I don't know about wine really and I'm trying to learn. What I've discovered so far is the only wine that consistently makes my heart sing is a German Riesling - medium sweet. I have also acquired a taste for a buttery California chardonnay.
Try Angeline Mendocino Pinot Noir, it puts Meiomi to shame and actually varietally correct. Under $20 too
@Courtney Benham What in the world does “varietally correct” mean? There are vastly different expressions of pinot noir - and indeed almost all grape varietals - depending on climate, winemaking style, terroir, and countless other factors. That’s among the many fun aspects of wine - the same grape can be used to make a whole host of different styles. While certain specific regions, for instance, may have different rules, who is to say which style is “correct”? Indeed, the wine club associated with the Wine Folly blog just devoted a month to all of the very, very different pinot noir expressions to help people learn just this lesson. There are many silly terms describing wine (cut to the “freshly cut garden hose” scene in the film Somm) but this one makes no sense.
Inexpensive Toyotas will get you to your destination reliably, but it's a lot more fun to drive an Audi R8. Is the Audi worth the tens of thousands of extra dollars? If you can afford the Audi, enjoy it: just don't lord it over people who can't afford one.
7
I'll share the wines our group purchased for the blind tasting we chose to do rather than the wines suggested for this month.
20?? Côtes du Rhône , E. Guigal $15.00
2016 Columbia River Valley Sangiovese, $14.99
2016 Barbera Oltrepo Pavese, Castina Di Casteggi 7.99
2016 Saumur Les Pouches, Cave de Saumer 10.99
20?? Aglianico Del Vulture, D'Angelo (under 15)
Each of us purchased and wrapped our bottles in a paper bag. The rules were that the wine needed to come from a grocery store (not a specialty wine shop), be red and under $15. We tasted each one and tried to identify old world/new world, country and varietal. We came close on most of them. It was a lot of fun. As always, the wines changed over time after opening and improved with food (paninis).
6
@Caroline That sounds like so much fun. I'll try that with some friends.
Here are TEN wines available for $15 or less that I know and will drink, unlike the Apothic and Meiomi, which I literally poured down the drain after tasting.
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages ($13 avg)
Melini Chianti (abt $8)
L'Effet Papillon (abt $12)
Chapoutier Bila-Haut ($10-$15
E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone ($13-$16)
Campo Viejo tempranillo (abt $10)
Cune crianza ($10-$15)
Jaboulet Parallele 45 Cotes du Rhone ($10-$15)
Gato Negro Cabernet Sauvignon (abt $5)
Scaia Corvino (abt $12)
I have never bought the Gato Negro, but I drink it at my sister-in-law's. The Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages used to be one of my house wines until my local stores stopped carrying it several years ago. I find the Guigal Cotes du Rhone more intersting than the Parallele 45. I have not bought the Melini, Campo Viejo, or Cune recently, because I have found similar, more interesting, if slightly more expensive wines.
These are pretty widely available in the New York area. I don't know about the rest of the country.
The L'Effet Papillon, Bila-Haut, Guigal, and Scaia are currently in my cellar.
5
@Michael you could have made sangria...
1
@Michael Or you could have soaked cherries in these wines; or cooked with them. Unless you felt that there was a question of them being so chemically altered that you didn’t want to consume them.
The only American wines I find enjoyable are Pinot Noirs from the Willamette valley. If not drinking those it’s always French or Italian for me.
Main reason the lower alcohol and less medicinal taste. If I want a stiff drink I have my single malt scotch, wine shouldn’t be like it.
6
Ah, wine squabbles. Good fun.
Here are a few bargain wines that are much better than most.
Slow Press Cab from CA. $9.99 on sale at my local shop.
Woodwork Cab, also CA and remarkably good if you can find it for $12-14
Sixth Sense Syrah. Yummy at $14.99
And finally, the dependable Louis Martini at about $18 is virtually indistinguishable from the reserve at nearly twice the price. I know the legendary Louis Martini (died in 1998) has nothing to do with the wine anymore, but they still mass produce a good product.
4
We just tried all three tonght. We've had the Meiomi before and find it drinkable, but it lacks character and depth. If we're offered in the future, we won't say no, but we won't seek it out or keep it on hand.
We have never had either the Apothic Red or The Prisoner. The Apothic red has a nose of candied apples and a taste to match. Cloyingly fruity and missing any subtlety. The Prisoner had some body and oak flavors, but not much of a nose and lacked balance with an over abundance of fruit and not long lasting on the palate. The price would suggest a higher end wine, but there are many other wines at or below this price point of greater value.
We are looking forward to the next installment of wine school, but this month's was disappointing in the wine drinking experience, but did allow us to better define what qualities of wine we want to avoid and, by inference, what qualities we want to seek out.
4
@Jeff and Kay To misquote Franklin: “No wine is useless, it can always serve as a bad example.”
2
Vs. Apothic Red, I far prefer a red Bordeaux sold by Trader Joe's under the label "Les Portes de Bordeaux." $8.99 in Ohio (where we pay a very high hidden wine tax). At that price level, I don't think California wines can touch the French.
3
I always say, "let the buyer beware". I've been enjoying a great French wine (since I first purchased it when I was in college in the early 80's) with chickens on the label called, La Vieille Ferme. It has never let me down and my friends think I'm a hero.
10
@Bill - I feel validated about La Vielle Ferme, which costs about $7 in Dallas. I also like one sold at Trader Joe's for about the same price called La Ferme Julien. I drink the whites.
I often say, "Drink what you like - everyone's palate is different." But this selection is dreadful. YUCK!
10
@Deborah
I agree whole hardheartedly. There are also better tasting Italian and Spanish varietals for less $.
2
I love Apothic Red. I don’t find it too sweet, but fruity and not too much tannin. Our neighborhood organic grocery store started selling it several years ago and put it on display that said over “80 (points rating) for under $20.” It quickly became a neighborhood favorite. I keep it stocked at my house as my every day “house wine.” Bonus – they sell it at the DC Costco below $8 on sale sometimes.
6
Fruit Bombs...one and all. The best inexpensive and drinkable wines can be found at Trader Joe’s in their foreign sections. They’d have some lovely French, Italian, Spanish and Chilean wines that can be enjoyed by those who drink wine every night with dinner.
8
I tried all three, and all are super sweet and boozy, with a slight medicinal tinge. I drink wine every day with dinner, and these cannot be drunk with food. It is a little sad to me, I always say that there is so much more good affordable wine to drink now, because "they know a lot more now", than, say in the 70s or 80s. Better knowledge about what varieties grows best where, better wine making techniques, the list goes on. These wines are a giant step backwards.
14
@Willie - totally agree with you...people should try looking at importer Kermit Lynch for well priced (as well as some expensive) Italian and French wines that actually taste like wine - not some Frankenstein version of wine. All of these wines are heavy, too high in alcohol and lack any subtlety.
8
@Parker You are right: Kermit Lynch is a god!
2
These are fine at a bbq or for a large party. I've had them all and while they are well made they lack the character of a really good value wine, such as from small producers from around the world. They are highly drinkable and like-able. My only problem with these wines is they tend to be very high in alcohol content. This tends to be a characteristic of American (and Australian) wines.
BTW they all pair well with food, basically comfort food.
PS: Love your columns
1
I think you did a great job picking three wines at different price points, and taste points as well. I very much enjoy The Prisoner, paired with a nice pasta or fish. I also enjoy the Apothic Red as a sipping wine. I recently tried the Apothic Crush and really enjoyed it. I think you pay a different price for what the occasion calls for. I don’t want to pay 40-45 dollars for a bottle that’s going to be gone in a hour or so with my girlfriends, that’s what the 10 dollar bootle is for. But I absolutely would give 40 or higher for a nice bottle to share with dinner guests. I think your article was spot on and enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to trying the Mimoemi.
Ok then, experts, give us a list of 5 wines under $15 that you deem respectable, if there are so many. I know practically nothing about wine, all the labels look the same to me. I surely don’t want to embarrass myself by drinking and enjoying a wine that is considered to taste like kool-aid. Please educate me.
7
@Sarah This could be potentially futile for anyone, even experts, to try as many wines are not available everywhere. Many have already suggested wines in the previous 700+ comments but it might be more efficient to ask around for a reputable wine shop, visit them and tell what types of wine you enjoy and give them your price range. If you strike out, keep trying. As I live in France I can recommend many Cote du Rhone village wines, cru Beaujolais like Morgon or Fleurie and a range of Bordeaux Supérieur. Vintages from 2010/14/15 and now 2016 are all solid years under $15. I know little these days of CA wines so I can't help there but Spain and Italy also offer great value these days.
11
There are so many great wines at similar price points that make these wines useless. These wines are why you should be careful about wine you buy at the supermarket.
5
It would be helpful if all the criticism comments also included recommendations for good lower cost red wines!
5
@Connie
The list would be almost endless.
As I noted in earlier posts, I bought a bottle of the Apothic for $10.99 and paired it with a bottle of Chapoutier's Bila-Haut, a Rhone blend from the Rousillon ($10.99 at Zachy's) that I had in my cellar; and I bought a bottle of the Meomi ($19.99 at Varmax Liquor Pantry) and paired it with a Jadot Couvent des Jacobins from my cellar ($19.99 from Grapes the Wine Company).
Other good, inexpensive widely available wines that I know include Scaia's Corvina ($10-$12 per bottle), E. Guigal's Cotes du Rhone ($13-$16), numerous Chianti Classicos in the $15-$20 range, Burgundies and Beaujolais ($18-$22), Riojas ($15-$22), and Chateaux Simard and Poitevin from Bordeaux for about $20.
These are just some of the wines that I know personally and are available for under $25. They are all good everyday wines. Stunning Riojas, excellent village wines from Burgundy, and Chateauneuf-du-Papes can be had for under $40. Also Ridge Three Valleys for $25-$30 and several of their zinfandels for $30-$40.
The list goes on.
2
Late report:
A couple weeks ago I’d managed to come up with some food choices, one spicy hot, the other spicy sweet, that made both the Apothic and the Meiomi behave—in other words, masked their flaws. A few nights later, for a Wine School NYC chapter dinner, we let the Prisoner out under its own recognizance—on parole, you might say—inside a casual-snooty, terroir-centric, wine-focused restaurant. Of course it didn’t belong there. Based on its price tag, we hoped it might rise to the occasion (thankfully, there were some more appropriate bottles, too).
It was bad. It was bad as an aperitif. It was bad with a potato-mushroom-comté side (and not worth trying with any of our other, even less-suited mains). It was bad with a dessert persimmon tarte. One of our party (and not one of the two wine snobs at the table) screwed up his face on first taste and began to say it reminded him of Manischewitz (like Ferguson). He stopped himself when he realized he liked Manischewitz better (again like Ferguson?).
Focusing on the plus side…
The more generous of the evening’s wine snobs allowed that she picked up a cranberry fragrance in its nose. Snob two can honestly say that it smelled and tasted to him like nothing on earth.
What characteristic ties this month’s three wines together? Sweetness to a degree, but above all, a palpable, prickly (thanks, Martin), thick fakeness.
2
So I tried all three. The one characteristics that binds them all together are that they are red and not wines I would ever buy again. At each price point I can get something I enjoy much more. They do differ. The Apothic was more jammy (in a bad way) than the others and the Prisoner had more alcohol and was harsher than the other two. I thought they would remind me of our "thirst quencher" lesson, less structured, simpler wines but not all. None of these would be good for thirst quenching. The only thing I can think of that makes people buy Apothic is the very attractive label. It makes me think of The Scarlet Letter. Maybe people buy the Prisoner for the alcohol but more likely it is just that different people have different tastes. I poured the Apothic down the drain (first time ever). It made me think of a Jamaican black cake I have made for Christmas sometimes that requires soaking dried fruits in Manischewitz. For the same price you could get Ravenswood Vintners blend to cook with and drink the remains. The Meiomi didn't taste like Pinot Noir to me. My desert island wine would be a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. At my grocery store (Wegmans) I can get Montinore Estate for the same price and enjoy it. I am not against spending $42 for a bottle of wine but I regret spending that much on The Prisoner. But I do appreciate the lesson.
10
@Ferguson
FYI, Ravenswood, like Meomi and The Prisoner, is a Constellation brand.
Both the Apothic and Meomi went down the drain in my house. I didn't waste my money on The Prisoner.
I agree that it is easy to get better wines -- make that good wines -- at the same, or lower, price points.
1
@Ferguson instead of pouring down the drain, i either return to the store for a credit, or make a sangria
1
I really like the Meiomi, have not tried Prisoner, and Apothic...not a fan of at all
I love discovering tasty value wines in the $8 - $12 range, but the American penchant for Smuckers Jam + Vicks 44D is not my idea of crowd-pleaser. I find every form of Apothic TERRIBLE. I'm hard pressed to understand why anyone would call this bottle wine.
17
Not a fan of the Apothic - way too sweet.
6
Meiomi is waaaay too sweet. It was much better before Constellation purchased it.
Apothic is okay for the price.
Prisoner is decent, but overpriced.
2
I discovered Meiomi a few years ago and it is just divine, especially for that price point. It is my go-to when gifting wine to friends. 9.5/10 for sure!
1
Oh wow, a special feature on terrible wine you can find anywhere.
6
The 2016 Meiomi pinot noir I opened was contaminated with potassium metabisulfite or another sterilant that smells like home hair permanent products. I should have dumped it down the sink immediately, but I thought the milder at first odor might just be some goofy fungal barrel trait or would evaporate (the screw top eliminated the corked possibility). So I tried a bit first but eventually felt the sterilant slightly abrade my tongue and the roof of my mouth (a mistake I thought I was done making). That's why I avoid risking pinot noir for the most part. MacMurray, Edna Valley, Folie à Deux, and A by Acacia like the cheaper Red Rock, Mark West, and Robert Mondavi Private Reserve have all been similarly bad-luck bad at least once. French aren't immune either, although I bought three bottles of 2016 Stephen Maurice Domaine du Prieuré Savigny-lès-Beaune Moutier Amet that I hope will be.
7
The comments are hysterical! Just a precious and pretentious as you would expect.
Drink what you like and have fun finding what that is.
31
@Diane are you surprised? I’m not! I agree with you.
1
Just gave the Prisoner as a hostess/host gift, since my spouse mistakenly bought two bottles when I said I wanted to try it per this article. I hope the recipients will either be impressed if they look up the price or they will use it to make another batch of the great tasting sangria they served at the party!
2
I am thoroughly surprised at the number of readers who are referring to these wines as "sugared" or "tailored to the sweet American palate." Although there are many, many drier wines out there I would encourage those readers to sample the small batch, local wines being produced anywhere between the Appalachian Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas before they call these three "sugared." Wines with names like "soft red" that taste like the Kool-aid Man's hangover.
The complaining readers will not like the wines I am suggesting, but they may learn what is truly meant by "sweet American palate."
5
@Dan Burke you are so right... add Indiana wines to that list... just bad koolaid
5
I’m lucky, I guess...I’ll continue to shop local at each of these price points, without having to endure these brews ever, ever again. Blech.
5
I have been buying these wines for a couple years was introduced to Meiomi Thanksgiving of 2017. Loved it. I buy it all the time. Was introduced to the Prisoner a couple of Thanksgivings prior to that... and the Apothic Red Blend is my go to everyday table wine! You made me feel like I may have a clue about wine.
2
A friend brought Apothic Brew for Christmas dinner. We had it for dessert with chocolate...yummmm.
1
Apothic Red is my go-to for making large batches of mulled wine, sangria, or other heated wine concoctions. I’ve always found that it’s the best at that price point at keeping flavor through all the simmering, spices, fruit peels, and seasonal festivities.
It’s also perfect for mixing 50/50 with hot spiced cider, bourbon, and your unshakable resolution to stay in pajamas until the temperature outside is over your age.
6
I think the comments section on this post is highly entertaining.
I tried the Meiomi. My former neighbors, who were French, used to buy it a lot. I didn't dislike it but I wouldn't buy it again. It was very rounded, full, and yes, maybe more like cabernet. It was definitely drinkable but not characterful. I would rather drink Decoy at a similar price point. I expect someone will chime in and tell me that too is a mass produced plonk. I don't care. The best wine is the one you like and rebuy.
