.)

    Marc Ollivier Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 2007, $12.99
    All texture and tanginess, not extravagant fruit. (Louis/Dressner Selections)

    Château d’Orschwihr Alsace Riesling Bollenberg 2006, $18.99
    A dry Alsace nod to earth and flowers. (T. Edward Wines, New York)

    Thierry Puzelat Touraine KO In Côt We Trust 2006, $19.99
    Loire malbec, gorgeous, pure and delicious. (Louis/Dressner Selections)

    Domaine Rimbert St.-Chinian Les Travers de Marceau 2006, $13.99
    Light, juicy, floral and tangy. (Jenny & François/U.S.A. Wine Imports, New York)

    Domaine Sainte Barbe Mâcon L’Expression du Chardonnay 2006, $15.99
    Lively and fresh, with minerals and citrus. (A Becky Wasserman Selection/Willette Wines, New York)

  34.  

    We recently had a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (Kendall Jackson Reserve) that cost under $30.00 - that we purchased in a liquor store. It was very, very good! Who says that a large vineyard can't produce a good wine?

  35.  

    As has been talked about previously in this discussion, Caymus wines are fantastic and usually quite expensive. So, while dining out recently, I was quite surprised to find a bottle on the wine list for only about sixty dollars. I was also very surprised to see that it was a white wine, since the only Caymus wines I know of are reds. Anyhow, the name of the wine is Caymus Conundrum, and it's a varietal - a blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, muscat canelli, muscat and viognier grapes, and all of us at our table thought it to be very good. Not great, but very good.....

  36.  

    Sounds like a pretty good markup. You can usually buy Caymus Conundrum for about $25 at a wine or liquor store!

  37.  

    Actually, much to my dismay, most of the restaurants we've dined in lately have been marking up their wines by a factor of three or even four. (Whether the public should tolerate restaurants marking up wines that much is another story.) With that in mind, I don't find it at all surprising to have to pay sixty dollars for a bottle of Caymus Conundrum in a restaurant.

  38.  

    Yes I agree that restaurant wine pricing is getting out of contol and these extreme markups are starting to irritate me. I suppose they can only charge so much for a steak or a skate fish, but it seems like wine pricing is based on whimsy. I am just happy that there are several fine dining BYO restaurants near my house. Because nothing ruins my appetite more than paying $150 for a $30 retail bottle of Sancerre!

  39.  

    It has been said a few times on this thread, but Argentina has some amazing, and relatively inexpensive wines (within Argentina they are VERY inexpensive, while if you look for Argentine wines outside of the country, the export tax and markup might make it a bit higher).

  40.  

    I'm not sure which wine took top honors in 2009, but according to a report issued last year by Beverage World, the best selling wine in the USA for 2008 was Casella Wines' Yellow Tail. Casella is Australia's largest wine producer and in general their wines have received fairly good reviews and are reasonably priced.

  41.  

    Newman’s Own 2006 Chardonnay turned out to be a very good wine at a reasonable price.

  42.  

    Here is vineandtable.com 's list of their 10 best-selling wines of 2009:

    http://app.e2ma.net/campaign/16149.4dd0d778d0d6ce9eb88b55db5dfa753c

    There are some very good, inexpensive wines on the list.

  43.  

    Last night, while dining at one of our favorite French Restaurants, Mirabelle, in Stony Brook, New York, our wine selection was a Recanati Cabernet Franc, 2006 Reserve, from Israel. It needed a while to breathe but, after that, it was exceptionally good!

1 to 43 of 43

  1.  

Add your comments

  • Formatting Tips
 
Back to Discussions Top of Page
 
tr