This is an advice from a german guy who lives in Austria: DEFINITELY try the "Markus Altenburger Burgenland Blaufränkisch vom Kalk 2016". It is an underdog and it's worth the price ... which is not much at all. Have fun, drink resonsibly and enjoy it with your date ;-)
Something never imagined - haters on an Eric Asimov piece, one in which he's simply mentioning a handful of wines he enjoyed for under $20. Not enough under, I'm in the business, not far enough afield, not for a weekday, not under $10, not made in the USA, not sold in my town.
I, for one, enjoy reading Eric's pieces, respect his judgement and do my best to find what he takes the time to recommend to us. I trust his is not the most highly paid position at the paper, so I'm grateful. Thanks, Eric!
3
The kind UPS guy delivered four bottles from the Forge Cellars. We tried the 2017 Dry Riesling Classique with some soft cheese and crackers. Yummy! Without Mr. Asimov review, I would not have tried a Fingerlakes vineyard. So, thank you.
3
I love to drink wine but, quite frankly, cannot afford to spend $20 on an everday wine. Please Mr. Asimov, could you try to advise us on wines that are truly everyday - and are available outside the greater New York area.
4
So I tried, yeah I tried to find these wine in the SF Bay Area and no cigar. Even our popular K&L struck zero.
Oh well.
4
That’s always been my experience with his selections. I think he’s primarily writing for local NY readers.
3
If you can't find these specific wines then use the list as a guide to search out different regions and different grapes. Try reds from Corsica or from Greece or Croatia, try a wine made from baga or cinsault. Expand your horizons, spend more than you usually do, spend less than you usually do, be open to the new. My recommendations are try any Cru Beaujolais, Reserva Rioja or Chinon for under $20 and you will likely be pleased.
2
What is your definition of a wine that is demanding, and why would anyone ever want to drink something that fits that description? I want my wines to taste good, neither demanding nor undemanding. And why do writers for the NYT frequently say "we" or "you" when they really mean "I" or "me"?
3
The writer has done it again. For most of us, a $20 bottle of wine is a splurge, not a "simple" everyday sip, and even these "cheap" wines are mostly hard to find, even in major cities like Chicago. For most of us who really enjoy wine but are truly on a budget, there are many other sources for info: Wine spectator, Wine Advocate, etc. These sites do explore the higher price priced and rarer wines, but they have lots of suggestions for great wines for the rest of us. If one opens a bottle of these supposedly "every day" wines every day, the annual bill is $7300. Neither myself nor anyone I know lives on this kind of budget.
7
Perhaps 100 Argentine Malbecs and Cab-Savs in the price range, forget about them.
Either that, or forget about Eric Asimov.
2
If you want great wines for not much money, look at Chile, Argentina, Portugal, and Spain. In particular, Malbec from Argentina, Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, Garnacha (Grenache) and Tempranillo from Spain, including many other regions in addition to Rioja, and just about anything dry and red from Portugal.
Many a wine of genuine depth and character can be found from these regions for $9-15 a bottle.
6
$20 a bottle isn't really a weekday wine for most of us. This is admirable, but I would appreciate if Asimov could take it a step further and try to highlight decent, drinkable table wines at $8-$11 a bottle, or even box wines that are dry enough and interesting enough for weekday dinner.
Anybody who travels to France knows that the French absolutely demand drinkable dry wine for 2-4 Euro a bottle. 15 Euro is a special occasion, 30 Euro is a very special occasion.
Even assuming we pay double the price in the U.S., we should be able to find $8 and $10 wine here that isn't basically juice with alcohol. It does exist, from Spain and the south of France and probably from American and Australian producers as well.
13
Once again, Mr. Asimov ignores the wines of perhaps the label with the largest sales in the U.S. - Kirkland, Costco's in house brand. A Malbec for $7, A NZ Sauvignon Blanc for $8, an excellent Pinot Noir for $10. Why the reluctance? In any case, I don't wait for this article to appear to choose affordable wines - I go to Costco.