13
As someone who works in the industry championing "grower" wines, I was really excited to try these again. Like most Americans, these products were gateways into the wine world for me (although I can proudly say no matter how novice my palate, I NEVER liked Apothek).
The wines tasted stripped... not of flavor, or correctness, but of a soul. It was like eating Spaghetti-O's instead of the pasta in an authentic Tuscan trattoria. The Meomi had the components of what you would look for in a Pinot Noir - red fruits, slight spices, earthy. However, it was like what you would get if you gave a kindergardener all of the components of what a horse and man looked like and they drew it vs. seeing Caravaggio's The Conversion of St. Paul.
I think the point is that this wine is a product - it is a carefully studied Pinot or Red Blend that is crafted perfectly for the "sweet" American palate. It trying to hit the target that was studied by Impact - what are people drinking? Let's create something that matches that description.
In the end, however, it lacks the component that makes wine special: a soul. It is a stripped version, an amateur, a Big Brother version, and one that tells you what you like to drink, not asks you to explore.
My thoughts: leave the winemaking to the people who know how to do it, who have worked for it, lived for it, and created it - not the marketers.
14
So over Apothetic Red, that I will only use it for Sangria, if desperate.
3
I bought the Apothic Red for $8, chilled it, and swirled a splash enough to catch the label's "vanilla" (code for oaky) and even "mocha." Then I stuck it in the freezer for 15 minutes before decanting it. Its bitterness (unlike the welcome bite of good tannins) dulled the taste but also hid the residual sugar pretty well until toward the end. I ate some Gouda and whole grain bread with it, but this bottle was irredeemable. I definitely won't buy it again and am starting to regret buying the Meiomi — although I can safely say I bought 25 worse bottles (some were corked) over the last three years.
5
Good Morning: Finished off the Apothic while watching Clemson demolish Alabama. Dinner: spaghetti with sausages and mushrooms in tomato sauce, buffalo wings, homemade hummus with assorted fresh vegetables.
I stand by my initial review; the wine tasted dry then, and the cough syrup flavor seemed only a minor flaw. However, a few days later the Apothic had become quite sweet, and the cough syrup had become unpleasantly strong.
On the plus side, the remaining cup and a half did improve the tomato sauce.
4
"Inspired by the "Apotheca," a mysterious place where wine was blended and stored in 13th century Apothic red is one of the best red wines, offering a true unique wine experience."
https://www.apothic.com/wines/red
Great idea.
But it might also be inspired by "Apotheke". This is a non-mysterious place where drugs and medicines are mixed together and sold even in the 21th century. Like cough syrup for example. Apotheke means "pharmacy" in German.
So nobody will get tricked here too much if Gallo sells these wine based product here I think.
No doubt about it: The related brand "Apothic Brew is more clear.
4
I first thought Eric cunningly slipped us a 2017 wildfire affected wine when he recommended The Prisoner (out of my price range) among the the more affordable supermarket picks. Another 2017 Napa Valley wine, Uppercut cabernet sauvignon — which I refound at a biennial two-for-one sale — was interesting for the first bottle, but its campfire embedded flavor overpowered the fruit too much to like the second bottle. Cabernet sauvignon appears more vulnerable than blends, perhaps. As for the ch'i and karma busting, prude/puritan taunting labels — I pounce on the good ones. One of the most refreshing wines I could snatch up during sales without losing to the mob frenzy was a Napa cabernet sauvignon simply called Cult. Sadly, it is now gone.
When I saw the article I had hoped that this is about hidden gems in the supermarket. I found all three wines, grabbed a rotisserie chicken coming home late from work, and my wife picked the first bottle. Apothic red I always wondered about this omnipresent wine (you see it at Trader Joe’s, Kroger, pharmacies). It tasted sweet of vanilla somehow completely artificial, sweet juice, candy, wood chips, vanilla pudding and soda pop. I did’t get the cough syrup and the food wasn’t improving this wine much.
Next the Meiomi. It tasted more like the Apothic red than any pinot noir I have ever had. The same scheme put into effect as a collaboration of bean counters, market researchers and food chemists. The dull California vanilla pudding dominates but there is a prickly quality here, like a fake pine aroma. Maybe the food chemist decided to dump a bottle of turpentine into the tank on top of the usual tea bag of oak chips.
The prisoner. I liked it better than the others. Marginally better. That comes at a price tag of $48. My wife rejected it immediately as oak chipped. We decided to not buy any of these again and hope to forget the experience.
15
I happened to have a bottle of the Meiomi because my neighbor gave it to me for watching his dog. After reading this article I decided to open it, my curiosity piqued. It’s horrible! It’s definitely got that distinctive US supermarket wine flavor: oak chips + over sugared Kool Aid. Yuck. Maybe they should make popsicles with it. I poured it down the drain. I’m glad I didn’t spend my own money on this.
10
I just opened the Apothic Red (7.99 at Ralphs if you buy mix of 6 bottles). On first sip I was transported to my childhood bedroom in Connecticut in 1959. I could see the wallpaper with revolutionary scenes. And the bottle of prescription cough syrup and the teaspoons upon teaspoons of medicine with the cherry-ish nose of this wine. Add a hint of vanilla, and I could be drinking a 1959 vintage! Not gonna drink it, going into a coq-au-vin...
5
@Tom Don't ruin the coq-au-vin! :)
11
Seems like the super-huge wine conglomerates have figured out what wines Americans love to drink; super sweet reds with an attractive label.
I remember when The Prisoner took off in popularity several years ago. Everyone thought the label was cool, that's why they decided to try it. Then we all got hooked on the sweetness of it. Apothic Red is another that took off in popularity quickly, now there are other Apothic versions riding the wave that the Red produced (has anyone tried Apothic Inferno?? OMG! And not in a good way!).
Sweet, sweet and sweeter. Apothic Red got sweeter and more syrupy as we moved down the line sipping Meiomi and finally Prisoner. I may drop out of Wine School. While we had fun and enjoyed the Prisoner, it’s almost embarrassing to learn what you thought you already knew. I guess all learning is somewhat humbling. We’ll try the next class!
2
Eric: The Prisoner & Meiomi...well okay fine.
However the Apothic Red will rot your teeth. Really. you're grasping at straws.
Is Gallo adding to your tip jar?
1
Saturday night Apothic.
Nothing like a few hundred posts to give a clue what a wine you’ve never tasted tastes like. To pair, I turned to the section in my new food-with-wine cookbook* on “sweeter, heavier reds,” where they advise “spice is your friend,” and toss out a couple of firebombs. The chipotle short ribs tinyurl.com/ycebmzvl (subbing chipotle chile powder and skipping the jalapeños) were crazy spicy hot**.
Way hotter than I’m used to eating, and way hotter than I could have imagined any wine doing well with. Folks, if you need a wine for a Super Bowl crowd, one that’ll wash down buffalo wings and 4-alarm chili, look no further than the A***.
I gave it a 4-hour decant (which took care of the cough syrup so many have mentioned; it was there in the PnP, gone in the decanted; also like VSB’s “nothing wrong with cough syrup” comment; think Sicilian reds). After the initial sweetness, and after its peppery spice, the A’s most notable characteristic is its unusual mouthfeel, a kind of synthetic chalkiness. And quite the fire retardant. It put out the chipotle heat in an instant—not just tolerated the heat, but cooled it. The sweetness and flames pairing was huge fun. Except for the nagging question of what *is* this stuff?
* “Great Recipes to Pair with [paraphrasing] Icky Wine”
** Begs for cooling yogurt and coconut-oil potato-cauli mash tinyurl.com/yaacqsrg on the side.
*** Unless your crowd is health nuts and wine-snobs who might balk at grape-based asbestos.
2
My advice is stay away from the mass produced sugary swill that’s out there; mostly from California.
There are many regions producing inexpensive but very well made wine: Southern France, Spain, Southern Italy, Portugal, and Chile come to mind.
If sweet wine is your thing, fine I guess, but first educate your palate. Besides it’s always a good thing to find cheap, but good wine!
8
This is fun. Just tonight, my friends and I were enjoying some snacks and a bottle of 4.99 red blend ( Dynamite ) purchased at Grocery Outlet, a regional chain of bargain food stores that gets odd lots of marked-downs. There is fun to be discovering the gems and at below $6 or so the disappointments are easily borne ( and living in Sonoma county we are fortunate to find the fruits of local maker’s inventory-thinning their way as well ). For a second bottle I grabbed a Meiomi PN which was a gift; it was familiar to me for some reason but I couldn’t remember why. We opened it, and after two sips I went back to find another of the now ubiquitous Central Coast red blends. Thin and sweet was my reaction to the PN. Its funny to now read these other comments ( and maybe it will be better tomorrow ).
2
As a French-trained organic winemaker and viticulturist, I'm currently working in the US as an in-house "wine expert" and am still surprised daily by the lack of understanding many wine consumers have of what they drink, nor do many seem to care.
Your three wine choices all have popular appeal because of their extracted fruitiness and, dare I say it, their residual sugar. Sure, the Prisoner (or Caymus, might I add) has a leg-up when fruit quality is concerned, but I still wouldn’t sell it even to an intermediate wine drinker. Too many options in its category are smaller production, possibly even quality producers who treat their vineyards right, and these other wines taste more compelling, and their terroir can jump out of the glass. Of course the "non-supermarket" approach in making wine often means the wine costs more, but not always especially as quality improves. If your pocketbook is protesting I'd advise most anyone to drink less and drink better. And here, one can mention the short- and long-term health benefits of a well made wine: less headaches and less additives.
Yes, there’s fear in an unknown label for some, but when one gets better educated about wine and the regions out there, there’s more joy discovering something on your own instead of doing the same ol’ thing everyone else is doing. Like a good book, wine takes us on a sensory journey into time and place, and enhances our experiences.
Looking forward to hearing your responses!
20
I love wine. I drink lots of it. Some people think I’m an expert. I tell them, “No, I just like to try different wines.” Tonight, with a group of friends I will try all three side by side for Wine School. As “Teacher” Eric suggests, we will talk about what they share and how they differ. I’ve had all three. Never together. I just want to learn. In the end, I drink what I like. Eric, I’m happy reading about the wines I can’t readily get and keep a list of those I might find when I travel. I’ll share tasting notes later. Thanks!
2
My first thought on reading the article is that Eric's editor has been in his ear to write about wines more widely available, perhaps as a result of reader feedback/comments that too much of what is reviewed is difficult/impossible to purchase. If my notion is indeed correct, then the number of comments here. - nearly 700 - suggests that Eric's Editor earnt their money that week.
I live in Australia, so a lot of Eric writes about is for me, of pure academic vinous interest. Nonetheless, I'm always happy to read his articles as his comments are inevitably insightful and thought provoking.
BTW, recently I wrote for my wine column a similar yarn on supermarket wines. I can honestly say that it was one of the most tedious things I have ever had to do as an occasional journalist. I'm fairly confident in saying that there would have been little to no joy for Eric in the production of his story.
5
This is hilarious and I had to give a try. It’s obvious that Eric
is asking us to try these wines as they are the complete opposite of what he usually recommends. I got a bottle of the Apothic tonight. Like many others here, I could not take more than a couple sips. I have never thrown a bottle down the sink but that is exactly where this one is going. My girlfriend described it the best; like pure fake ‘maple’ syrup with a splash of white vinegar. Thanks for the unorthodox lesson this month Eric, your point regarding mass produced wines is well taken.
11
Tried the meiomi and the apothic and liked them both
4
so when is NY going to allow sales of wine in supermarkets?
1
Successful Meomi pairing Friday night, arrived at backwards! Barb was making sweet soy ginger chicken tinyurl.com/ydeehww7 , and I began going mentally through what chards I had to pair. Nothing felt right. This one seemed too oaky; that one too tart; that one butterscotch. Then, eureka! Meomi! (This was not my first. Bought a M 5 years ago and liked its fruity sweetness. Then bought four more and, after those were done, never planned to buy another.)
At first the M seemed too sweet for the chicken, made it sour. But most of the dish’s sauce and flavor (and brown sugar) had been soaked up by the carrots and with them, the M was tasty good. It did especially well with the intense scattered bites of sliced ginger and began to remind me of a heavy-handed, sweetened-up version of the McMinville sisters’ 3˚ PN. Had that same gingerspice quality. Going back to the chicken and the M, after acclimating to the sauce a bit, was not a problem.
Tried some cheeses. A cheddar was predictably awful. A mild French goat cheese was ok but overpowered (even just a little sweet butter with it on a cracker helped). Sweet-tangy cambozola, while a bit Italian odd with the yankee doodle wine, was nicely balanced and enjoyable.
Then, eureka 2! For a jammy wine, jam! Cambozola, on a cracker slathered with strawberry preserves was a delightful pairing. Even brought out a pleasant, faint tartness on the sweet wine’s finish.
P.S. Please decant this wine. PnP I swore I could taste the chemicals.
It’s surprising to me how many of the comments reflect attitudes about the wines rather than the readers’ sensory experience of the wines. Whether you believe the wines fail to meet some standard of purity in winemaking or object to perceived wine snobbery on the part of those who look down on mass produced wines, is that really the point? I’d like to hear more about how people describe the wines, what they see the wines to have in common, when they might be an appropriate choice (if at all), etc. A blind tasting is really the best way to evaluate the wines under the circumstances when knowledge of producer and price point are likely to be biasing. I’ve been surprised by my results in blind tests: My reactions weren’t those that I would have had knowing the identity of the wines. By the way, regarding the derogation of mass produced wines, how certain are we that some of the artisanal wine makers aren’t using some of same processing techniques as the big guys, just on a smaller scale?
15
@Richard Popper
I am a tiny boutique producer on Howell Mountain. I know many of the small producers in my appellation and grew up on Howell Mountain.
I do not cut corners, ever. I farm my own vineyard using mostly organic methods. No insecticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizer, and it is all farmed by hand. I examine every cluster multiple times each vintage. The canopy is continuously adjusted to provide ideal dappled light. Fertilizer consists of composted cow manure and organic micronutrients as well as Mycorrhyzal fungus. The spray program is equally meticulous and I do the lion’s share of the spraying myself using a backpack.
No color maker, no flavor maker, no weird oak additives, no filtering, no fining, no chemical sterilants, no reverse osmosis, no crossflow, no conetech, no enzymes, no sacrificial tannin, no funny business. I use classic methods. Real (expensive) oak barrels provide the oak flavor. Then, after barrel age is complete, we taste the different lots and include only the best wine from the best barrels in our top blend. Everything else is bottled under a second label.
Most small producers are meticulous.
Is it cheap? No. But it is the very best that I could make it.
www.angwinestatevineyards.com
We are on the shelf at Astor Wines and Spirits in Manhattan. I put everything I had into it; blood, sweat, tears, love. Khalil Ghibran wrote “work is love made visible”. I see my wine as love made drinkable.
Jon Larson
Angwin Estate Vineyards
19
I don't care for blood, sweat or tears in my wine. Just grape juice thanks.
2
Round two:
I bought a bottle of the Meomi ($19.99 at Varmax Liquor Pantry) and paired it with a Jadot Couvent des Jacobins from my cellar ($19.99 from Grapes the Wine Company). Had with grilled pork chops, wild rice medly and roasted beets.
First, let me say that the Meomi, like the Apothik, was not a bad wine, in the sense it had no technical flaws. It was made as intended, to appeal to a definite demographic.
That said, it certainly was not to my taste and I have no intentions of drinking it again. It was not quite as overtly sweet as the Apothik, but it certainly did not taste like the pinot noirs I know and love. I thought of using it for cooking, but after retasteing, I don't think so, particularly since there are better and less expensive alternatives, e.g. Guigal Cotes du Rhone or any one of several Chiantis or Beaujolais among others.
The Jadot had much more pinot noir character with nice fruit and was well balanced. It certainly is not a great Burgundy, but is an excellent everyday wine at the same price as the Meomi.
I am not going to waste $40 on a bottle of The Prisoner.
And now for some 20-year old Taylor Fladgate.
