Advice on Everyday, Value Wines?

Could someone who is more of a connoisseur than I am advise me on what are the best value wines for everyday use with food? I'm thinking in the price range $4 - 7. I'm sticking out my neck because the answer will be of interest to a huge number of guests browsing the site.

To defend this perhaps cheeky inquiry I make the following observations.
1. No wine is cheap. On principle I refuse ever to buy soda pop or fruit juice from a vending machine at $1.25/12oz., equivalent to $0.52/5oz. The least expensive wines I can find in shops (adding $1 shipping to something like "Two-buck Chuck") run $3.00/750g, equivalent to $0.60/5oz. serving. Any wine at all is a relatively pricey drink.
2. Here are some facts on US off-site retail wine sales by price segment (from ACNielsen via Wine Business Monthly).
Price///2005/// 2010
$0 - 6 ///65% ///38%
$6 - 9 ///21% ///21%
$9 - 12 ///10% ///20%
$12 - 15 ///2% ///10%
$15+ ///2% ///11%
Thus even after half a decade's climb, 4/5 of wine purchases are under $12. Most people who buy wine choose what's reasonably priced. Not necessarily because they lack discernment, but because they consider this financially prudent.
3. Premium and boutique wines are of course better, but, as wineries apply the science of oenology to vinification (as taught at UCDavis and other research centers worldwide), the quality of affordable wine has never been higher. Inexpensive wines can now be expected to be clean (free of obvious faults), balanced and harmonized around a basic, varietally distinct character (though lacking the individual personality or definition of finer wines based on terroir), not very complex, to be sure (but, with food, does that matter so much?), and sufficiently concentrated and long enough finishing to lift the taste of a main course out of the ordinary. To get those extra 5 - 10 Parker points (/100) one has to pay five to ten times as much. Some will do that. Most will not. I will not, except maybe on holidays, anniversaries, graduations.

So I find myself looking at the shelves and seeing the widely accessible wares--Walmart's Oak Leaf; Barefoot, EJGalloFam, SutterHomFam; imprints of The Wine Group (Cutler Creek); Yellow Tail, Jacob's Creek, Little Penguin, Black Swan, better boxed wines (Big House, Black Box, Bota Box, Octavin, Zimmermann); Santa Rita, Riunite, Rene Barbier, Garcia Carrion, Schmitt Söhne Fünf--and wondering which ones, if any, have a little something extra for my precious dollar (and which aren't worth it).

I want true wine vinified from grapes, not a flavored drink mixed from water, juice, and grain alcohol. It doesn't have to aspire to greatness, just be nice with a meal. Any recommendations for/against?

For consistent value in the specified price range I like Perrin & Fils Cote du Rhone Reserve (which I find at Trader Joe's for $6.99). I usually haunt my local wine and food discount store looking for bargains in the $3-$5 range, but I can't guarantee finding the same line twice. Good question.

If I had to pick one wine (well, actually 2 wines) that I tend to find worthwhile under $7 my choices would also be from the Perrin family, the La Vieille Ferme red (Cotes du Ventoux) and white (Cotes du Luberon).

But of course a lot depends on your particular tastes, there is no substitute for trying.

Or you could start a new hobby, like making your own wine. I've been doing it since 1976. I make a wide range of wines that cost anywhere from 65 cents to $3 per bottle. However, with last year's vintage, I took a great leap and bought a brand new barrel, thus bumping the cost of my Cab Franc/Merlot blend to over $7/bottle. I believe most of my wines compare favorably with wines sold for up to $15, so I seldom buy less expensive wines for everyday use and can afford some higher end ones on occasion.

I gotcha. By making your own wine, you can afford to buy more expensive wines. There's a deviousness at play here that I salute! Not sure whether you meant it, but I like!

thus bumping the cost of my Cab Franc/Merlot blend to over $7/bottle. I believe most of my wines compare favorably with wines sold for up to $15

Howie's being modest - his Cab Franc/Merlot blend is a really lovely wine (based on a barrel sample I tasted at the Bob Ross Jeebus), and would compare very well with a lot of very good North Fork and Loire CFs. And if I made semi-dry whites or Cab Franc as well as Howie I'd probably buy a lot less wine...

I agree with Salil, Howie is being way to modest. The only problem being an amateur winemaker is that after doing it passionately for years and the better you become at the “hobby”, to find “so-called special occasion” wines you have to look at the higher price brackets.

Salute

Wish Howie Hart were my friend in real life! Thanks to those of you who recommended the Perrin & Fils Rhône line. I very much enjoyed a Vieille Ferme Rosé of theirs earlier this summer, but alas! had to go over my usual $7 ceiling to get it even on sale. The US coasts definitely have the advantage on pricing.