6
Let wine writers who attempt to establish a value point and make recommendations be warned - the annual reader bashing of the 20 under 20 has begun.
Thank you Eric Asimov for braving the annual rite, clearly laying out a reason for the price point (which many will gloss over or misunderstand), and recommending what appears to be an excellent and varied list of wines (that many will gripe about not being able to find at their big box store or local corner wine shop).
I love the value that is possible with French and Italian wines (outside of Bordeaux and Burgundy), but am also excited that this list appears to have slightly broken the mold of the France-and-Italy heavy lists of yesteryear. I look forward to seeing what I can find and drink in the Greater Cincinnati area!
10
I love the sound of several of these wines, but here in a SoCal beach town how do I find them? My best shot is Total Wine, no groovy boutique wine stores anywhere near me.
1
In the SF bay area, try K&L Wines. Tons of hand-picked great values under $12, esp. French and Spanish. Online orders as well.
7
Nice article, I enjoyed it. Although I drink Brunellos and Montrachets.....
@Oliver It's hard to figure out the point of your comment, unless it was just for you to boast about your precious wine habits . . . . Cheers!
5
If you want something better, a wine that may not always be predictable but more often than not will be delicious and inspiring because it represents a people and a culture and a love of wine, than a few extra dollars is a worthwhile investment. It depends on what you value.
Than??
1
Look at some of the selections at your local Costco(if it has a liquor license). Particularly their Kirkland brand. A decent Malbec @ $6.99 is hard to beat during the week. Fortunately, my wife loves their $6.99 chard.
3
This column by Eric Asimov confirms, once again, that European wines are the best deal for your dollar, especially French, Italian and Spanish. Maybe in 50 years when American vineyards are mortgage free, or not owned by large corporations, will decent American wines become available in the $10 -$15 range. But this may never happen. American healthcare costs twice as much as European healthcare and isn't as good. Why should we think wine will be any different. As long as the profits come before the quality, American wines will be expensive.
20
If you enjoy a red such as a cabernet, you might want to try a malbec from Argentina or Chile. Some are quite good and not as pricey as wines from France, Italy and California.
8
I live in a state that sells wine in state stores. I haven't seen any of these wines on the shelves.
Free the state bonds of wine!
9
My weeknight glass of wine comes out of a box.
I also cook with it.
How about some suggestions for those?
Easily found at most liquor stores or (gasp) the supermarket?
3
@D. DeMarco There is a great Malbec from Maipe (Mendoza region of Argentina) that comes in a box. I highly recommend it.
2
@D. DeMarco
Boxed wines are a great option -- I always have one in the fridge. Open, press spigot, and presto.
In NYS, the State Liquor Authority prohibits supermarkets from selling wine. It also prohibits wine/spirits retailers from selling beer. So, if you want a fun boxed wine (and most of them are quite good now -- I work in the industry) hit your local wine retailer. A box of wine averages about 25.00 and is the equivalent of 4 bottles. That makes it 6.25 a bottle.
1
I have yet to find a single dry German/Austrian red at any place near me. Occasionally you can find something sweet and nasty. Otherwise, it's Riesling, grüner Veltliner, and perhaps Gewürztraminer.
@ Anna L Oregon
I sympathise wholeheartedly with your plight. Go for the Alsacian Riesling and Gewürztraminer.
@Anna Oh you are missing out if you can't find a decent Blaufrankish (Austrian Red). Does Oregon allow wine to be mailed there? NC is still in the Dark Ages.
1
I´m sitting on three bottles of Cune reserva from 2010 and it´s absolutely ungodly. Have tried the 2011s nd 2012s and they´re quite nice but I haven´t gotten around to the 2013s yet. Will do.
Meanwhile I have a half case of 2009 Cubillo that came in just a sliver above the $20.00 mark. It´s really nice stuff, not as nice as the Tondonia, but less than half the price. No complaints.
3
How about “under $10”?