7
Tried Apothic Red. Wow! There's nothing like a mass produced wine to make you appreciate South American wines! What bothered me was not so much the grape cough syrup taste but the lack of backbone. Absolutely no astringency. Also if I spend $40 on wine, for me that's a special occasion, it wouldn't be on mass produced plonk.
4
Sorry, I cannot participate. We drink wines from California, south of france, Italy etc. but only those we can trace to a place we know, and a producer that we have come to trust. We have been offered these wines by friends but after one sip we know that we cannot waste our calories, our enjoyment on these "products", nor are we willing to encourage the production of "wines" that are more laboratory and manipulation than vineyard and cellar. We look forward to your comments and conclusions.
9
Good Morning: Never understood the prejudice against mass produced wines--Guinness Stout and Pilsener Urquell are excellent beers brewed in massive quantities. As a frequent host of small dinner parties, need to know good reasonably priced wines available year round. So purchased the Apothic Red 2016 ($10-15 in San Francisco).
Dinner: spare ribs in a homemade honey mustard chipotle sauce; French fries; spinach salad with tomatoes, carrots and celery. The music: "Cult" by Hilary Woods, piano based ambient/jazz hybrid.
Color: dark garnet, clear. Nose: blackberry, cherry, oak, cedar, mint. Taste: same as the nose, plus chocolate, raspberry, grenadine, low tannins, short finish, velvety smooth mouth feel. Did notice the "cough syrup" taste that others did, but didn't bother me much. Excellent complement to the ribs and potatoes; surprisingly good with the spinach salad (can't figure out that one).
Despite two minor flaws, a good solid piece of work, quite fairly priced, would not hesitate to serve to others. Mr. Asimov, if you read this, please consider devoting February to supermarket whites. Thank you.
7
VSB, going way out on a limb (just finished a Meiomi dinner; haven't tried the Apothic), could the mystery behind the spinach salad's success be some sweetness in the carrots? or in the dressing?
@Dan Barron: Possibly in the carrots, but the vinaigrette had no sweet ingredients. Perhaps the strong flavor of the spinach had something to do with the result?
For me buying wine is a random walk among hundreds of bottles. By way of a free newsletter I try to buy wines rated 90 points or above by the major rating companies and cost under $20. I just take their word for the quality of the wine. I have not been disappointed. The only exception are New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs which are, for my taste, all quite good.
4
Prompted by the article, I picked up a bottle of Apothic Red at Costco for $7.75 today.
Let it chill and am having a glass.
I don't think I'm a wine snob, but I've had better cough syrup than Apothic.
I also purchased a bottle of Meiomi at the same time. I'm hoping that one is drinkable.
3
@JerrytheK
I hoped the same. Too bad.
The Comments (686 when I read them) are fantastic. This is a truly excellent wine forum and I'm learning a lot. I hope Mr. Asimov would run a similar article about sparkling white wines and champagne. I think this is a subject that has even stronger opinions than those for California reds.
4
Personal taste preferences are a marvelous phenomenon. My wife LOVES Apothic Red! "It's not too sweet; not too dry." "It is gentle and costs about 3 for $25." In contrast, it is just too sweet for me as I prefer dry, robust reds with hearty foods. I love opera; she falls asleep. I read the NYTimes & she reads the funnies of the local newspaper. I'm luxuriating in retirement at 80 while at 78 she still runs her own business, serves on a state professional board, visits the infirmed, & more. After 57 years, we respect & admire each other's personal taste preferences.
28
@Giuseppe Thank you for your breath of sanity. While i have a well curated collection of a few hundred bottles ranging from $35 to $450, my wife is perfectly happy with a $14 bottle of proseco. Drink what you like, period.
10
Come on everyone. Eric’s not advocating for these wines. He clearly says he selected them because of their widespread appeal and he encourages us, the informed NYT readers of the world, to taste them and make comment. I can assure you Eric neither likes these wines nor was he paid off to review them. Get a grip people. And happy new year!
17
@Matt
First off, why are you assuming Eric does not like these wines? They would not 'appear' to be in his wheelhouse from what he's posted, but that does not mean he dislikes them. As far as being 'paid off' to post these, that's just ludicrous. Cheers.
1
Larry schafer Rest assured, Eric Asimov does not enjoy these wines. I would bet on it.
Jeez decent wine doesn't generate 657 comments. Like my perfesser taught: "write what you know."
He was wrong by the way.
1
In spite of oenophile friends' best efforts to educate me, I've really only ever been able to differentiate wines into the categories of "nasty" and "not nasty." I'm sorry to disappoint my friends, but honestly my "disability," whether it's due to inferior taste buds & olfactory nerve endings, or just laziness, doesn't bother me. On the contrary, it's surely saved me a lot of money over the years.
I'm reminded of Calvin Trillin's article "The Red And The White" (2002) from the New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/08/19/the-red-and-the-white): he says "when I'm trying to select a bottle of wine in a liquor store I'm strongly influenced by the picture on the label. (I like a nice mountain, preferably in the middle distance.)"
The article also mentions an apocryphal test (apocryphal because it's so hard to find a wine professional who will admit to having taken it) where whine is poured into black glasses and the taster is challenged to identify whether it's red or white. Apparently the failure rate hovered around 50%.
15
@Bruce Thanks - I felt lonely until I read your comment. I, too, have only 2 categories, although mine are "delicious" and "nasty".
I do know, seriously, that I have almost no sense of smell, which is usually a blessing.
Sometimes I wish I could taste the difference between a $30 pinot and a $200 cab, but the sad fact that I cannot has paid for my last 3 automobiles.
6
It is indeed hard to find published evidence of the UC Davis study mentioned in the article, and it may be an urban legend. What is published is a study which Brochet co-authored. It is frequently misquoted. The study showed that when when colored with a red dye (unbeknownst to the evaluators), a white wine is described in ways similar to a red wine — in other words, vision influences olfaction. The subjects in the study were 54 undergraduate students in enology at the University of Bordeaux. See Morrot, Brochet, and Dubourdieu 2001 “The color of odors”, readily available on line. There is often reference in the popular press to studies purportedly debunking expert wine tasters’ knowledge and use of wine vocabulary. A review of what the science shows and does NOT show (in refereed publications) would make for an interesting article. Eric?
3
Two thoughts:
1) You touch on an important aspect of the tasting experience—the sensory equipment we are born with. It’s the “nature” in the nature vs nurture of this argument. I’ve learned that those with more taste buds have greater acuity in taste differentiation. Some folks have less native tasting/smelling ability, just like some are less able to slam dunk a basketball. I have almost twice the tastebuds on the front of my tongue than my husband does, and I can taste and smell nuance much better than he can. He can run faster and farther than me however. He seems to be far less picky about his wine than I am.
2) Most of us who think of ourselves as discerning wine drinkers would probably love to drink small boutique producers. Trouble is that wine is a business, and smaller producers have a distinct disadvantage in the glutted marketplace. I am not surprised that many of the fine Willamette Valley Pinot winemakers have sold out to large wine conglomerates. I suppose they would rather make wine than market it and worry about fixed cost creep.
I bought 10 bottles of prisoner at Woodmans for 36$ each at the urging of my neighbor- without trying it as I believed the hype. I deeply regret spending that kind of money on that wine. Maybe I’ll try selling it to her..
3
@Pb
What was it about the wine that you did not like? And had you taken recommendations from your neighbor in the past? At a minimum, save them for parties - you know most folks will enjoy them.
Cheers!
1
The wine is very drinkable almost too drinkable. I would prefer some complexity, imperfection even-for example another $40 wine- Tensley Shiraz has so many layers. Every little 3 oz pour tastes different. The Prisoner is uniformly jammy and fruity. My complaint is with the price- the bang for the buck. At that price I expected something better. I spend too much money on wine a month anyway!
1
I really disliked Meiomi. Loved the bear on the label (as a California native) but hated the taste.
1
Cline zins never disappoint, and rarely set me back more than $10. Rosenblum reds also deliver a good bang for the buck - again, under $10.
2
Cline zin is our go to weekday wine. Uniformly good, affordable. Costco has the best prices and I drive out to all Chicago and north Chicago area Costcos(6 in all) to shop for affordable wines.
4
Apothic Red is so awful it stands up with the best of the Australian fighting wines. Being so heavy it should only be used for hand to hand combat.
7
@Steve Austin
Awful to you but wonderful to thousands of others. It's not 'bad' - you just don't like it . . .
Cheers,
5
Mr. Asimov has conflated two issues that are not linked necessarily I think, the "Supermarket Wine" and the "Mass produced proceeded/blended National Wine Brand".
While a "National Brand" is always a supermarket item the "Supermarket Mine" can be very wide-ranging, beginning with (brandless) mass produced but conventionally grown cheap products to properly crafted everyday wines of good quality up to some few prestigious "high end" varieties. In this regard a "Supermarket Wine" is no special product but non expensive wines from large cultivations not promising too much individuality but priceworthy. In many cases this will be completely sufficient when no big deal is required. Sometimes this products are better than their current image
But I´ve learned about "Apothic" and even "The Prisoner" that both are produced and marketed as an industrial design, as a repeatable "patterns of taste" not depending on anything individual. This is even the case with "Meiomi" because Pinot Noir mixed from very different hot areas and vintages even grown in different styles is always becoming some kind of undifferentiated sauce. Under these conditions Pinot Noir always will go on strike, then it cannot taste "Burgundy like" anymore. I know, a result of climate change, but it simply has these effects.
What really struck me then was the price of the "The Prisoner". It´s nothing but a mass product but where have all advantages of volume production and supermarket marketing gone?
4
As of Jan. 2, all three of these wines were available at my local CostCo for a few dollars less than suggested retail as listed by Mr. Asimov, in case readers want to try all three suggestions while saving a few bucks.
Vintages available today were The Prisoner (2017) and the other two (Apothic Red, Meiomi Pinot) both 2016.
I'm not a fan of Meiomi which is a regular "by the glass" pour on many restaurant wine lists, something I usually avoid sipping. To me, insipid.
I've had The Prisoner before and, while drinkable, I wasn't overly impressed at that price point. Apothic is a wine I'll now try as I've not had it before, but see it on shelves regularly.
While I do not buy much of my wine at CostCo, I will say that you can find some of their own Kirkland brand varietals that will surpass these three suggestions and do so at much more reasonable prices.
4
@ernie Malik -- agreed! I was very pleasantly surprised by how thoroughly I a few bottles of Kirkland branded wine that I tried.
@ernie MalikKirkland spirits are also surprisingly good.
People claim to prefer the Meiomi “because it tastes more like a Cabernet than it does a Pinot Noir.” In other words, they like it because it accomplishes two goals: tastes familiar and allows them to say they drink Pinot Noir. I only purchase it as a last resort among other gas station options. Otherwise, there are dozens of better, more characteristic, mass produced, similarly priced Pinot Noirs.
2
Thank you Eric for this timely article.
Wine is a food product. To your point, many wines (such as the three you have highlighted) that have mass appeal unfortunately fall into the big, juicy, alcoholic category that frankly have little to do with the true character of the varietal(s) on the label.
Much like food scientists in a laboratory, wine scientists now make wine to appeal to a large audience. I do not blame these people/producers, as what they are doing is not inherently wrong. However, when you ‘doctor’ wine by adding color, taking out water (hence making the wine more alcoholic) and other food science tricks, we get away from the essence of what wine is supposed to be. Think: your grandmother’s chocolate cookies vs. Chips Ahoy. They’re both chocolate chip cookies, but which one do you want to eat?
9
I have a glass or two of wine each evening before and during dinner. As I have no one to share it with, I avoid opening one of the many excellent wines I have stored so essentially any drinkable wine will do. My "go to" wine has become "Vella" Cabernet. It is an absolutely decent cab that comes in a 5 L box and can be bought in CA for less than $13 = 0.38/glass. I frequently crush a couple of grapes in the glass and fill it with the wine for added flavor. Experiment!
1
For heaven's sakes, drink what you like.
But, as the wine experts say, there's a bonus in understanding what the elements are of what you like. Just like in art. That knowledge enhances your experience.
As your taste becomes more refined over the years, you may want to 'up' your wine selections. I drove a beat up Ford Falcon as a kid. Would I drive the same car 50 years later? Not if I could help it. A better car, better home, better food -- isn't that what we strive for as we grow older?
We can all do with a little more education and and we can all do with being willing to learn something new from somebody who actually knows what they're talking about. Even if our preferred tipple is Two-Buck Chuck.
5
@Terry
But hears a thing to consider - no matter how one's palate becomes 'refined', they may still prefer to have these wines . . . and that's okay. It's as your first sentence says - drink what you like (and DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS) . . .
Cheers
1
I would like to suggest three wines that can be found in the supermarket that are excellent European wines that are produced on a large scale for everyday consumption. They are priced between $15 and $22.
1) From Spain: Petalos (made primarily from Mencia), 2) From Italy: Villa Antinori Toscana Red Wine (primarily Sangiovese) and 3) Guigal Cotes du Rhone (Grenache and Syrah).
I think these wines would provide an excellent contrast to the wines you have suggested. Everyone who is exploring the world of wine should start with what they actually like best, however they should also try wines that are different --wines that they can sample at wine tastings.
14
@A. Gallaher
You nailed this 3 wine list...100% agree and they are incredible examples of wines that U.S. mass producers could benefit from tasting.
3
@Paul L.
But hear's the point - mass producers in this country most likely have tried these . . .but these wines will not have mass appeal that the other ones do. They may appeal to you, but that's not the point here . . .
1
I can find many quality small production wines at the supermarket for under $15 and a few for about $10. Even $18 is a splurge. None of the wines featured in the article is very good.
5
The Meiomi is a really decent bottle of pinot. Served blind, it holds its own against some more expensive bottles. In the mass-market category, for under $30, I prefer A to Z a bit, and Ponzi Tavola a lot. This bottle could be like a gateway drug to even better pinot.
When I first tasted The Prisoner a few years ago, I could see it's appeal: a big, jammy, powerful red. I wasn't much a fan, myself. The bottles I've had recently I like even less. It just seems they're trying to pack as much flavor into the bottle. This is a "red blend" just for the sake of using up a bunch of grapes. Not that it's a bad wine, it's just not something I like.
I got a bottle of the Apothic as a gift, and look forward to trying it.
I have had The Prisoner and it's sister wine Salado.
Both enjoyable. I would recommend both.
Had Apothic Red. I find their are much better table wines to be had for a reasonable price.
1
I stopped buying Apothic Red because there is some "note" or "taste" that seems artificial or added. I can't describe it more clearly than that. But I don't taste it in most other supermarket wines and I really dislike it.
4
Thank you for the suggestions, but Apothic Red is one of the worst wines I've ever tasted.
9
I could not agree with you more. Several bottles of Apothic Red was brought to us as a gift, and it was dreadful. Hard to trust the other suggestions if they are in the company of Apothic Red.
3
@Karen
Agreed…stop making this wine please or improve the quality. Label is cool though but that’s where it stops.
Love the prisoner when others are paying for it. Not buying $40 bottles on my own dime. Good times.
My wife and I spent a year 1989-1990 drinking supermarket wine while living in a suburb of Paris (Joinville-le-Pont). We had no choice: We arrived in August but the University of Paris didn't get me onto the payroll till January, so we were living for months on our savings. There was a tiny market on the main street (Epicerie Ed, now Dia) that sold an entirely adequate bottle of Cahors, a malbec blend, for ten francs, and a quite delicious Cote de Rhone (grenache/syrah) for fifteen (the franc was seven to the dollar). It was a revelation that supermarket wine can be wonderful--though it all depends on the supermarket.
3
Number one this isn't even an article, it's just "hey here are three popular wines and, um . . ." Well, what? Most people buy "supermarket wines" or what most of just call "wine" because they can't justify spending good money on a nightly bottle. $20 a bottle is frankly kind of ridiculous for an everyday wine and would be about half our entire food budget. Sure, we buy a nice bottle for special occasions or a night out. But seldom more than $30 or $40. I recently toured a number of wineries in Sonoma, where most bottles start at $40, and found most of it no better than my supermarket faves. Realizing we are talking about 750ml of aged grape juice here. I mean if you can't figure out how to put some very nice aged grape juice in a bottle for less than $15 then you're just not trying. I have some favorite wines that are all less than $15. My absolute favorite wine of the year at any price was a white Rias Baixas at $18. True, most sub-$15 wines are pretty forgettable, but the shear volume of different bottles still allows for a lot of winners. Really it's better - and far more entertaining - to just go out and buy some bottles and see for yourself rather than read critics on the moon who deign to dip their toe down the real world once a decade. Wine snobbery knows many guises.
