Budget Wines

Hello!

My name is Chris and i am new to the group. My current financial state (and my girlfriend) dictates that i should not spend more than about $15 on a bottle of wine. Now, i break this rule now and again but mostly i try to stick to it. Does anyone else live on a tight budget and have any recomendations?

It is my hope that this will be an ongoing thread...


Here's one to start off with...

Kanu Chenin Blanc 2004 (South Africa)
This one is fresh and fruity with flavors of melon some pear. This wine is light and tasty. It was a good casual sipper. Will definately go get another bottle.

Welcome to the forum Chris and look forward to hearing more from you!! The experts will be here in the morning! I am up in Canada so prices are vastly different in many cases.
Are you and the girl-friend more red wine drinkers than white? Do you plan on setting up a little cellar? What is the temp like in your digs?
If you are close to wineries or winestores, look in and check to see what is being tasted? Maybe later on, as you learn more, you can look out for a local wineclub/society.
Naturally keep an eye on all the tasting notes here!! Lots of good wines being tasted right now on Wine Focus....cabs from Chile and California!! All the ones I have purchased were under $20.00 Cdn.
Robins Wine Advisor is great info too, with excellent tasting notes and where to buy. He`s our bossman here you know!!

Does anyone else live on a tight budget and have any recomendations?

Buy lots of glorious QPR for $10, such as the Muscadet Robin has mentioned somewhere below, then buy some higher-end stuff to round out the average..

Good Morning Bob and Rahsaan! Thank you for replying to my post!!! As a new member i wasn't sure how active this board would be.


To reply to your questions Bob, I think of myself as more of a red wine drinker, but i really have been enjoying the whites a lot lately (perhaps because of the heat). I like the concept of a rose (how do you access the special characters in this forum to put an accent above the e?) but when i crack open a bottle usually i am left wanting more.

I recently moved to a city at the southern tip of the central valley (California) called Bakersfield. I haven't been able to find and winestores or wineries locally, but Paso Robles is just an hour or two away so i will have to make a little day trip sometime. It gets pretty darn hot here in Bakersfield (100+ in the summer isn't unusual) so the air-conditioning stays on most of the time. Still, i have a small 30 bottle unit that i use to keep my wines nice. The jewel in my collection is a couple of bottles of Syrah Port from a small central coast winery called Agua Dulce Vineyards. Now i don't usually care for port but this one is just beautiful...

I purchase most of my wine at World Market, Vons, and Trader Joes. The closest quality winestore that i have found is about an hour away.

I think right now my favorite grape is Petite Sirah (Concannon and Bogle make excellent and affordible PS). I really enjoy trying new grapes and new regions, but i am more inclined to buy something i haven't heard of before if someone recomends it to me.

Some of my favorite wine regions are Washington State for merlot, South Africa and New Zealand for whites, California Central Coast for Syrah and Petite Sirah. I haven't been able to find a lot of good Cabs in my price range but i really like it when i can. The same goes for a good meduim to light bodied Pinot Noir.

Wow, sorry for writing the novel..... oops!

P Sirah Fan?!! Great to hear that as I am a big PS believer and have posted various tasting notes on the old WLDG forum. Hopefully we will return to this varietal later this year on Wine Focus.

Chris -

If you shop at Cost Plus, keep an eye out for some of their inexpensive Cotes du Rhones. There's a little hit-and-miss with them but some are excellent values. The Perrin is one that we've had pretty good luck with.

Mike

Chris -

If you shop at Cost Plus, keep an eye out for some of their inexpensive Cotes du Rhones. There's a little hit-and-miss with them but some are excellent values. The Perrin is one that we've had pretty good luck with.

Mike

I got a Goats do Roam white the other day, does that count?


I almost picked up a Cotes du Rhone last time i was there, i'll have to look out for the Perrin.
I will definately pick one up next time i am on a buying spree.... thanks!!!!

My name is Jim, and I spend too much!!

I do buy a lot of bargain wines, especially when North Berkeley Imports or Kermit Lynch offers one of their case specials for $100.... I buy a couple or three of these a year.

But I also buy a lot of stuff from winery mailing lists (Kosta Browne, Loring, Karl Lawrence, Shafer, etc.) and those are almost $40 a bottle.. or more... so.. on average, I figure I'm in the >$30 bracket, for better or worse...