8
Mostly dreck
1
@Philip Getson
In Austria the "Dürnberg Weinviertel Riesling Falkenstein 2017" (2015 is sold out) is 9,40 € "net" - this means 13 % local VAT included but without shipment - if you take only one bottle.
https://duernberg-direkt.at/weisswein/99/riesling-falkenstein-2017
"Dreck"?
This column is not likely to grow the ranks of wine drinkers. $20 for a bottle of wine is more than many people can afford, although there are people who will spend more than they have to either out of ignorance or because they want to appear more affluent than they are.
If you are looking for delicious red wines that are often quite affordable, look to Spain. Most well stocked wine departments will carry 8 to 10 different selections; where I shop it's more like 20.
As for chardonnay, there is so much of it on the market I have no idea why anyone would spend $20 for a bottle. It's chardonnay for crying out loud.
9
Eight of the wines are 19.99 (I count 19.96 to be a true contrivance). This makes the list a bit of a fraud. $19.99 is twenty dollars. Period. It's off 20 by one penny. A "farthing" in current values.
The list is a joke -- and I can talk. I'm in the business. There are MANY more fabulous wines out there in the $15.00 range, and had you worked at it a wee bit harder, you'd have been able to stack the deck without having 40% of the list at the $20.00 mark.
Come on Eric. Who's kidding whom here?
37
@ Euphemia Thompson Westchester County, NY
The opening sentence of this article, "Weeknight wines are a genre of their own, but don’t take the phrase too literally".
I make no distinction between weekday and weekend or holiday wine. Any good wine is fit to drink at any time and at any place. Out in the country, people even drink wine the French style "à la régalade", holding the bottle above the mouth, making the wine flow straight into it, and passing it around.
1
Actually, while I did not check the entire list of wines, I found that some of the listed wines are available from wine.com. This should make some of these wines available to people who do not live in metropolitan areas.
4
@TBlankley Except that I live in Alabama, which doesn’t allow wine to be shipped to me.
3
@ TBlankley Hawaii
Your advice, coming from a reader in Sandwich Islands, should be welcomed not only by "people who do not live in metropolitan areas", but by all the NYT readers of this Section spread from Tierra del Fuego to Greenland.
Recently I’ve been thinking about including wine (especially red) in my diet ( I call it my middle age crisis ). But I don’t know how or where to start !Any advice ?
@ BibyLavaBe International
Start the day like a French blue-collar worker downing a glass of hot red wine at a bar counter, before boarding a train to work.
2
We have always found Los Vascos Cab Save to be quite good. Chile.
2
Mr. Azimov-
I hope you read the comments below (currently 12). There is a very real pattern going on.
Next time how about a column of wines under $20 that can actually be bought by people who are not wine writers or live near Astor Wine and Liquor?
13
@ pbilsky Manchester Center, VT
I assume you are referring to the comment by Matt from Ohio.
Well, it is difficult to find a selection of good wines in an area where hard liquor and moonshine are the traditional drinks. Distilling alcohol is much easier than cultivating grapes and then making wine. I believe there are still some hurdles in place on interstate shipment of wine? Even if so, there must be plenty of wine merchants in big cities who would be ready to ship a few bottles to, for ex., Amarillo, Tex.
@Tuvw you can’t ship wine to Vermont the home of Ben and Jerry’s and an amazing amount of craft beer.
Regardless, this is a list for wine snobs who want to say they had a wine that could only be found at three stores in NYC.
PS I have about 500 wines in my cellar and I doubt I spent more than $20 on any and they are all eminently drinkable.
1
Why blame Eric if your local wine shop isn’t being competitive or discerning?
10
Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever been able to find any of the wines recommended by Mr. Asimov? They sound rather obscure, but then again I'm pretty much a novice.
JimF from Sewell
6
@Jim Frazee On occasion, I have found a few of wines from Mr. Asimov's articles at the "Total Wine and More" store in Chantilly, VA, which is a quite good place for wine. (And have learned of regions that have proved interesting to me, etc.) But, no, I checked about 10 of the reds in this article and had no luck. Shame.