9
@E
It really comes down to the cost of the grapes and the winemaking. AVA’s where 20 tons/acre is the norm can produce decent inexpensive wine. In my vineyard, I’m dancing in the rows if I get 3 tons. Mechanization of farming greatly decreases costs.
If you make 1000 gallons of wine with a lot of hand processes (racking, real barrels, etc), it is going to be much more costly than making 3 million gallons in a tank farm that resembles a petrochemical factory. All that said, there are some outstanding values in the marketplace as producers master commercial winemaking at scale.
If we want to talk about budget, readily available and decent wines there are a plethora out there. Joel Gott, Angeline, Cline, not to mention Costco blended wines which are pretty good. Personally I find Apothic too sweet and cloying.
4
@Gothamite Hard agree on all points. I think Apothic tastes about the same as Layer Cake red (yuck).
3
These are the most authentic wines I’ve seen in the NYT’s wine school column. They are the apotheosis of American capitalism in the 21st century. Expertly crafted and marketed to appeal to the aging coca-cola generation and positioned and leveraged to try (these are missing the mark for a younger demographic) to appeal to younger drinkers, I celebrate the glorious greatness of these wines. If only the “real/Natural” wines would come clean with their place in the socio-political context, we could actually begin to have a real discussion about wine.
4
I agree with Mr Asimov that it is good to try a variety of wines if anything simply to understand the market. I have tried these wines, and I did not care for them, but I know many who drink the AR and the Meiomi. When it comes to finding delicious and interesting wines,I have found that my best bet is to walk into one of my local wine stores and ask for advice. I tell him/her my price point, what I am doing with the wine (Pairing it with pork? Dinner party? Drinking it fireside? Serving it to my uncouth mother-in-law?), and I walk away satisfied 95% of the time. I have purchased some delightful bottles for less than $12 from unknown producers who are soon discovered and the bottles fly from the shelves, so I am forced to discover another bargain. Wine is supposed to be an adventure -- an ongoing education. I would not want to drink the same thing every day any more than I want to eat the same thing everyday.
7
@Laura H W One assumes your uncouth MIL either does not read the Times, or if she does, will not be able to identify you by your screen name. But do tell what you would deign to serve her, Walmart's boxed Oak Leaf "Cabernet"?
2
I own a small vineyard in Washington State and cannot produce a bottle of wine for under $10 due to the labor costs of farming and wine making plus packaging costs (glass, cork, label). Despite higher price than supermarket wines, my customers find value buying from me because they are drinking a wine made locally. We are all familiar with the advantages of eating food grown locally, why not the same argument for drinking locally? It is a shame that the reader in New Jersey could not find any Finger Lake wines to buy. Help support your local economy, local agriculture and ask for local wine at your wine retailer and restaurant, this will help get them on the shelves.
34
@Judy A friend with experience at a winery surprised me by telling me how much the empty bottle can cost.
I am an avid consumer of budget reds. Apothic is definitely a go-to. Let me also recommend the amazing 19 Crimes series of Australian reds. Most are under $20 a bottle. I am particularly fond of the Uprising blend which tastes like a much more expensive wine.
5
The best wine I ever tasted was the one I bought again. The wine industry is based on creating new consumers. No one should deride another wine drinker for drinking what the like to drink. "simplex beatitudo in deliciis" Dionysus
4
I wonder if some of the readers of this column aren't engaging in reverse snobbery. Mr. Asimov usually writes about (and obviously prefers) wines that haven't been tailored for mass consumption, and in my opinion we shouldn't fault him for it; those who are truly interested in wine and wish to learn more about it shouldn't confine themselves to blends and varietals that have been carefully doctored to please (or at least not offend) the greatest number of people. So to excoriate him for trying something different -- for writing about and inviting comment on some of these mass-produced wines -- strikes me as unfair. And if that sounds like snobbery on my part, it isn't meant to be; I merely want to acknowledge that there are people in this world who know more than I do about any subject I (or they) can name, and Mr. Asimov is one of them. That being said, I'd like to know what he thinks of Apotheosis Red, the only one of these three wines that I've tried so far. All I can say is that I found it far too fruity and barely drinkable, and if I'd had anything better (to my taste, that is) in the house, I would have poured it down the drain as several others did. But I can't help but think that I was missing something about this wine that I should have been able to appreciate.
3
Sadly, you missed nothing. I'm in the business and sold ir briefly, to appeal to the few who asked for it. i gradually weaned them off and moved them to small growers who produced better wine at the same (or lower) price.
4
In my area of PA, buying wine in super markets means having fewer options and paying higher prices, mimicking the bad old state store system.
I have found a more interesting and affordable selection in the "chairman's " recommended offerings in the front of the stores. There is usually some information about the wine, and, these days, one or two of the employees who are knowledgeable.
For maybe one dollar more than Apothic (which I used to sweeten marinara sauce after the first glass) try Ancient Vines Dark Red blend.
2
@Allen Good call on the Ancient Vines, I second it.
Drinking Apothic Red is like drinking syrup. Meiomi is ok, but at around $18 is actually overpriced. The Prisoner was only ok but why pay $42 for a mediocre wine? There are plenty of other good everyday wines (which I'm assuming is the idea here) than these three. How about selecting more interesting wines that are a good value and easily attainable?
10
I should add that my local Wshington DC Harris Teeter this very morning, I spotted a 2x3x2 (12 cases!) pallet of Apothic Red being trundled out for the shoppers. Don't ever think that the NYTs wine column is without influence!
1
Apotheosis Red is great. They have a beat website too.
This is lese majeste. Eric stoops to connect with da masses.
Seems like he got a lecture on connecting with 80% of NYT readers who spend non-rent dollars on perfectly drinkable $10 red like Montepulcianos, Carmeneres, and Carignans from Spain.
Come on Eric, those of us who do not live in One57 would welcome your recommendation on every day drinkables that we get pleasure out of having discovered. Not the 'well, if you must', let them drink 'supermarket wines' which is a bit La Nuit a Varennes if you catch the drift.
Make Wine Columns Great Again!
10
I'm sorry. I can't get past the name and label on "The Prisoner." Not for me.
6
Wish it weren't so, but name and label affects my enjoyment of a wine, too, and my reaction to the Prisoner is similar to Marybeth's.
FWIW, it's not just a mass-market, corporate thing. The small-producer, organic, Corsican "Sempre Cuntentu" gives me some trouble, too.
3
There are plenty of supermarket wines under $20 that are far more complex and interesting than these. We buy a French small, single-chateau bordeaux that’s under $20 and tastes like a “$100” bordeaux. Why did Mr Asimov pick these particular (corporate?) wines out of the 100s he could’ve given us interesting info on/introduced us too. What a waste of a column. He is first a journalist so I hope he isn’t pandering to the corporations for some, let’s say, less than objective reasons.
3
Well why don’t you tell us what they are then? We’d like to hear!
5
Asimov has the palate of lead.
I have never in all the years he has taken over the wine critic position in the Times seen ONE original or good recommendation.
“Prisoner” is ink. It is the least elegant wine at this price level. Don’t even try cellaring it. It will not loose its tannic taste in a million years.
The other two are really bad. You can do much better throwing darts in your favorite wine store bargain section and do better than that.
His dad was a genius, he cannot even do as well as a mediocre critic from Wine Spectator. Time to get someone new here.
7
I think some of you are missing the point. Having read the column for a while, I’m pretty sure Mr. Asimov doesn’t particularly like these wines, but thinks it would be interesting to discuss what they have in common, what they are aiming for, and how they differ from wines that are more individualistic. I’m also pretty sure that he will suggest some other, more interesting choices in the same price range.
4
Easy there, Lead.
Can’t you see that Asimov is trying to show his readers that such wines are mass produced juice meant to engineer wine in ways that it should not be produced?
1
De gustibus non est disputandum. However, there is education.
3
What a useless article. While not a personal fan of any of these wines, it would be helpful to know WHY they are being recommended. Give us some characteristics, or something other than the owners of the brands.
10
I'm sorry, anyone with a shred of wine knowledge and half a credible palate would not waste their money on these on these one dimensional, formulaic wines......
Many more options out there. These brands must have paid for this article.
6
Velvet Devil...no need to think any further.
1
Apparently this topic has struck a nerve because enjoy these wines or not (I do not), the number of comments far exceeds the normal level for this column.
5
Why????
You did not give me a reason to try these wines. Is it just because my neighbors might be drinking them. Sorry, that's not enough reason.
2
Apothic Red is that rare bottle of wine in our house that was never finished and its remaining contents poured down the drain.
12
I have yet to find an inexpensive wine better than La Vieille Ferme Vin Rouge.
5
@DougTheDrummer - I love their labels - so charming. I once bought a 1.5 liter bottle so I could soak off the label, frame it, and hang in on the wall of my rustic kitchen.
Prisoner - pleasant but waaaaay overpriced. The others - swill.
3
It seems that Mr. Asimov can’t help but to continue to be a wine snob. $42 for a bottle of wine is outside reason for most of us. He tells us he concentrates on small producers. I think a much better “wine school”would be for the Times to get someone who appreciates a good bottle of wine at a good price and by that I mean something that costs less than $15. How about if Mr. Asimov’s employer put him on a budget. Let’s say for three months. He cannot write about anything that costs more than the allotted price. Let’s see what wines he comes up with. I have made it my mission in life to get the best wine for the least amount of money. I remember years ago I picked up a bottle of Conti Contini, a Tuscan red, at the liquor store near my home in the East Village. I brought a few bottles with us when we were invited to spend a long weekend at a friends house in Martha’s Vineyard. I told my host the wine was ridiculously inexpensive, poured him a glass and left him to his own devices. He came back asking for a refill and inquired if the bottle cost $20. I told him no. $17? No. $15? No. All right how about $10 a bottle? No. How about seven dollars a bottle? No. At this point he got upset and demanded to know the price. $3.49 a bottle I told him. When we returned from our weekend he promptly ordered two cases delivered to his home. He originally only wanted one case but they wouldn’t deliver because the price was below the limit for free delivery.
7
Rocco, check out Asimov's regular 20 Under $20 columns.
@Rocco Sisto Something like that happened to me years ago, and I ended up buying Di Majo Norante by the case .
Some great wine philosopher stated,
“Life is too short to drink cheap wine”.
Don’t worry, not a snob.
Would not pay more than ten bucks for a bottle of wine.
Thank God for Trader Joe’s except I would never buy $2.99 Chuck.
Thank God for WineSearcher.com too.
1
I like what I like. I don't care about the price point or the popularity.
I like Prisoner. I do not like Meiomi or Apothic Red.
2
Yellowtail can’t be beat for the price
1
Apothic , meh. Meiomi pretty good overall. Prisoner? Try Bogle Phantom at half the price.
5
@Cap’n Dan Mathews Agree Bogle Phantom is equal to the Prisoner at half the price. Also like a red blend called "Trouble Maker" at even less, finally for a really cheap bottle try 14 Hands "Hot to Trot".
We love wine, particularly red wine of all types, but don't consider ourselves sophisticated wine drinkers. We routinely drink many wines one can find in the supermarket. Like many others commenting, we were surprised to see Apothic listed here as a "try." No, no, no. And eww.
7
p.s. Out of respect for Mr. Asimov and keeping in mind my earlier comments, I just want to add that I imagine that the reason he is devoting a column to these wines has to do with a broadening of the dialogue and an educational experience for the drinker. Tasting wines that have been intentionally futzed with to produce a uniform and consistent product can provide an enhanced experience of how very special and unique the more individual, small production wines are by contrast. One may still prefer the mass produced ones even so. Just like conventional standards of beauty (with cosmetic help) can be preferred to more individual traits.
Still, to me, the wines showcased here belong in their own category and cannot be compared to the real deal. The only thing they have in common is that they are all called wine.
1
A much too well-kept secret in California wines: Husch Vineyards in the Anderson Valley.
My wife's favorite is their excellent Sauvignon Blanc, Renegade. I'm partial to the Old Vines Zinfandel myself.
They also have wonderful Cabs, Chardonnays and Pinots at excellent prices.
Only 6 wines are distributed nationally, but all 18 are available on their web site.
5
These wines are expensive plonk.
3
Apothic Red is the worst wine I've ever had the misfortune of tasting, in nearly 20 years of learning about wines. I'm all for trying inexpensive bottles. But dear god. Not that one. I ended up pouring it down the drain. It was disgusting.
14
I have had the Apothic Red...once...I’ve avoided it since. I myself have never purchased a wine over $20 ..a solid brand at a reasonable price and is fantastic is 14 Hands...Washington State...
5
The Meiomi is ok, I don't like the Apothic--something weird about it. I do agree with those who say Mr. Asimov would do a greater service by spreading the word about good, less well known wines. These three are so ubiquitous that we hardly need a wine connoisseur like him to review them for us.
1
What? No Oregon wines on the list? Travesty.
3
I have defined the perfect way to select a bottle of wine: You look at the price, "P". Then you look at the percentage of alcohol, "a", and then you divide "P" by "a" which gives you the cost of 1 percent of alcohol. Obviously, the best bottle is the one with the lowest P/a ratio.
I am French, so I should know.
13
What attracted me to Apostic was that it was not acidic. Period.
Whenever I find myself in need of a large dose of pretentiousness, I read the comments on any NYT article that mentions wines that (1) aren’t French, and (2) cost less than $50 per bottle. Wine often seems like just one more area for people to make themselves feel better by celebrating their superior knowledge, sensitivity, and taste compared to the common people.
One friend refuses to drink any wine that’s not pinot noir, thanks to taking an online wine appreciation course (?). We did once try to share a darn good bottle of Krug champagne, but after finishing his first glass, he ordered a glass of - you guessed it - pinot noir. An excellent champagne was, by his exalted standards, too bland and unsophisticated for his palate.
2
Time to start testing Canadian wines. Forget the French over priced reds and whites, unless you have some waiting in your cellar for the good old days:
We had with our New Year leg of lamb (5 hrs at 270 F) a chateau Berliquet grand cru 1997. Happy I was able to keep it that long and savour the splendid result.
1
I see many people here confusing enjoying a wine with the fascinating taste journey a well-crafted wine offers. Sugary and very fruity wines can be fun to drink. Nothing wrong with a bottle of Mexican Coke (real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup).
But well made wines tend to use grapes from older vines that produce fruit that are more complex. The fruit carries tastes of the climate and the region they're grown in.
There's a time and place for a McDonald's hamburger. But a chef who is a culinary artist can create magic in your mouth, with flavor and texture combinations that are both wonderful and fascinating. You'll pay for that experience. But it's snobby to pooh-pooh the latter. And vice-versa (and yes, there are simply awful, tasteless cheap burgers - Wahlburgers comes to mind, and there are some killer $18 burgers that make you realize that some beef does taste better than others).
So we shouldn't confuse one experience with the other. Anyone who does so is merely ignorant.
7
I wish Mr. Asimov would do all of his tastings blind and with one bottle of mass-market wine in the mix. Flowery columns about wines from Chateau Unobtainable and St. Expensive are lovely to read, but the mark of a helpful wine critic is the ability to direct us to interesting wines that are objectively better--and better value--than Gallo. In my household at least, we drink the wine, not the label.
6
I have drunk vintage Premier Cru Bordeaux and Burgundy. I have tried 90+ rated wine and some is terrible to my taste. I have found great selection and price at Trader Joe's.
3
Memomi Chardonnay is delicious Almost as good as fancy Russian River wines from Sonoma Cutrer etc at a fraction of the price
Roald is right. I also add water. It tastes better. And his comment about American wine snobbery is something Mr. Asimov should address more often. Or at all.
For a great super market wine under 20, look for cab, merlot or red blend by Chateau St. Michelle. BevMo out west has them for 11 bucks right now. If I spend 42 bucks on wine, I am walking out with three bottles, at least.
