Entry level wines.

I saw a post about great value wines, but maybe because I'm new, I didn't want to place the wrong wine on it. So I'll let you all decide. I have tried quite a few different wines from my local stores and in varying price ranges. 1 brand I keep finding myself going back to, is Oak Leaf. They have several varieties and I haven't found but 1 I didn't like. For only $3 a bottle, it might not compare to some of the more sophisticated and expensive wines, but has served me well.

[Jenise]

Josh, I've never heard of Oak Leaf. $3 is a pretty astonishing price. Where's it from?

Might sound bad, but, I buy it at Walmart.

I looked them up and it's quite an interesting story. They're based in California, and before starting his own brand worked under some of the biggest wine makers of the 70's.

[Jenise]

It's not Fred Franzia, is it?

No, it's a Mario Polido

Oak Leaf is a brand of The Wine Group.

Salute

Just looked it up and I'm a little disappointed. Good wine for me to start with I guess, but I was under the impression they were a family run business. Not part of a big chain. Thanks for the info.

[Jenise]

Given Walmart's business plan, it's probably close to impossible to do business with them unless you're pretty large and can operate on fairly slim margins. They crush small family businesses.

Josh wrote;
“…but has served me well.”

Hi Josh and welcome to WLDG! Drink what you like and don’t mind what others think. Personally I think you choose one of the most decent entry-level wines as your “gateway” into the wonderful world of wine.

Salute

I can remember when my sweet spot was $15 a bottle and was quite happy. 10 years ago. And then my palate evolved and it became $25. These days it's about a $30 wine that makes me happy. A $15 wine that makes me happy isn't impossible to find, but it's certainly rare.

If you're happy with a wine that costs $3, good on you. But don't be surprised if that changes.

[David M. Bueker]

Beringer's Gamay Beaujolais used to be a personal favorite in the early '90s. $7 a bottle. Sigh.

Josh, at this point in your wine journey it's good that you have already found a low-priced and dependable wine brand you can trust.

You should be trying whatever wines you can easily afford, and cast your net wide; you never know what is going to hit your sweet spot. The only "rule" you should follow is Experiment.

If either are in your area, you might check out Trader Joe's and/or Grocery Outlet stores. Trader Joe's is better and more versatile and a bigger adventure in discovery. Grocery Outlet has lots of wines but they are often bargains because they were "end of vintage" or close-outs and were offered cheaply to Grocery Outlet. That doesn't mean there might be some decent ones in there though, just that it's a little bit more of a gamble. But the prices are good.

My best advice, and it's the advice I've been giving ever since I started in this business (a long time ago) is to find a good beverage store with a broad selection and get to know someone, talk to them, tell them what you like and what budget you have, and let them recco something for you. You'll know pretty quickly if the person is simpatico, or just trying to stick you with some up-priced wine. When you find someone who seems to know what they're talking about and isn't trying to gouge you...use that person's advice.

And by the way Fred Franzia's Wine Group is an independently-owned business. It's just a very large and multi-branded business that produces a lot---and I mean a LOT---of wines, most of them at low prices to move volume.

Josh: If this wine works for you, wd not sweat that you got it at Walmart or that it was bottled by Fred Franzia..At this stage of the game, there are only 3 kinds of wine..1)You like it, 2)you don't like it and
3) you haven't tried it yet..As you expand your horizons, you will discover variations on this theme..ie, what foods go with a wine you like? what are you willing to pay for the wine? etc, etc..but this basic trio will still hold..ie, ya like it, ya don't like it or ya haven't tried it..