2
@Jim Frazee Nope. Certainly not here in Vermont.
2
Readers in Vermont can always jaunt up to Quebec where the wine selection will be wide, even in a small-town government liquor outlet SAQ, and the prices unbeatable.
3
You can find many good wines for less than ten dollars. Vinho Verde is one. Look around in your wine shop and ask for recommendations.
7
You have to be in one of the 11 countries or downtown Manhattan to get and enjoy most of these
5
@Dump Drump Forge cellars is available in about 30 states and if not, we happily ship free of charge w/ 6 bottles or more. Don't worry, we got ya covered.
RR
8
Or you could support the US wine industry. For example look at many of the Ste. Michelle wines are under $20 and great wine!
https://www.ste-michelle.com/
10
Any way to get this in a list form that I can import into my shopping list?
1
So let me get this straight
Mr. Asimov admits you will never find any of these bottles.
But you may find wines from another write up
So the point of this write up is.....?
12
@Greg Ursino You can find Forge in most good wine shops in Chicago, if not, our distributor, Vintage, is well known and services all of the state.
Reach out if you are having any challenges.
Cheers,
RR
3
How to buy these ?
2
@Susan We will gladly ship wine, in fact buy 6 bottles and we will do it for free.
Cheers
RR
4
"Most of these wines are made in small quantities. Few people will be able to find all of them, and some people may not find any." so why write about wines most of us will never be able to find?
10
@St.PauliGirl Forge Cellars is widely available and we made enough wine for most to be able to have a bottle or two.
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Cheers,
RR
1
Hmmm ... I wonder if you are similarly frustrated that The NY Times often reviews NYC restaurants that you’re unlikely to visit, or chronicles museum exhibits at MoMA or the Met that don’t travel, or has articles surveying current real estate listings in the NY metro area that wouldn’t interest you ...
10
While I enjoy reading about these wines, it's simply not in the cards to enjoy any of them here in NE Ohio. A lovely column for residents of NYC, no doubt, but for other readers of this paper and writer, yet another strictly local piece. It would be nice if Mr. Asimov went farther afield in terms of availability once in a while.
12
@Matt I'm sure that even in NE Ohio one can find a wine shop (or two!) where the owners/managers are knowledgeable and helpful and can steer you to similar wines for under $20.
5
@Matt We are available in Ohio through a great distributor, Cutting Edge Selections, just tell your local fine wine shop you want Forge Cellars...no worries.
Reach out with any questions. Cheers.
RR
3
@bauskern That wasn't my point. Mr. Asimov's selections are pretty much specific to NYC and, perhaps, a couple of wine shops. I pop a cork most nights and can easily find a weeknight wine for under $20. It doesn't take a much effort, in fact, to stay under $15. Hell's bells, if you're drinking whites, under $10.
Alas, end of the world. No Forge Cellars Riesling is locally availble, only Ravines Finger Lakes Riesling. The Finger Lakes Rieslings are less expensive than the Alsacian and German varieties, but I am yet to taste the former and, hopefully, ascertain that they are not what Franklin Delano Roosevelt allegedly called "New York State mucilage".
1
@Tuvw Xyz That was 75 years ago! Things have changed greatly in all parts of the wine world since then, except - partially - Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Fifty years ago, California Cabernet was going for $5-$10/bottle. Some of that was plonk, but some was outstanding and still very drinkable today.
I doubt that FDR would recognize most Finger Lakes Riesling, by style, today.
7
@Tuvw Xyz We have a great distributor in Chicago, Vintage, and they service nearly everyone. Just ask your shop to get it or drop us a line and we will ship.
Thanks a bunch for searching us out. Cheers.
RR
2
@Tuvw Xyz The fictional quote "Enjoy the wine...It is not New York state mucilage," was spoken by Eleanor Roosevelt to FDR in the White House amidst a plot to assassinate the president and Winston Churchill in Elliott Roosevelt's novel, "Murder in the Lincoln Bedroom: An Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery," which was ghostwritten by William Harrington.
1