[Jenise]

Wish Howie Hart were my friend in real life! Thanks to those of you who recommended the Perrin & Fils Rhône line. I very much enjoyed a Vieille Ferme Rosé of theirs earlier this summer, but alas! had to go over my usual $7 ceiling to get it even on sale. The US coasts definitely have the advantage on pricing.

That's true. But even then, I live in northwest Washington state and rarely find wines below $6 that I think are drinkable. Yellow Tail definitely isn't one! Occasionally there's something the retailer picked up at closeout that makes it in that price range but wines that make their first appearance in that range have a hard time showing well. The Chilean brand Santa Rita that you mention is actually very good at it's price point but in my market, those run $8-12, so they don't qualify at the levels you're looking for.

You have me wondering to myself if the wine glut has resulted in improved quality amongst the cheaper branded wines. I've never had a Barefoot for instance (currently the largest growing brand in the U.S., btw.)

I've had Barefoot Moscato, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Grigio. The Moscato was markedly sweet, best chilled, pleasant enough as long as you know what to expect. As for the Pinot Noir, not fully convincing--I'd give the few extra dollars for a Mark West (or even a fresh, juicy, tartish Lucky Star). The Barefoot Pinot Grigio seemed quite good to me, dry, bracing, with a pleasing touch of bitterness on the finish. But then, I've never had a finer PG than a Cavit--which is why I'm appealing to those of you who are more widely experienced for comparisons. Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc has a positive review in Robin Goldstein's Wine Trials (http://www.fearlesscritic.com/wine/31/barefoot-sauvignon-blanc), but I have yet to try it myself.

in the price range specified, i'd suggest Trader Joe's. the Muscadet, Vouvray and even Chablis along with the Montepulciano are really quite decent wines. hope you have one nearby.

I very much enjoyed a Vieille Ferme Rosé of theirs earlier this summer, but alas! had to go over my usual $7 ceiling to get it even on sale. The US coasts definitely have the advantage on pricing.

$7 is hard, $7 full retail even harder!
I've often in past thought the basic Borsao was decent tipple for the money. But now they have so many bottlings I don't know if the one I mean (a Tempranillo/Grenache blend I thinK) even exists anymore/

Thanks, David. Nearest Trader Joe's is about 3 hrs by interstate, but I'll surely try to stop in next time I'm in MN, IA, or NE.

Dale: Good recommendation. When our local World Market put Borsao Monte Oton Garnacha on sale last year it fell into my price range. Grew on me rapidly, albeit rather alcoholic at about 14%. Should have bought several bottles. Unfortunately I missed out on the Borsao Tinto that Sam's Club cleared last summer for under $6. Been back many times hoping they'd purchase another pallet but no luck.

I wish European boxed wines were more readily available here. Just recently finished a 3L box of Barbera marketed by Vinchio - Vaglio Serra under their Kroara label. Fresh, flavorful, alive. Bought it for under $25 in Minneapolis on a trip there. Unavailable in my state.

Paul -

I know this is well above the $7 target, but if you do get to Trader Joe's any time soon, look for their "Reserve" wines. They have a plain white label with the grape variety and region, along with some information on the wine. The cabernets go for $9.99, and I've found these to consistently compete well with wines at least three times their price. You might consider picking up a couple of bottles for occasions that go beyond everyday drinking.

I'm not sure you could find any of these in SD, but around here there are some Portuguese wines that are astoundingly good considering their prices. Look for Monte Velho, both red and white from Esparao or EA from Cartuxa, both in the Alentejo. Sort of new world-ish but way above the likes of Yellow Tail. For something more distinctive, grab a Quinta de Cabriz Dao (red or white), Quinta do Encontro Bairrada or some Vinho Verde. All of these can be had for $5-$10 in the NJ market.

The Spanish winery "Faustino" makes some excellent value for money reds, whites and rose wines.
I have tried them all and was not disappointed. For example the Faustino 7 Rioja red costs about $6 in the USA.
Also as mentioned by others before me, the southern Cote du Rhone has a good selection of reds in the price range you seek.

Thanks, Mike. I always appreciate a tip on value, and <$7 is, as you say, a target, not an inflexible limit.

Joe and Philip: I agree, Portugal and Spain offer some amazing values. I've been able to get some very satisfying wines in my range (on sale) from Aveleda (Portugal), and García Carrión of Spain have an Ópera Prima line (http://www.garciacarrion.es/es/vinos-garcia-carrion/marcas/opera-prima) that falls in the $4 - 7 segment. The quality is excellent for the price.

I just found an interesting website that reviews wines found at Grocery Outlet, the west coast of the US discount wine and grocery store. It looks like a good resource for low price wine reviews. https://grossoutwine.wordpress.com/. I picked up a 2008 New Harbor Marlborough New Zealand Pinot Noir there today for $4.99 which I will try soon.