A lot of what I buy is based on receiving offers via email.. and then having the wine shipped. I also have a great wine shop (Wine Exchange) about 10 mins from home.

Chris, you might take a look at Robin's list of QPR wines for 2006 at
http://www.wineloverspage.com/qpr/index.phtml
Lots of good suggestions there on wines that cost less than $12.
If you liked the Kanu Chenin Blanc, you might also take a look at the French section in your wine store to see if they have any Vouvray, which is also made from the Chenin Blanc grape and is usually not very expensive. Bourillon D'orleans (sec or demi-sec) is my current favorite in the $12 range, but there are cheaper.
And, to echo the rest, welcome aboard.

My favorite six dollar reds:

Borsao, DO Campo de Borja, 100% garnacha (grenache), nice berry nose, plum-berry-cherry and a little vanilla on the palate, soft tannins.

Viña Borgia, DO Campo de Borja, 100% garnacha, berry-cherry nose, body more substantial than the Borsao, firm tannins.

Dominio de Erguren "Protocolo," DO Tierra de Castilla (Castile), 100% tempranillo, black cherry and chocolate, moderate tannins.

C.V. Fossi "Fossi Rosso," Vino da Tavola, Fiesole (Tuscany), a blend of various vintages of chianti. The latest release is said to include a tiny quantity of '74 Classico Riserva. Grapey, earthy nose, good fruit balanced by lively acidity on the palate.

(I believe all four of these are mentioned somewhere in the WineLovers archives...)

Adding to the list of cheapies - though I can't quite get down to $6.00 a bottle on all of them, are:

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese - every year - about $6
Monmousseau Vouvray - every year - about $7
La Vielle Ferme Cotes du Ventoux - most years - about $7
Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone - most years - $8
Vina Alarba Old Vines Grenache - every year - $7
A.Mano primitivo - some years - $10
Falesco Vitiano - some years - $10

Adding to the list of cheapies - though I can't quite get down to $6.00 a bottle on all of them, are:

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese - every year - about $6
Monmousseau Vouvray - every year - about $7
La Vielle Ferme Cotes du Ventoux - most years - about $7
Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone - most years - $8
Vina Alarba Old Vines Grenache - every year - $7
A.Mano primitivo - some years - $10
Falesco Vitiano - some years - $10

Good picks, especially the Vitiano, which has been consistent vintage after vintage. Don't know how they do it, frankly. La Vielle Ferme is a sub-brand for the Perrin family, who also bring us Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape. Also consistently good.

PS: That's a mighty good price for the Monmousseau!

Good picks, especially the Vitiano, which has been consistent vintage after vintage. Don't know how they do it, frankly. La Vielle Ferme is a sub-brand for the Perrin family, who also bring us Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape. Also consistently good.

PS: That's a mighty good price for the Monmousseau!

The Vouvray price might be up a buck now, I can't remember, but for years I got it for 6.50 - tremendous bargain. And consistently reliable.
The Vitiano made the list just barely, as did the A.Mano. I have not been as impressed with some of the recent vintages as I once was, and no longer buy either every year. Others on the list get return visits most years, bit the only red cheapie I do every year is the di Majo Norante Sangio - great pizza and lasagna wine.

[Jenise]

Chris,

Bakersfield? Poor you! I spent two years of my life running he permitting and compliance program for a major cogen project out in Taft and spent a lot of time in Bakersfield proper wooing bureaucrats. It definitely lagged California in terms of better food and wine. (At one restaurant I took an official to one night, the piano player knew exactly five songs which he played all night long, one of which was the theme song from the Flintstones TV show. I kid you not. )

I kind of wish you'd set your dividers a little differently on this question--$20 to $40 is closer to accurate for me than deciding which side of $30 I come out on. But like Dr. Dietz, it's really a case of averages. I'm fortunate to actually love a couple wines that don't all that much. Lots of cheaper whites, of course, and among reds I'm nuts about the 04 Brun Beaujulais ($13), 04 Baudry Chinon (also $13) and 2001 Taurino Salice Salentino ($11). These are wines I'd love at any price that just happen to not cost much. Lots of great Cotes du Rhones, too, still sell around the $15 price point.