2
Well my favorite is at Trader Joe's.... Lindeman Gentleman's Collection Cabernet Sauvignon. Served it to a friend who was visiting from Europe... almost had to put it in a brown bag for him to take home.
1
Meiomi is a pinot for people who would rather be drinking Coke.
Haven't tried the others.
4
Ran into Apothic red at Target so I gave it a try. Alone, with cheese, with pork at dinner. It ruined everything. Poured it down the drain. Maybe it's just me. My wife found it"ok". There are way better options even at this price point.
3
Really surprised to see the Apothic red here. It is a nasty sickly sweet swill and one of the worst wines that I ever tasted (that wasn't corked). There are much better options, especially if you look at wines in the same price range from Europe!
6
I love the Prisoner but since Dave Phinney is now over his non compete with Constellation try his new one "8 Years In The Desert"
1
Meiomi is a great “budget” Pinot Noir.
2
Good luck finding The Prisoner on this coast for $42
1
It’s unfortunate that this was limited to just a handful of mass market wines because many are quite good despite what the wine snobs say (not at all unlike the craft beer bros when discussing mass market beer).
Here’s a clue to wine snobs on how most people decide on what to drink - does it taste good? That’s really it. Frankly I don’t care if your $100 bottle tastes better (it should even though it often doesn’t) because I’m not going to buy it.
I have tried them and they are terrible. All are high in residual sugar and Meiomi is not traditional Pinot Noir. Eric where are your tasting notes on these that we are suppose to try?
2015 Prisoner Wine Company The Prisoner - USA, California, Napa Valley (10/11/2018)
I HATE THESE WINES! Hot, hot and hot. Is this an 80s song. Some ripe fruit and no acidity. These are not balanced. (80 points)
2017 Prisoner Wine Company The Prisoner - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/9/2018)
The nose on this is decent but the palate awful. When sampled this after tasting 8 well made Syrah/Shiraz wines. Even the host who loves Prisoner found out it is not good in comparison to what we just drank. Palate riper fruit, spice and astringent. Short/Medium finish. Again pass on this over priced mess. (81 points)
3
It's shameful that the sugar added to the Apothic Red is not specifically mentioned in the article, only hinted at in the most oblique manner. 16 g per liter, 12 g per 750 ml bottle. 12 g sugar = 3 teaspoons. This is not a "normal" table wine but a niche product meant for the inexperienced wine drinker. Such important information should be shared before the unsuspecting go out to make their selection.
15
I was thinking of giving my wines to family and friends as gifts. Then I thought, why would it be cool to give poison as gift?
I believe life is not worth dying for.
So, instead I got them concentrates, some sativa, some indica. Then the bottles, especially when full of alcohol made jolly delightful sounds hitting rocks. It must be the hydrodynamics of alcohol that hit such pleasant notes.
3
A good wine is the one that suits your individual taste.
3
My sweet brother in law who had a sophisticated wine palate began buying Apothic Red when he became ill. I detested it but drank it to keep him company. Today, I avoid it at all costs.
1
Wow, I can't believe a wine critic actually wrote something like this. I finally bought "The Prisoner" last week after having seen it around for years. The label is catchy, but it never really provoked me into shelling out the $40 or so Costco wanted. I finally couldn't resist any longer because I kept seeing it about, save in my usual wine store where it was pointedly absent from the shelves.
What a disappointment! First of all, 15.5% ETOH is getting into the stupid range, where bigger is always better, at least in Napa. (And remember, the law allows a percentage of inaccuracy, so it could easily come in above 16%) That might be OK in some Gunga Galunga cab, but this is just not that good of a Napa cab, and I'm far from a wine snob.
The important thing is, as the French say, relation qualité-prix--and this is a major fail. I can think of countless wines for half the price I'd much rather drink, so it won't end up in my Costco chariot ever again. I'm not sure I'd buy it at $15. It tasted very artificial and fake, without much heft or balance.
Just having the word Napa on the label provides a 40% price bump, which is driving a lot of people to better values in Sonoma or Paso Robles--including myself. Wow, for $40 I can buy a 2015 Chateauneuf that will make you cry it's so good. I can buy two 2014 Cotes du Rhone wines from E. Guigal, content and happy.
For $40 or so, you can find some GREAT wines, even in a large supermarket. This is not one of them.
6
There is a web wine store that has a selection from around the world. It's not legal to ship wine to all states so check local laws. Use the google.I've bought reds from Argentina and Portugal. Whites from California and France.
The sweetness of Apothic makes it a decent if inelegant and unsubtle accompaniment for spicy foods, that is if a red rather than white wine is preferred. It's a crowd pleaser, i.e. not for sophisticates. (That is not meant as a snob comment or value judgment, but as a simple statement of fact.)
...or why the artisanal beer/ale trade has taken off so successfully in recent years.
3
Rather than Apothic Red, try Apothic Dark. Not nearly as sweet.
A 42 dollar a bottle wine is a crowd pleaser? Lucky U.S.A.
4
My go to red...BV Cabernet. Have been drinking it for 20+ years
Beat that at under $10 a bottle.
1
@Chefgordiemac
Bogle?
1
Since 1982, I've visited either Napa, Sonoma, Dry Creek Valley, or the Russian River on an almost annual basis. Since about 2007, I've noticed a decline in general quality of the wine, perhaps brought upon by the sale of smaller vintners to huge corporations. It's a loss.
I've purchased a few bottles of Meomi over the past 4 yrs as it has grown in popularity - lots of fruit, medium body, but not complex, a bit sweet. Newbies like it. The Prisoner, when it was a Phinney wine was very good as long as you drank it on the same day it was opened.
As I grow with age, I am more into drinking less and finding wine with more complexity. A difficult task unless you don't mind spending $$$.
I live in California wine country, where there is a near-infinite variety available, at all price points. I make a comfortable income. I would consider a $42 bottle to be an extravagance. For festive occasions I buy a next-county-over sparkling white, made by a well-known French house, for about $25, and it’s excellent.
4
I'm always on the hunt for a cheap but delicious bottle and thus can report that these are close to undrinkable. Surely we would have been better served by a report based on a blind taste test of supermarket wines (Cabs, Merlots, etc) from a panel of somms and a panel of neophytes? A column calling attention to random selections of poor wines at varied (not cheap) prices is frankly a waste of your talent.
9
Costco is my wine store and they are the largest wine retailers in the world. The mention of Robert Mondavi is not a new one for me. He is best known for his table wines. The Mondavi family started the wine business across the road at an excellent winery, Charles Krug. Peter Krug wasangy at how his younger brother had sullied the family name changed the pronunciation of their last name.
I was Sales and Marketing for Sterling Vineyards in the early 70's and had huge accounts as Commander's Palace. When in town for our large medical meetings, we always eat their and the bill for 3 is over $500. Sadly Sterling is no longer a great wine - it was sold to a French water company and later to a huge Australian wine company and now produces only so so wine. Their Sauvignon Blanc was a wonderful wine and now is not very good.
4
If you haven't tried the wines of the Bogle family (on the Sacramento River), please do so. They are widely available throughout the states and in the same price range as Apothic. I was fortunate to grow up in the California and be part of the great wine explosion (in quality) following Robert Mondavi's innovations and the influence of winemakers who studied at UC Davis. Bogle's are the most consistent winemakers in their price range - period. The fruit for their basic varietals is from outstanding appellations -particularly their petite sirah, chenin blanc, and zins. After years of drinking Cakebread, Clos Pegase, Araujo and other premiums, I can say that their reserve wines (available only at the winery, so stop by in the Sacramento River delta) are the best wines in California at their price points (the most expensive is $25!). I may be a little biased as I grew up a couple miles from Bogle - but I cut my teeth in Bordeaux and the Alsace.
12
@JDStebley I completely agree! Bogle cab or essential red blend are my go to. Affordable and delicious.
1
I absolutely agree, and Bogle is generally on the shelves almost anywhere I’ve traveled in the US.
2
Crane Lake, at $4.50 a bottle. Alcohol content around 10% instead of the usual 12-13%. Very good everyday table wine
(There is better wine surely, but who wants to spend twenty dollars or more just to have a glass of wine with your diner.)
6
After reading another's comments I tried Apothic "Dark: for $8.99. It is indeed smooth but it has a very bland taste. I keep returning to Barefoot Merlot for $5.00 for a small bottle which doesn't have much cachet but appeals to my unsophisticated palate.
3
My tasting notes on Meiomi go back to 2012, when I tasted the 2009 vintage. I had been a pinot noir drinker since the 1960s, when I first tasted Chambertin, but had long given up on Burgundy after the prices had skyrocketed. (The egregiously inconsistent quality of the tiny parcels meant that buying any bottle was a crapshoot even when one was willing to pay the price.) So I was looking for a decent California pinot noir to drink weekdays and thought I had found it in Joe Wagner's entry-level Meiomi. The 2009 ($16) was promising, the 2010 and 2011 vintages were even better; all of them were lightbodied, fruit-forward, with baking spices in the bouquet. Starting with the 2012 vintage something went amiss: in that very ripe year the wine had become an exaggeration to the point of parody of what had been good about it: it was too hot, too fruity, too chewy; some bottles had volatile acidity as well. I poured most of a case down the sink. A friend brought a bottle of the 2014 to a dinner party and I opened it; it was sickly stuff, unrecognizable as pinot noir. Wagner may have sold Meiomi to Constellation but he had destroyed it as decent wine before selling it.
I think what I once liked about the 2009-2011 Meiomi was peculiar to the sourcing of the juice, in central coast areas like the Santa Lucia Highlands, and I'm getting some of the same pleasure from pinot noirs from single vineyards in that region. (And these days I'm drinking entry-level Oregon pinots on weekdays.)
3
Inexpensive, good tasting, high quality wines can be found at most good wine shops. Why buy rot gut when you can get much, much better with the advice and counsel of your local wine shop owner.
12
At the risk -- no, the intention -- of making the good the enemy of the great, I've never gone wrong at Costco with any wine rated 90 points or better with a price of $10 or less.
28
Supermarket wines in New Hampshire are inferior stock. No reason to buy them when wines at New Hampshire Liquor are excellent and staff there very knowledgeable and prices generally better than supermarket for same wines. Buyer beware of supermarket wine in this state.
I, too wondered with Gene how a $42 bottle of wine can be considered "supermarket," which implies cheap.
MacMurray Estates, owned by the daughter of actor Fred MacMurry, in the Russian Valley, produces a very lovely Pinot Noir which the New Hampshire Liquore Store carries. On sale about $20 a bottle and worth it for ambrosia; my favorite, although I've learned to avoid other wines carrying the names of movie producers, etc.
3
The Apothic Red is a sickly sweet red that doesn't pair well with anything & whose appeal is that its cheap. Meiomi is quite good with balance and a consistent flavor profile (that they don't own their own vineyards leaves them some sourcing flexibility). The Prisoner is good as well but pricey, I can find equivalent Kirkland label wines at Costco for 1/2 + the price. The only thing they have in common is being blended reds of which there are many available now. Remember its just "my" opinion :).
7
I try to avoid factory wine at all costs...er price points.
2
Wow! Reading so many of these comments reminds me that there are as many differences in people as in wines. I love wines, particularly paired with good food, and have a fairly sophisticated palate by now. I agree with the chap who pointed out that a $42 bottle should hardly be considered a “supermarket” wine! If I were going to spend that kind of money on wine I’d go to a good wine store and deal with someone who knows what they’re talking about. Wine, like art, is somewhat subjective.
I tried Apothic Red initially as a “value wine” novelty and it wore off very quickly. What wasn’t pointed out in the article was that Apothic has 3 different iterations....Apothic Red, Apothic Dark and Apothic Crush, in addition to the white. But wine novices love it
A good case in point concerning quality wines at a bargain price for those who, like me, stay mostly in the $10 to $20 price point might be something like H3 Cabernet and Merlot, made by Columbia Crest, which is definitely a supermarket wine although their cab under that CC label has been rated at 90 points. One usually has to go well beyond the $20 level to get a cab that has any real cab character. But the H3 has all the cab character that anyone but a flush wine snob would want for about $11.97 at Costco or maybe $15 at a supermarket. Finding good wines at affordable prices is a constant and fun search! Good luck to all!
8
Several years ago I had the pleasure of attending a behind-the-scenes tour given by an Oregon winemaker, Tom Feller. One of the things he did was use a "wine thief" tool to let us sample from different barrels at different stages. After one barrel that everyone said "good," "delicious," etc., I prepared to laughed at when I said it tasted and smelled like a burnt rubber tire to me. To my surprise and satisfaction, Tom said I was right, there was a problem developing in that barrel.
Yes, I was and still am quite pleased with myself, but I'm no super-taster or wine snob. I mostly drink inexpensive stuff from Trader Joe's. The moral to my story is, trust your own tastebuds and drink what you like.
One other thing, Tom Feller owns Artisinal Wine Cellars in Newberg, Oregon, has a website and ships. You can buy what I think is excellent pinot noir for a price that is only a little more than the Meiomi written about in the article, and less than The Prisoner (not a pinot). I buy wine from Artisinal to this day, but have no relationship other than that, and get nothing from this plug except the satisfaction of recommending wine that I like.
7
@Outdoor Greg
What are some wines you like from Trader Joe’s?
Thank you for this article Mr. Asimov I truly didn’t know I was at times buying overly treated corporate wine products. I’m going to be more adventurous and better informed in 2019. Cheers!
6
Always looking for new wines, but sadly only The Prisoner appears to not use animal products in the production of its wine. Sad that some companies still use gelatin and similar products.
7
Thetreekisser.com has a great list of vegan wines.
2
Once again, ignoring the label that sells the most wine in this country - Kirkland.
7
Meiomi - Ubiquitously placed in virtually every hotel in which I stay while traveling. Every time I see the label in an Omni or Marriott bar I have to wonder how many bottles of this must they sell?
5
@math365
And the answer is? 1.1 Million cases in 2017 according to https://www.google.com/search?q=meiomi+sales+per+year&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS821US821&oq=meiomi+sales+per+year+&aqs=chrome..69i57.11125j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
All these wine have a common theme. Sweet, jammy. They are good starter wines however after a while when your palate becomes more discerning and you look for more interesting wines.
8
@ Don Cayman Islands
I never go for supermarket wines.
And the headline about the critic's wish for us to try them is, I sincerely hope, not to be interpreted as a conflict of interest, based on stock ownership in supermarkets.
3
We buy a bottle of Apothic Red now and then, but I can't say I prefer it to any of the Bota Box reds that are half the cost and just as good, if you are not put off by the whole idea of boxed wine. Our favorite inexpensive bottles are from Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi, CA, whose labels include Three Girls (cabernet, pinot & others @ around $10), OZV zinfandel ($15 or so) and Moss Roxx ($25-ish cabernet & zin).
6
In my neck the woods,North Jersey ,Finger Lakes wines are not widely available but I am fortunate my son lives in Albany,NY and when I visit or he comes down i stock up on some of their better stuff like Revine ,Forge ,Lamoreaux
Bloomer Creek,Hearts and Hands Pinot Noir being the most expensive @ $23.We all know,unlike me, wine doesn't like to travel so almost local is best.
4
@Marcus, actually wine does travel well if it's packed appropriately...we are a small winery in California and about 1/3 of our wine club is out of state...we have had very few problems shipping our wines for the past 20 years.
8
I drink Apothic Red now and again and it is a good wine for the price. Another wine that is very inexpensive and has a similar smooth and full-bodied taste is Pepperwood Grove Cabernet. It's $7.99 a bottle at my local liquor store.
1
Several commenters have dismissed the reviewed wines with the criticism that they taste like grape juice. Rather amusing since that’s exactly what wine is: fermented grape juice.
Happy New Year!
17
"Particular characteristic"?
I will hazard my guess as to this "particular" thing in the form of a word substitution hint: Physician Jalapeno.
4
We have a fantastic small, local wine store run by an owner passionate about wine and spirits, and not always swayed by the obvious recommendations of the wholesalers. As a result, he has a large and specially curated selection in the $10-$20 range that exceeds the quality of the supermarket wines. Many of his labels are somewhat off the beaten path. You should look for a store like this in your community.