Georges Duboeuf produces great value wines. This year a good selection was imported to Israel and I have tried already several labels, both at tasting and at home and even blind as an entry wine in a Burgundy blind tasting.
Beaujolais Cru wines are great, If you can put aside the bad reputation of Beaujolais Nouveau, and as a result the same reputation for the Gamay grapes.
The last vintage 2009 is exceptional. I believe US prices will be in the 7-17 $ range, starting with Beaujolais Village and ending with Moulin-A-Vent, Fleurie, Julienas (Beaujolais Cru) and Morgon.
All can be drank now, and the better ones are worth cellaing for a couple of years.

Thanks, Jim: Very interesting and helpful reference point for those who have a Grocery Outlet in the neighborhood. A few other websites I sometimes consult for second opinions about bargain wines:

http://www.dirtcheapwine.net/
http://antiwinesnob.com/
http://www.wineforthecheap.com/
http://threeninewine.com/

Eli: I too have found Duboeuf reliable and affordable. I've thoroughly enjoyed the Beaujolais, the B. Nouveau, and--slap in the middle of my price range--the Cuvée Rouge Vin de Table. Gamay is a wonderful grape for everyday wines, light and acidic enough to pair with just about any food on any day. The table wine, on the other hand, seems based mainly on Grenache, with an unpredictable mix of other varieties from year to year. Old World style--moderate 12.5%, very dry, wears well.

Sorry. My advice is pay more for your everyday wines. How about $6-11? There is a price below which every bottle represents a grape grower going out of business. Growing grapes and making wine are difficult projects. The people who do it well deserve a fair price for what they produce. Not a huge profit. Not $100 per bottle. But a price that represents the skill, work and investment that go into making the product year after year.

Much of the wine below $7 is bulk wine that is made as custom crush by grape growers who fail to sell crop. They invest more by paying a winery to make the grapes into wine. Then, they sell at a loss to a blender who bottles and sells cheap wine. They take a smaller loss than they would have if they let the fruit rot.

So, I'd invite and encourage you to think about sustainability as you buy wine. Can the winery continue to make the wine at that price year after year, or is this price based on someone loosing?

Sorry to be a buzz-kill, but I feel that sustainability of pricing is important.

Enjoy!

Great post, Andrew. I do tend to forget as a consumer about the situation of the grower and winemaker. Personally, I set aside about 25% of my wine budget for local wines, 50% for my love of German riesling and Oregon pinot, and 25% for whatever I can get cheap that might appeal to me. I appreciate your perspective as it gives me more to consider on a long term basis. Thanks.

Thanks, Andrew, for the view from inside the business. As a buyer, I don't operate with concepts like "custom crush" or "sustainability." I just assume that ultimately no merchant is going to take a permanent loss; that my purchase does help somebody. Otherwise, what's the product doing on the shelf--many of the same labels year after year?

Unfortunately, on my budget, "$6-11" and "everyday" are ineluctable alternatives.

One reason I'm drawn to 3L bag-in-box packaging is that by eliminating certain overhead costs it lets the consumer get what would otherwise be $6-11 wines for under $6/750ml, while also letting the producer make a living. I remain astonished that in forward-looking America, wine producers have been so much slower to embrace this strategy than their counterparts in Old World Europe. Marketers here, apparently believing that image is everything and truth counts for nothing, must fear the reputation of lower-end products, maybe forgetting that the public can penetrate.

Ok, how about $5-9? Below a certain point, the winemaker will be paying the farmer less than it costs to grow the grapes.

I do like the idea of wineries putting decent wines in other formats beside 750's. A 1.5-3L box would be a nice option for a table wine from a second label of a good maker.

Of course, we are too small for such ideas, but I'd support them.

Farmers are the ones that eat it on this stuff. They aren't merchants. A merchant can choose to participate (or not) in a transaction. A grape farmer is already committed. Sometimes, they have to choose between selling at a loss and letting it all rot.

I guess my point is just to think about it. Do what you can. If you can buy direct from the winery, that is nice too. Some good deals can be had that way as well.

Thanks, Andrew, for the view from inside the business. As a buyer, I don't operate with concepts like "custom crush" or "sustainability." I just assume that ultimately no merchant is going to take a permanent loss; that my purchase does help somebody. Otherwise, what's the product doing on the shelf--many of the same labels year after year?

Unfortunately, on my budget, "$6-11" and "everyday" are ineluctable alternatives.

One reason I'm drawn to 3L bag-in-box packaging is that by eliminating certain overhead costs it lets the consumer get what would otherwise be $6-11 wines for under $6/750ml, while also letting the producer make a living. I remain astonished that in forward-looking America, wine producers have been so much slower to embrace this strategy than their counterparts in Old World Europe. Marketers here, apparently believing that image is everything and truth counts for nothing, must fear the reputation of lower-end products, maybe forgetting that the public can penetrate.