You're shopping smartly to nibble around the edges of the wines available from South Africa--lots of really well-made wines at very low prices comparatively speaking there. In addition to the Fairview line (Goats du Roam), look for Ken Forrester's stuff. His Petit Chenin at around $9 is quite delish.

Monmousseau Vouvray - every year - about $7

Thanks for the tip on that one. It's on sale this month at a local shop ($8 instead of the usual $9) and I was ready to pass it by.

I'm overstocked, and it won't be long before the very uneven steam heat comes on in my apartment. I have to make sure everything can fit in my wine fridge by that time, and right now I have some overflow. However, I think I can find room for (or drink) one more bottle.

Great thread, Chris. You and I are definitely constained by the same budgetary limits.

I hosted a wine tasting not too long ago and the top pick was Cycles Gladiator Syrah 2004 @ $8.99. The second was McManis Viognier 2005 @ $10.99.

I would definitely buy both of these again. I also bought a bottle of Cline Viognier from my friend (she gets them wholesale so I don't know the retail price) and it was great! I think it retails for about $12ish.

Most of my purchases fall in the under $15 category, with a typical average around $9. I almost always buy a mixed case at a time, taking full advantage of the 10% discount.

Here are several of my favorites:

- Herding Cats Chenin Blanc / Chardonnay
- Di Majo Norante IGT Sangiovese
- Famega Vinho Verde
- Maryhill Viognier
- Brancott Sauvignon Blanc (don't bother with the reserve)
- Carmes de Rieussec (Château Rieussec's second wine...a nice introduction to Sauternes if you can find it)
- Bloom Riesling
- Saint M Riesling
- Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Dry Riesling
- Bonny Doon Big House Pink

I could write a lot more.

Check out the book, Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine, whose author lists several of his recommendations on inexpensive and reliable producers.

Post subject: Budget Wines

The screw capped wines are under $8 bucks....or less.

I spend quite a bit more on a bottle than I would like, but this is due only to our monopoly having such a limited stock and the taxes being so high that most of the wines that this thread (or board as a whole) cites as being 6-10$ cost here 10-15€!!

I've been recently drinking more and more beer instead of having a glass of wine for the reason that I don't always want to spend 20€ just to get a decent bottle of wine. 5€ will get me a very decent beer. My average purchase must be around 25€, I'm ashamed to admit, since I love Muscadet, Riesling and such cheap wines. I'm sure that in different surroundings, my purchases would be much more Loirey and much, much cheaper.

Whoever cast that one vote for $60.00 and up. Would you please adopt me?

There are lots of good, drinkable wines at the under $15 per bottle level. And given your present financial situation I would agree that you can stay at this level until things turn around for you. IMHO the quality does get significantly better as the price increases.

Personally I think THE price point for very, very good wine is at the $20 plus per bottle level. There many, many, many very good to excellent wines that fall in the $20-30 price range; from all regions. I am partial to Burgundies myself and once you begin to experience wine at this level, you will never want to go back, unless financially you need to.


Bottom line - buy what you can afford, drink what you like and the hell with the critics.

Thanks all for the great response!

I will definately have to go on a little vino-shopping spree!



This week has been tough for me so i have been taking the edge off by drinking some sparkling wine. I don't remember if it is Vons or World Market but they have Mumm Napa Sparklers on sale this week for $13.99 a bottle. I purchased the Cuvee M and the Blanc de Noirs. The Cuvee M i have had before and it is off-dry with flavors of peach and a little bit of vanilla and caramel perhaps. It has a soft pink color and was very refreshing!

The Blanc de Noirs is for tonight!!!!

My buying is mixed. I typically buy a case of cheaper wine a month. Like someone else in this thread, I always try to wait until I need to buy a full case before buying. Keeping an ear to the ground for the 20% sales can save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Of course, I also spend more than I should each month on higher-end wine for cellaring. Once you find out what you like, definitely invest in a cellar unit (and always bigger than you think you’ll need). Home Depot, Ebay and Sears has "affordable" models.

As for the girlfriend... well... we've been there. I typically stash the wooden champagne boxes in the bushes at the corner of the driveway. Eventually, as she knows more and more about wine, I'll have to construct a vinyl static cling "Cava" label.

Best,
Joe

Eventually, as she knows more and more about wine, I'll have to construct a vinyl static cling "Cava" label.

That is an awesome idea!!! You could market that......