We learned of Apothic Red several years ago and found it to be a good value. However, succeeding bottles were inconsistent and it became too sweet for us.
8
The Meiomi was not at all to our liking - we do like a good Pinot Noir - but this one isn’t. Ended up throwing it down the drain.
7
I have had all three wines. When I first started drinking wine more often, I tried Apothic. I thought it was fine. Over time either the wine or my taste changed. Now it is just too sweet and heavy. Meomi is fine. A good, middle of the road CA pinot. Dependable. The Prisoner is another good wine and pleasant to drink. It has a "big" flavor though, and more than I like in general. Too expensive.
5
I heartily agree. One delightful memory is of a dinner at Chez Panisse, during which our excellent server recommended Muga, a Spanish rose. Turned out we could buy it at the local supermarket for $8, which we speedily did. I love it when restaurants offer excellent, inexpensive wines.
9
@Roger Mastrude Muga makes a few Tempranillos that are excellent for the price - I enjoy the Muga Reserve
2
Here in Ontario, the government run liquor monopoly does often provided curated choices, and more information. The Apothic Red is available (approx US$10.50), and comes labelled right on the liquor store shelf as having 17 grams/liter of sugar, high for a dry wine but not high enough to get it out of the "dry" category and into the next up, "semi-sweet".
They park the (vast) shelf space given to the Apothic next to more modest space for products from Cupcake Vineyards. The basic Cupcake Red Velvet, at 14 g/l, is quite a bit dryer than the Apothic, and better to my taste. The Cupcake Black Forest is the same price when not on sale, but is dryer yet, at 12 g/l.
While not what you'd call classic dry wines, the Cupcake versions are drinkable and pleasant, and with the cake names marketed clearly. They're not what our outlets would call "XD", like an Amontillado sherry at 2 g/l, or a very dry Australian red at 3-4 g/l, but they are not awful.
It's useful to remember that it's not so very long ago in historic terms that wines were pretty universally sweet.
8
I tried Apothic once and that was enough. Haven't tried these other two, but there are many more like them. My recommendation, which you probably can't find in grocery stores, is Rosso di Ca' Momi Red. Have fun and blind test it with friends.
5
Same here... once was enough
I stopped drinking most wines because of the many hidden additives. I guess alcohol is not considered a food because they don’t have to list all the additional chemicals they add. Organic wines with no additional sulfites added are the only real wines. Anything else is kool aid...
15
@Johnny G
I’m a small grower/producer in the Howell Mountain appellation of the Napa Valley. Our winemaking is based on fastidious farming and fruit that sees multiple sorting passes while it’s hanging, one sorting at harvest, and a quick sort immediately before crushing. As you might imagine this is painfully expensive. Hygienic winemaking is also painfully expensive. Most grapes grown in regions where huge commercial operations farm develop little flavor and less complexity. The answer is chemical sterilants, weird flavor concentrates, weirder color concentrates derived from non-vinifera grapes (think Concord), “oak juice”, filtration, and “sweetspotting”.
Successful commercial brands use some (all?) of these slights of hand because it’s much cheaper and the resulting wines appeal to a broad audience.
Most ‘natural’ wines are very narrow in their appeal because they are sour (low pH), unstable/prone to spoilage, cloudy, yeasty, and have odd colors. Additionally, natural wines have high levels of biogenic amines which cause headaches/migraines.
Many small producers manipulate the wine very little, adding sulphites to ensure biological stability, selected yeast to improve quality by avoiding spoilage, off aromas, incomplete fermentation, and certain sensory characteristics/faults (think funky, slinky aromas or weird bitter flavors). Many, many, many commercial yeasts are simply old selections isolated from famous wineries where they were “wild”.
1
I own a cooking school that has a byob policy. A lot of the time my clients offer me a glass of wine. I have learned never accept a glass of Apothic red. I find that it tastes like cleaning product and you cannot get the taste out of your mouth. I have had the other two wines mentioned here and they are fine.
9
@Mark. I agree wholeheartedly! I find Aphothic Red to be sweet, overly alcoholic with a long finish that tastes like some nasty chemical.
1
An interesting array of comments. I sense a lot of anxiety about wine in many of these comments, armed with an obscure vocabulary, references to one's wine cellars and allusions to elite travel in pursuit of wine suitable to rarified palates.
I have never tried the Apothic Red and the comments here convince me to avoid it. The Meiomi Pinot Noir is very good for the price, I think, not overly sweet and with a nice aftertaste. I've tried several of the formerly Orin Swift wines and, while pleasant, seem priced beyond what the wines deliver.
We've settled into a number of reliable wines almost always under $30 and usually under $20. They meet our needs for a wine that goes well with our meal.
6
@Richard Birdsall
Recommendations? They’d be interesting since you’re aware of Apothic’s shortcomings.
Apothic is undrinkable unless one enjoys cough syrup with their meal.
Meiomi, again too sweet but better. But here in the VI the supermarkets charge $28 for that $18 bottle.
In general California market wines are produced to be sweet because Americans seem to prefer that style of beverage. My tongue prefers a drier Italian wine any day - simply more drinkable.
19
Theodore Bikel, when accused of worshiping wine, said that he "Thought that it was an understatement."
Let's not be ignorant of the fact that all wines made for sale undergo some processing from the get go and that all states do not sell wine in a supermarket. The thing here, though, for me, is whether the wine is real or not, and homogenized wine does not strike me as authentic. Wine is an adventure, the experience of which begs for variety. Hence, change, contrast and uniqueness paired with the right food is and always will be the challenge.
For those that buy wine that will always taste the same, I ask, why? I have literally purchased thousands of bottles of wine, and frankly, I have had only a few bummers, some not so great, many good, and some awesome, and that's the way it goes. Wine buying is a box of chocolates, not a bag of m and m's. If you can go to a tasting, that takes some of the guess work out of it, but even that takes away from the sense of adventure, and the next bottle of the same wine never seems to taste the same.
For the occasional buyer, I would suspect that these wines are a godsend. Taking the guess work out and limiting the risk seems like everything to them. For these people, there are supermarket wines. In return, however, you give up the right to call yourself a wine snob.
14
I bought a $6 red from Wegman's recently. It was a little weak in character but pleasantly consumable. Unless you're a connoisseur and make a hobby of wine tasting, might as well save your money these days. When the difference between good and great is $20-$40 / bottle I'll take good every time!
11
@Dan -- a very useful contrast: hobby connoisseurs employing a formidable vocabulary within which to cloak wine preferences to other wine drinkers who want something "pleasantly consumable." Just how I think of it as well.
A favorite local restaurant has a list full of Italian table wines in the pleasantly consumable category that work with their menu very well and allow me to keep the final bill at a reasonable level.
11
We drink Apothic Red. It's sweet and heavy but not too, and everyone likes it. Similar, to me, to Portuguese wines stocked in a neighborhood near us. But better. Now I'm curious and will have to look up what do critics say about it.
3
I live on Maui where the only way to get good wine is to fly in with it. This Christmas I opened several bottles for dinner - some brought in from the mainland and some brought by guests. Only one was barely touched: the Apothic. In this admittedly unscientific test of old world vs new world wines, the crowd definitely preferred the former.
11
My wife and I drink a lot of wine; after reading these comments I think I’d rather talk about rye whiskey. Anyone tried the Rogue Spirits rye?
As for wine, two words: “pairing rules”.
4
I have not, but, like all these wine blends, I get a bit worried (and suspicious) of the proliferation of new ryes. So few have the punch of a great rye of just 10 years ago. Even Rittenhouse and Wild Turkey 101 aren't what they were. So much is a single amalgamated product finished in some weird way and put into a designer bottle with a mediocre story. Hopefully with time, this will all even out.
3
@LD. I use subtle 80 proof ryes like Jim Beam Pre Prohibition and our local Oregon Bendistillery Crater Lake to make rye Manhattans for my wife. I use just a drop of plum bitters and classic Dolin sweet white vermouth. But then I found if I added a couple splashes of a premium stronger rye to the surface of the prepared drink, we enjoyed it more. I serve on the rocks and after she’s finished half, I freshen it with some more premium higher proof rye. Rogue Spirits has a strong unmistakeable rye flavor, and yet smooth to drink neat easily. Distilled by a sister company to Rogue Brewing in Seaside on the Oregon coast, I ran into it at a small coastal town fly fishing for salmon in September. Last night (NYE) I asked my wife if I should pop the champagne, or whether she’d rather have a shot of rye neat ... Rye won.
I understand there is distiller in Maryland now that distills a 100% rye mash whiskey, but prefers to blend into a “barely legal” 53% rye/corn blend. I think there’s something to be said for distilling a strong flavored rye, and using it to add punch to our drinks.
5
Haven't tried Rogue. I enjoy rye. It seems that price point is a big factor when buying whiskey anymore. There's a big difference in taste between $30 and $40 whiskey. I seem to prefer small batch varieties. I have a bottle of Whistle Pig 15 year Straight Rye that is kept out of sight of casual whiskey drinking friends. It is to dear. I'll share it with anyone who I think will truly appreciate it though.
2
We’ve been drinking Prisoner for about four or five years. it is definitely a wine we buy more on special occasions because of its price point and have historically really enjoyed the consistency and flavor. we’ve also begun purchasing “Abstract” for much the same reasons. the anonymity (not tied directly to a name and location) and price point seems to connote a different relationship between the buyer and purveyor. but at the end of the day, it’s the flavor that wins the day....and perhaps the alcohol content.
6
Here is a set of wines that are mass produced in a Californian safe entry level of complexity. Residual sugar is on the forefront of their profile. It doesn't mean they are not without good attributes but that they are well painted. Education, the understanding of wine complexity and its wide range of styles involves time. The suitable setting and respect for both parties involved are rare moments that contribute to the growth of the industry. Wine is an amazing journey, and like food is an evolutionary road that should be embarked upon and appreciated. I cannot image life without them. Cheers
8
My wife lives in Paris. An organic store, Bio as they call it in Europe, opened a block away. We tried the Bio red, 7 euros and it was delicious. Had a slight edge and after splitting a bottle, it was more enjoyable than the 20 euro and up we were drinking from the wine store. To each their own.
8
Small production wines can be good...or terrible. Ditto for large scale production wines. Costly wines can be good...or terrible. Cheaper wines can be good...or terrible even. What you look for is the quality of the grapes, where they came from, under what conditions they were harvested, etc. A good winemaker can’t make good wine out of grapes harvested too early etc.
Perhaps the large scale wines are generally less distinctive and more homogenous (i.e. without much character). But for every day purposes (i.e. table wine) those wines serve their purpose.
The trick is to find table wines that are drinkable (not overly sweet, no metallic after taste, no other obvious defects) and that don’t cost more than they are worth. A $16 price tag for a bottle of Meiomi is ok, not a bargain. $16.00 a glass would be a rip off.
Some premier wineries offer a second label - a wine that is good but doesn’t meet the standards for the premium label. The second label will be cheaper and a great table wine.
Large or small, find a winery that you trust for decent table wine at a decent price and stick with that...until the winery changes its formula.
And for a special occasion, spend more for distinctiveness, ability to age well, etc.
11
@Rita Totally agree. I do a lot of wine tours for the company I drive for and the variance in taste and choices is enormous. My wife and I spent some time in Portugal last year and found the blends there to be delicious...and inexpensive!
6
Bogle. There are many others, but that's where you should start. Try pouring it (any of their varietals) into empty bottles of any $40 or $50 wine you like and see what your guests have to say.
24
@Frank Knarf And located in a unique corner of California wine country to boot. Only time my car has had to take an honest-to-goodness river ferry to get to a winery!
7
@Frank Knarf
Agree on the Bogle Petite Sirah.
1
@Douglas couldn't agree more.
1
I really enjoy Apothic white. Simple, affordable, and tastes much better to me than most "supermarket wines."
2
From a self-confessed former wine-snob:
Disclaimer: In the past I used to drive to places like Chateauneuf-du-Pape near the Provence as well as the California valleys to collect my favorites and bring them home.
Today I still occasionally buy these "good" wines for special occasions, but more often than not nowadays I drink the "cheap stuff" - I appreciate the author taking the time to write this.
One of the wines in this article (Apothic Red) I've had and can recommend for a sweet, smooth good sugary "wine buzz" to accompany a meal. Nothing wrong with that.
The "good stuff" (e.g. a great Chateauneuf-du-Pape or a Rasteau/Cotes du Rhones) is a whole other experience, well beyond that of a simply sweet alcoholic beverage. It's like trying to compare apples & oranges.
Each has it's place, and each to her/his own. But they are totally different experiences.
Some of the wine snobs sarcastically trolling/weighing in here are wasting their and everyone else's time.
30
I have a confession. I live in Sonoma County. Capital (along with Napa) of wine snobbery. I buy the big boxes of red wine. 6 at a time (get the discount that way--- lasts me at least a week). In the summer, I put some ice in, maybe some fruit juice-- got me a wine spritzer. In the winter, microwave it a bit, maybe put in a spice or two if I'm feeling ambitious, got me some mulled wine. Yum!
18
@Philip Tymon
Go to Grocery Outlet. You can get all kinds of wine there for $2 to $, even Dry Creek wines. They do seem like they were not stored properly. I get the Trader Joe's boxes of wine and make spritzers in summer. I can't really do glasses of the box wines though.
Meomi pinot noir is great. I also like an inexpensive Liberty Creek. 19 Crimes is also very reliable. A good wine isn't based on price, it's whether or not YOU like it. I know the wine experts may take issue with that, but whose opinion matters most to you? Yours or theirs?
23
I note a number of folks suggesting that Costco is a fine place to get wine at affordable prices. I'm not a member, though I've visited with friends and know they have some spirits I enjoy at great prices. In doing a bit of research before joining, I discovered that at least in California, it is against the law to require a membership to purchase alcohol. This means one can go into Costco WITHOUT a membership card and buy wine, beer and spirits, at least in some states. Happy shopping folks!
11
@CAG the same applies to the Costco pharmacy which can also be helpful - no membership required. (at least in CA)
7
@Deb: Yes, anywhere in the US one can use the Costco pharmacy w/o membership. Pharmacies are under Federal guidelines, not private ones.
3
Gosh, it’s amazing to see comments from people who have such an axe to grind. Let’s stay focused on the goal here. What is the wine really like? What are the circumstances of enjoyment? How is the flavor profile compared to other options; at the same price point or at higher and lower options.
We maintain a nice cellar and have travelled extensively for wine. Let’s get to the basics. Apothic Red is an updated Boone’s Farm wine. Meant to be served for very causal events where food is incidental to the experience. Heavy and harsh. Meiomi is unknown to us. We’ve enjoyed the Prisoner a few times. We would agree with the comments that compare Prisoner to a Rombauer or other more independent labels. The Prisoner, while very drinkable, has some harsh notes and flaccidity that move it from one to be savored and stored to one that can be safely enjoyed with a meal, at a medium quality restaurant or other setting. With The Prisoner you can order it with a meal of beef or steak and not be disappointed or embarrassed.
We’ve had plenty of bad wine from independents. We’ve had plenty of great wine from the big producers. The big producers often maintain a stable of ‘independent’ style wineries that are more or less free to develop a style and profile that is unique to the location and year. These shouldn’t be overlooked as they can add a nice variety to your wine experience.
16
I was given a bottle of the Apostolic by a former colleague a few years ago. I had two sips and immediately poured it down the drain, I would not even use it for cooking wine. I have had delicious wines at the same price point so it's possible it was just a bad bottle.
13
@Maureen If the wine was named "Apostolic" it would at least have a connection to Jesus that evangelicals could appreciate.
p.s My wife Sharon has a good nose. She could not stand to taste Apothic.
I loved the original Prisoner and would often order it for business dinners. Everyone always loved it (none of us are wine snobs). The Constellation version isn't as good, seems overly sweet, and is definitely not worth $42+. I frequently drink Meomi Pinot Noir and it is a good value at $18. I haven't tried the Apothic.
3
Oklahoma finally allowed the sale of wine in grocery stores a couple of months ago. I literally danced up and down the aisle the first day sales were allowed.
25
Most wines sold in US supermarkets tend to be sweet, too sweet for me. In Europe it’s easier to find good 10-20$ bottles with a more earthy taste for everyday use, here it requires a little more effort to find them.
7
Absolutely fascinating. The comments to this article couldn't be further off the mark. It seems the"sophisticated" readers of the NYT overall have little to no understanding into not only how personal the appreciation of wine is, but also the fact that how a wine "tastes" is very dependent on countless variables; the least important being price. These inexpensive wines mentioned are exceptional values and have raised the bar for producers. While I respect those whose fiscal priorities don't include fine or aged wine, I also would like to point out they are the last people that I would ever take advice from about that very subject. A great wine has the ability to elevate a good meal to a great one and to create memories that will last a lifetime. I salute the author for trying to instill some culture and sophistication in a population that tends to be linear and concrete. Happy New Year - toasted with a glass of 2009 Cristal!
29
@Think Before You Speak I don't think that a lot of the comments have to do with a sense of "sophistication" I had a glass of Trader Joe's pinot grigio from the box yesterday with my lunch. However, Apothic red is vile. It is not an exceptional value at 10 bucks a pop. It is okay I guess for people that indifferent to wine.
1
I decided to play along, but with a twist. I bought a bottle of the Apothic for $10.99 and paired it with a bottle of Chapoutier's Bila-Haut a Rhone blend from the Rousillon ($10.99 at Zachy's) that I had in my cellar.
I opened them both half an hour before dinner, decanted and tasted. The Apothic smelled and tasted of raw sugar. It was simple and uninteresting, basically DNPIM. The Bila-Haut, which has been one of my house wines, was the same color and about the same alcoholic content as the Apothic, but had none the sweetness as the Apothic, and was balanced with a nice level of fruit. During the course of dinner, the Bila-Haut opened and complemented the oxtail stew nicely. The Apothic did not evolve, nor did it complement the stew, nor did the strw do anything for the Apothic.
58
@Michael
I’m a total wine neophyte but I find that most Rhône wines (either Cotes du Rhône or more generic Rhône blends) are very approachable and easy to drink without being bland or over sweet.
The bonus factor is I can show up with a $10-15 bottle of Cotes du Rhône, look like a wine sophisticate with an an actual French wine and occasionally even get nods from more experienced wine drinkers.
There’s even a French box wine (la vieille ferme) which is more or less a Rhône blend that’s decent when you want a serve a crowd.
9
Rhône wines of same price range are vastly superior to the three cheap grocery wines mentioned in the article.
Bravo to you!
22
@Michael You forgot to invite us to join you.
Happy New Year!
2
I've lived in Spain, Italy, and France, and contrary to the opinions of many here, I've tasted many mediocre wines from those regions. And the idea that you can't buy decent wines for $20 or less is hokum. My happiest wine experiences have been drinking great wines, and wines that are inexpensive and good enough to drink every day. If you want an excellent history of California Chardonnay, JancisRobinson has published an exhaustively researched piece by Elaine Chukan Brown.
9
As a guest at a neighbor's for dinner, I had an opportunity to experience what a $300 bottle of wine tastes like. I didn't have the heart to tell the neighbor it tasted no different from the $8.95 one I splurged on recently. Even if I could afford three figures for a bottle of wine, I couldn't enjoy knowing that with every glass I was downing $50.
63
@Deb Don't feel bad, taste is something that comes with practice. Most people do not enjoy fine art or gourmet food without a mentor to educate them. Subtleties in wine, food, art and many other things take education, concentration and time. I have had the honor of mentoring many people with wine the results still amaze me.
6
@Deb
Sigh... my neighbor once shared a $300 red with me...it was dreamy delicious with wonderful aftertaste... but I’m not in that financial bracket. I will splurge on a $30 once a month.... guess I need to cultivate more wealthy friends. ;D
Yet I also agree, it’s hard not to feel a tad uncomfortable at spending such a sum on wine...
Lucky you to have found an affordable red you love.
Happy New Year, everyone! Cheers!
4
Deb, how lucky that Pete was here to reassure you of your ignorance. Where would women be without the laughably misguided opinions of men?
7
Apothic red is evidence as to why listing residual sugar on wine labels would be good for consumers. I could have avoiding buying it and those who like the style could seek it out. Now the Trader Joe’s 5.99 gruener veltliner from Hungary, that is a supermarket wine I can get behind.
37
@Dale Cooper
Listing residual sugar on American wines would be a controversial and wonderful requirement.
Good luck!
4
Apothic Red might be good if used for mulled wine, as it seemingly already has a high sugar content. There are much better and less expensive wines out there. Consuelo is smart to go with South American. Trader Joe's carries a good and reasonably priced selection from around the country and the world. When hiking, take a box of Bota.
6
I had my first glass of Meiomi at the Ritz-Carolton in Half Moon Bay ~ 2009. It was $16/glass and wonderful. It became one of my favorites, but the Meiomi then and the Meiomi now are NOT the same and I no longer buy it. Apothic Red is a solid $10 wine and great for parties (everyone likes it) or for a casual dinner. Prisoner is good, but it is not $42 good. A bottle of Rombauer Zin costs less, would please anyone (fruit forward) and is extremely consistent.
8
@Mark Apothic Red is a solid $10 wine and great for parties (everyone likes it) No, I know many a folk that hate it.
Highly amusing: a $42 bottle of red wine is described as a "supermarket" wine. Hello? I buy mostly white wines (tannin is closing my eurethra) and I pay $5 or $6 a bottle at Grocer's Outlet in Oregon, a chain that tries to move products that didn't sell their first time around. (A half-pound of Crackerbarrel aged white cheddar is $2!) The only red that intrigues me is the Gallo. And not that I've ever had any hopes for Ernest & Julio's stuff.
13
@Spike And some people think McDonald's sells hamburgers, lol.
for yrs I've been buying 90% of my wines at the grocery store Safeway which has the lowest prices of anywhere i can find. Plus is I buy 6 of more bottles, I can get 10% off.
I buy a bottle of Beringer Chardonney for $3.59 ....the same bottle I found in NY for over $15. I can get Kendall Jackson Chardonney or $6 per bottle.
14
@skidancer - I too shop just over the MA line at NH state stores. Poured quite a bit of a bottle of Pinot Noir into a beef stew tonight and regretted it once I tasted it. It was one of their Power Buys — a $20 bottle for $ 9.00. It was absolutely delicious. The stew was great but enjoyed drinking it more!
4
@skidancer I'm also getting cheap prices bc the wines are made in CA, actually they're made about 100 miles from where I live Safeway alot of times uses wines as "soft" leaders to get people into their stores, ie., 30% off for 10 days during a special holiday, etc.,
5
I really like South American, mostly Chilean, and Spanish wines, often Riojas. These are not expensive. The most expensive bottle I ever bought was $86 in Barcelona from a wine store. It gave me the most ferocious, horrible headache. I don't think that price is always a guide to quality.
I have not had any of the 3 wines mentioned but see the Apothic everywhere. Someone must like it.
I prefer beer on a normal evening basis but only very good ones. Beer is much less likely to put me in headache territory or unexpectedly make it unwise to drive. Wine is less predictable in its alcohol content. So I avoid it if I am driving.
Wine labels are so enchanting that I become hypnotized. So I appreciate advice. But if it gets north of $15 a bottle I become reluctant to explore. Good article and fun comments.
9
Argentinian wines are wonderful, too!
4
Have tasted all of these. I think Apothic Red is the best value.
One of the good things about living in California, where we have about 2,000 wineries, is that if you can spend $10 on a bottle, it's pretty much impossible to buy a wine you won't like.And if you take the trouble to look around in smaller stores, that $10 can get you something surprisingly good.
14
I’m sorry $42 wine is not something I pick up at a grocery store.
44
Whoah! A real uptick in the number of wine school comments and I don't think it is just because of the holiday. I found all three at my local Wegmans. The Meiomi was a 2017. I am going to wait until we have a meat based dinner to serve them. It would be nice to fine a readily available wine we enjoyed. Our favorite wines are often ones we learn about in the 20 under $20 columns. The only one of those we didn't like was Gai'a Ritinitis Nobilis NV.
2
@Ferguson Go to Corkscrew, they have plenty of great wines under $20!
I was brought up in New Canaan, which had 8,000 residents in 1950 and 12 liquor stores. And I graduated from a top Ivy school. Tonight the current New Canaan hedge fund managers in their mansions on tear down lots, will be burning through millions of dollars of champagne without the slightest consideration of the alternatives. Let me assure them that having cash to burn, but drinking $10 for a 5 liter box of Cabernet Sauvignon is far more satisfying after donating the difference to a food shelf or an animal rescue shelter, where every extra dollar goes a lot further than down the toilet. Even my brother, who only flies in the front, learned to taste wine living in France for two years, and was a judge in many beer contests, is very content with a glass of Walmart's Oak Leaf wine. He does not have to prove himself to others. Neither do I. Some of us, even liberal NY Times readers, think about giving all we can afford at the end of each tax season, not how much we can consume. Happy New Year, especially to our less fortunate neighbors we hide on the other side of the tracks.
194
@steve Well said; a different take on “opportunity costs.” However, an exceptional wine is an indulgence I grant myself. Occasionally. We all have our weaknesses. Regards.
9
@steve the new tax law takes the tax factor out of your charitable giving. Now you can celebrate like the one percent.
2
Bravo. Yes. Exactly
2
I wish you would include the alcohol content in your reviews. Many people are put off by those 14.5% (and up!) California reds and it would be nice to know in advance or before hunting for an interesting-sounding wine that turns out to be too hefty.
Thanks!
19
I started my wine journey enjoying primarily California wines, so I lean heavily toward them. Apothic isn't terrible, and although I don't love Winemaker's blend, I do really like the Inferno which is aged in whiskey barrels. They also make one infused with coffee. I don't claim to have a sophisticated palate, but I believe in drinking what you like and what makes you feel good. Try them out; why not?
5
Robin Williams had a wonderful routine in which he would mime ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant, taking the proffered cork from the waiter, smelling it, holding it to his ear, and pronouncing "ah, flaccid, yet absurd!"
I've been an enthusiastic wine drinker all my adult life, worked in the industry as a taster, and behind the bar in Sonoma tasting rooms. Many of the tourists who hoped to educate their palates confessed to me that they were embarrassed and intimidated by tasting room personnel who were condescending snobs about wine. My response was always that "good wine" is what whatever you enjoy. And then I would pour various wines and (gently) discuss their characteristic qualities. These visitors wanted to learn and needed the context of tasting to do so, and I always thought it was a shame that some people in the industry were there to stroke their own egos at the expense of potential customers.
Labels are important, too, and I will sometimes take a gamble on a bottle from a winery that I know nothing about because their label is clever or amusing. That cuts both ways, though. For instance, The Prisoner might be wonderful wine, but I'm too put off by the label to ever buy a bottle. It screams bad chi - why would a winemaker would want to associate such a torturous image with the contents inside (with luck, a pure distillate of earth, sun, soil, elevation, exposure, and grape).
30
I buy by the label, too! And while I’m sure I’ve missed a few good bottles this way, I’m usually satisfied. I tend to think the label makers know their audience. I wouldn’t buy the prisoner, either.
3
Meiomi is the only one of these I’ve tried. It’s probably a matter of taste, but for the same money, you can get a French Pinot noir that isn’t tilted toward the heavy end, like this one. I’ve continued to find that European wines are better value at the same price point than their West Coast competitors...
10
I've had 2 of these 3 and would not have them again. Both Prisoner and Apothic taste like wines not well thought out and more of a marketing effort with the names and labels. Both have that vanilla finish that comes off (to me) as such a finish lacking depth and character. There are so many better wines for the same money, even in KY where our allotment is toward the bottom.
1
Having lived most of our lives in the greater Seattle area my husband and I have always liked the San Michelle wines and especially the Indian Hills cab. But we really like the Pinot Noirs from the Willamette valley and tried a new one last night when we were out at a restaurant here in Concord, NH. It was Alexana and we agreed that unlike many it hardly needed to breathe before being one of the best we have tried. The restaurant price was $52 and we know this restaurant marks their wines up a lot so I will be looking for it at the grocery store or state liquor outlet and expect it to be around $20 or less. Also we try to buy the wines we like when there is a special on. When we were younger we bought cases of fine wine like Chateau Lafitte Rothschild and put them away to drink after twenty years or so and they were wonderful, but now at advanced age we no longer save things for later!
12
@Julie Carter Alexana has wonderful Pinot Noirs but I've never seen one priced as low as $20. Take a look at their web site https://shop.alexanawinery.com/Our-Wines/Pinot-Noir and the lowest-priced one is $49
2
@Julie Carter
We're having a bottle or two of Domaine St. Michelle Brut tonight and New Year's Brunch!
There are a lot of comments here re: the pinot noir being far too sweet. That's what you're going to get from California and its climate. Otherwise try pinots from Oregon, New Zealand and France, all of which have a much more conducive climate to the grape. A to Z from Oregon is reasonably priced ($12 - $14) and can be had at Costco.
5
@SRBM
I recently purchased a number of bottles of Fire Steed Pinot from Oregon at Costco.
It knocked my socks off with dry, big fruit. The best value I have found at Costco.
3
It has been a while since I drank Apothic, and I haven't tried the others, but my strong impression of nearly every under-$20 and widely sold US red wine is that they are too sweet. For that reason I prefer to drink reds from other countries in this category.
7
Of the three wines profiled, I’ve had “The Prisoner” once, about ten years ago. I found it a “one note “ kind of wine, somewhat heavy and lacking in complexity and finish. Wouldn’t want to try another bottle. I’m fortunate to live near a fabulous wine shop that stocks very good reds from around the world at prices that are reasonable relative to their quality. An Oddero Barbera for $15 is a perfectly good table wine. Could I spend less? Perhaps, but for me there is value in buying a good table wine I know I’ll enjoy.
6
I lived in Europe last year and discovered the Italian red Montepulciano wine, which was 4€ a bottle at my local grocery store. I pay more than that ($12-20 a bottle) for it now that I’m back living in the states, but it’s the only wine I buy anymore, after years of drinking California reds. I know what I like, and I like this - I don’t care what people might think about it. Why not just appreciate that people enjoy what they enjoy, rather than mock people for their supposed lack of taste? May 2019 be a lot less judgy and a lot more kind.
41
@BC
My wife and I lived in Montepulciano the latter part of 2004. We got spoiled, too.
I came away with two favorite white wine varieties, Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Orvieto. There's nothing like them, except perhaps a nice Viognier, but that's only a tease.
10
I am so glad you mentioned your favorite whites, and will try them once the weather warms up! I was not living in Italy, but in the Franconia region of Germany, and the wines of that area became my favorite whites (and walking in the vineyards near my apartment my favorite stress reliever). Unfortunately they do not export them to the US — at least I haven’t found them. What I wouldn’t give for a glass of Würzburg’s finest Müller-Thurgau or Bacchus right now!
5
Once you get into wine, you will sooner or later gravitate toward the better, and usually more expensive stuff. I have consumed all manner of wine over the years from all parts of the globe and I can tell you without exception that the French do it better than anyone, in just about every category. Break out a $50.00 dollar bill and pick up anything red, white or bubbly from France and you will have a very hard time going back to Meiomi, Spend $100.00 (the very upper end of my pain threshold) and you will really see a glimpse of why they are the best wine makers the world has ever seen. Sublime, haunting wines that cannot be duplicated. Plenty of junk, to be sure, but under say, 12-15 bux you are not going to get anything noteworthy from anywhere, sorry to tell you.
7
@M Every 30 years, is it, there's a blind California/French wine-tasting test and the first two times, California wines won. The French tasters were surprised, to say the least.
9
@M some people are wine snobs...
I would like to see if most of the people giving comments could actually discern the wines that they like or dislike in a blind tasting. You would be amazed at how many people cannot discern between a white and a red wine when unable to see it.
That said I have worked for both Gallo and Constellation in the wine industry. One of them has a habit of destroying good wine ideas.
I drink Meiomi a fair amount. I have spent three times more on worse Pinots. The original pre-Constellation version was better but I like the fruit forward nature as opposed to high tannin high alcohol Pinots that some others may prefer. I would be interested in the residual sugar value of Meiomi since I don’t believe that it is as sweet as some say, just a different sugar/acid ratio. The Meiomi reminds me of a budget version of Siduri.
8
@Rob F RS is about 6g/L, which is technically still dry, and just over the threshold of sugar perception. It’s that combined with low acid, ripe fruit flavor and vanilla oak flavors that add to the seeming sweetness.
@Maura Thanks for the info. When I worked for Brand “C” as an engineer (only the largest wineries can afford engineers on staff) I would be part of a tasting team. We would have to taste the wine in a dark room illuminated by red lights so that we couldn’t determine the color of the wine and sometimes wearing noseclips depending on what they were testing. We would always have flights of three with two being identical. Then the comments were compared for differences between the two identical wines and the two different wines.
When I was an exchange student in Brittany back in the 70s, I don't think I ever saw wine drunk "straight up" at ordinary family meals. Most people would pour an inch or so in the bottom of a tumbler and top it up with - get this - tap water. The French laugh at American wine snobbery.
19
A coincidence that this article is published right before New Year's Eve? ;-)
2
Apothic Red, thumbs down; Meiomi, thumbs up... waiting to try "Prisoner"...
5
Apothic Red is pathetic worst wine ever had
12
Wow. We and all our friends really enjoy it.
@froggio
As a knowledgeable sommelier from Harrah's Casino told me, it is unbelievable the amount of chemicals they put in cheap wine, things like a "cache of leather in a mesh bag," to get a consistent taste.
@Civres
I don't think the science says that alcohol "in any amount is harmful." Distilled spirits may be so. But as I told a member of the House of Lords a few years back, "Jonathan, my good man, wine is salubrious."
He replied, "Why yes it is salubrious, particularly the red."
Also, for what it's worth, Jesus drank wine.
*******
As others have stated, forget the supermarket and go to Costco. Look particularly at their selected wines in the set of wooden boxes. Also, there are independent blogs and websites to guide you in buying Costco wines.
I recently bought an Oregon Pinot Noir for $11 there, and it tasted like a $35 -$50 bottle easy. I gave it to friends in Europe for Christmas, and they called it excellent.
The trouble is that not all Costco have the wines that you want or those touted. My close-by Costco did not have the Pinot, and I had to drive across the Valley to obtain it - still worth it.
I bought a cheap bottle of New Zealand white at a tony Valley of Sun resort to go with some mussels. They charged me $30. At Costco it was in the stacked section of wines for $8. Not great, but potable - when possible go Costco.
6
@Joe
Costco is required to admit non-members who wish to buy wine (and prescription drugs and eyeglasses, too).
The term "wine snob" is vastly overused and totally inaccurate. Like all endeavors, there are some people with a more sophisticated palette, and those of us who enjoy wine as a hobby simply know more about wine, its production, and its nuance.
I don't consider people who cite basketball stats to me as "Basketball snobs."
Sadly, our culture tends to complain that those with an intellectual curiosity are somehow bad people. When did being smart or knowledgeable become less fashionable? And on the NYT website of all places.
So let's ditch the Sarah Palin "wine snob" nonsense. Accept that there are folks who know more about the topic than you, and try to learn from them. Don't be afraid of people with ore knowledge than you. When you use the term "wine snob" you sound like a whiny, jealous, under-educated Trump supporter.
Strive for better.
88
@DC When did being smart or knowledgeable become less fashionable? When intelligence and knowledge become a cultural plateau from which to peer down with contempt at the rest of us hopeless louts. Par exemple: “ ... a blended red, best known for a particular characteristic that I’m sure everybody will taste right away.” This is condescending to those who’ve no idea what he means and worse, is not at all helpful to the majority of his readers. Instead of sharing his expertise in a way that makes us better-informed, he makes it clear that helping us broaden our experience is the least of his concerns.
35
@Joe Don
@DC When did being smart or knowledgeable become less fashionable?
When Trump was elected. Then the mob were able to justify substituting a smart phone for an education. In the analog age, H. L. Mencken called these people, 'hoi polloi.'
I call them fatuous, and a threat to democracy.
3
Too high a horse? A wine snob might be someone who judges before tasting, or who allows prejudice to influence what the tongue reveals.
4
I'm confused by this article. I thought a wine critic was going to drink wines found in Trader Joes and other locations and provide a review. Wouldn't a better article have been the wine critic drinking mass-market wines and have readers comment on the critic's review? Why limit readers with these 3 wines when there are many more wines that are mass-market like Gnarly Head wine collection?
This is a wasted opportunity by NYTimes.
20
@Pedro
Two of these wines are found at both of the Kroger Stores, Fred Meyer and QFC (Quality Food Centers) here in Seattle these are about as run of the mill as you get.
1
@David We don't have any of those three chains here in NYC. Also, supermarkets in New York State are not allowed to sell real wine; only "wine products" made by "wineries" that even Kroger's & QFC wouldn't carry.
2
Yup. Disappointed at the absence of his thoughts.
Try the 'Latitud 42' Rioja from Spain, very affordable and not sweet like the Apothic. Retails around $10-11.
4
Calm down...drink some wine...enjoy the ride.
20
Last year I found a Rioja Reserva from Bodega Eguia at Costco for 8 bucks. It was like winning the lottery.
8
@charles
Ha! About twelve years ago Costco sold the Eguia rioja for about 7 or 8 bucks. It was an absolutely wonderful wine. The buy of the year. We must have consumed 5 cases in all over a few years. Haven't seen it since. A couple of years after that our Costco wine of the year was a Santa Ema merlot which was great but not typical of merlot at all. Every year or so Costco comes up with a real sleeper - worth being a member.
2
I'm a big fan of bold reds, mostly with a large hunk of braising beef or a grilled steak. The Prisoner is one I tried and REALLY hated. I found it unrefined, overly brash, as if it were lashing my tongue, punishing me for spending $42 for the privilege. Yuk.
3
I love pinot noir - and Meiomi is a "supermarket" wine for a reason - it's awful. Don't waste your money.
6
@Maura Lennon Maura, I think the cold Chicago weather is affecting your taste buds.
I'm not sure which 'supermarket' was used for these 'plonk' wines without any provenance. I'd pick just about anything from Spain or Portugal over these unfortunate selections... AND you may just expand your culinary palate a tad bit. After all, these selections are 99% marketing and .1% actual wine acumen. Too bad these were chosen with massive amounts of really great European wine out there, just waiting to be discovered by, the New York Times.
11
Did you taste them?
I find it interesting that the NYT critic wants feedback from readers on 3 wines that are as he mentions "Lab Creations".
This seems like a follow up to the column some time ago about how these mega wine producers tweak and blind study wine to sell to younger people to move them from beer or other alcoholic based drinks.
Is this just another form of free advertising?
Wine is something people need to search out for themselves, by either tasting parties with friends or family, or the best is to visit the many wine regions of the US and Europe to experience and learn the history and affects different regions bring to any of the varietals.
The NYT in my words is just moving more of these modern day jug wines in standard bottles to receive compensation from the mass producers, and in the end deprive a generation or two of experiencing true wine flavors.
7
I think The Prisoner is good but over-priced.
Apothic Red is sweeter than I would like.
I like zinfandels and petite sirah.
6
One of the best single-panel comics I ever saw was for a beer-tasting contest.
The punch line? "Mmmmm! Tastes like beer!"
Most of the wine I buy is "supermarket" wine. Mmmm! Tastes like wine.
11
As a sommelier my job revolves around matching wines with the food with which it will be drunk. Say what you will about taste, but these highly manipulated (processed) wines will completely overpower any food.
25
Meiomi changed a lot (for the worse) after it changed ownership.
7
@Dave that’s true.
Having been born and lived in Austria I suspect most Europeans would have a good laugh at the snobbery in the comments. Wine is as common as water and a daily fact of life. I am reminded of tastings of bottled water, oxygen bars and other such kickshaws.
22
If you like sweet wine, Apothic is your swill. "My Oh My" has so little relation to good pinot in its excessive extraction and overripeness as to be unrecognizable as such. Probably won't try The Prisoner because there are just too many wonderful red blends out there to waste time on overripe, over-extracted, or otherwise Parkerized California reds.
5
Mega purple (read about it) recipe wines. Perfect examples of the unregulated wine market. These wines are disgusting and filled with artificial ingredients (Not to mention pesticides, herbicides and fungicides and something else called MOG). If you want value wines look to Chile, Argentina and Spain.
9
@Allison Harkless I’m going to be a downer here, and say that Chile and Argentina do have affordable wine, but a more unregulated agriculture system than the US, and so there are plenty of pesticides used.
I am lucky. The only wines that appeal to me are rosé, rosado and rosatto. All year roud. Preferably from Portugal, but France, Italy or Spain will do in a pinch. And California is now producing some good ones. Cheap too. I am lucky.
3
What no white wines? I feel so ignored since I'm allergic to Reds. It seems many wine journalists are red wine snobs. But I know there are some excellent and reasonably priced whites--from all.
4
I'm also a Somm (big deal) and these wines are mass-production-corporate wines. They over fruited and un-balanced at best, you will get a much better deal if you try a smaller production wine. Check out the Northern Rhone Syrah 15 St. Joseph is a Rockstar $28 dollar wine. Get out of you comfort zone and try something new, a Somm's job is too teach and spread the word of wine, not help corporate wines sell millions.
16
I'm disappointed that anyone is recommending Constellation Brands products, a company that is draining Mexican towns of their drinking water to brew beer.
22
@Smoky Duck i'm a craft beer drinker. i won't buy anything sold by corporations. sounds like wine lovers should also pay attention to who owns the wine.
1
Apothic Red Blend, 2016. Jammy, gummy, fruity. I love it. Chacun a son dégoût.
10
How can any discussion of "supermarket" wines not include the Walmart house brand "Oak Leaf". I've been on numerous gastronomic tours of France and find Oak Leaf to be perfectly acceptable and at $2.96 a bottle a remarkable value.
For you snobs, save an empty bottle of your Lafite Rothshcild '86 and use as a decanter for you Oak Leaf. Your guests will never know.
11
Apothic Red "is a blended red, best known for a particular characteristic that I’m sure everybody will taste right away."
Well, thanks for no information at all.
67
@Robert Miller
Judging from the comments, I think the "characteristic" is its sweetness. Which is just fine with me. I can't drink the Blue Nun I liked when I was 20, and I find most German wines I've tried (not many) to be too sweet. I can't abide really dry wines, and for years I wouldn't touch any red wine. No Merlot, Zinfandel, etc.; I tried them and couldn't drink more than one sip. I like the mild sweetness of Apothic Red, it is readily available, and since I drink wine only occasionally, it suits me.
7
Seriously, you could injury yourself trying to open Neiomi...once opened very tasty!
2
Paying $42 for a pizza wine makes no sense.
16
Depends on the pizza.
We think the $12 Beecher's brand of Mac and cheese is, indeed--as often rated, the " world's best" Mac and cheese. We never get anything quite as good even in the most gourmet restaurants. And we usually drink a $50 bottle of Quilceda Creek red wine, or a Woodward Canyon wine with it. Sometimes a Rhône red. It pairs fantastically with very good, hearty full bodied reds. Both the wine and food are better with the pairing.
2
I agree: don't want to be taken prisoner by a supermarket $48 bottle.
Manage in the DC metropolitan area to get a decent New Zealander (Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc for under $7), a one-liter Austrian white (Hugl gruner veltliner for under $8) and a very nice Italian Chianti (Gabbiano for under $6.50). What's wrong with me? Am I too cheap for a $12 or $18 or $48 bargain in NYC?
Do I have no palate left? Am I the proverbial wine ignoramus? Or just less sophisticated than wine schooler Monsieur Eric Asimov?
9
I thought The Prisoner is just okay. There are tons of other, much better wines at that price point.
Apothic Red tastes good but I’m suspicious of it because it’s mass produced. Makes me think is this taste because of natural flavors or a bunch of additives? It’s a good wine to take to a bbq or potluck where people want to drink tasty wine but aren’t wine snobs.
I have not tried Meiomi, I don’t think it’s as commonly available here.
Some of my favorite mass produced cheap wine brands are 19 Crimes, Coppola (I like the Claret & Sophia Coppola (the packaging makes this bubbly perfect for a bridal shower or taking to a party), & Menage a Trois Silk. Long Island has some nice wineries, I love wines from Washington State, and South American wines offer great value. Trader Joes wine store has the best value selection in my humble opinion.
4
My husband is in the wine business buying and selling globally. We tried the Meomi, but knew what to expect and got what we paid for. A bit too sweet and twee for us. I'm sure he's tried the Apothic and Prisoner but I want to give them a try unless I get a big, "Don't Bother". You are right. They are designed for the masses. But, have their place a guess. My go to everyday, cook with dinner wine is the mass produced Gabbiano. He would be devastated if he knew I told you his everyday glass of wine is Woodbridge Chardonnay. LOL. Thank you.
1
These are terrible wines. The fact that they are so popular in America is a hoax on consumers, and provides proper ammunition for derision of American wine marketing. These are the grocery wine equivalent of a bad cheese pizza from the frozen foods section. If you were desparate, you could use a bottle of "Prisoner" when making a red wine sauce, but Bogle's Old Vine Zinfandel is a much better choice for that because it's 1) cheaper, and 2) drinkable. Don't waste your money on these wines, this column is just an advertisement likely paid for by Constellation and Gallo.
18
@JoeyTry St. Francis Old Vines Zin. Less than $20 a bottle. Really good.
@JoeyAmerica, the land of wine snobs.
Was piqued by the headline. Fascinated by the comments. In a column called 'Wine School' it's interesting to see almost no one sincerely answering the teachers questions. "Traits in common? Remind you of other genres? Why so popular?" While there's some defense along the lines of "If you like it, drink it." most just want to pile on about how bad theses wine are and how they're way too refined for such trash. It's an overused pun(?), but the comments just read as "Whine school".
15
We like the Apothic, try the Apothic Inferno for a bigger flavor!
2
I love Apothic Red. It's like drinking velvet.
5
I love the Mollydooker brand, and their Shiraz is one of the best on the planet. The Boxer is about $25 and the more expensive BlueEyed Boy (about $52) are great.
2
All three...not good. Grape syrup. Not for me though have given them all a couple of chances each. Two thumbs down. Esp. Meiomi & Apothic. Even when I am at my most depressed I won't open these to drown my sorrows. I have a bottle that someone gave me. Def re-gift.
10
I have been drinking Apothic Red for a couple of years. No bottle has ever disappointed me. It goes with pizza, burgers, steaks and doesn't break the bank. It remains my go-to everyday favorite.
6
I was at my local Costco yesterday and saw two of the wines reviewed here. Needless to say, I purchased a very decent $6.99 bottle of Kirkland Cote du Rhône for my coq au vin, which was very good. None of the wines reviewed sounded good to me and I wouldn’t try.
7
The Italians and the French have survived for generations drinking perfectly fine "table wines." A decent chianti or Riesling or pinot noir is good enough for me, any time. Everything else is just noise.
15
This is deeply upsetting. These are wines that, although they are incredibly accessible, have ruined the mass market’s perception of what wine is. I understand the appeal of of featuring wines that can be found literally anywhere, but there are plenty of brands with larger production that aren’t conglomerate bastardizations.
6
@Katie Spigner Do tell, Katie, what those brands may be ...
Not that I've tried any of these three wines. I'm a California girl who enjoys Wente Bros. and Louis Martini--but, after reading a paperback book bought off the sale rack at Kepler's in Menlo Park, I'm trying to live at a higher level, here in South Lake Tahoe, where the big news a few years ago was a recently opened BevMo.
Three words for better wines: Kermit Lynch, online.
6
Meiomi is a wonderful Pinot Noir. Apothic is too sweet for my taste. May 2019 overflow with good wine and plentiful food for everyone on the planet.
8
@Bob Brown,
I have tried Apothic several times and tried to like it -- but I agree, it's much too sweet
@Bob Brown
Completely agree about Meiomi. I find it fascinating that it is labeled a "supermarket" wine in this article and thus getting bashed by each reviewer. Unless it has changed, it still shares (some) vines with Caymus.
For me though, I'd rather buy a bottle of Liberty School for 12 dollars.....
The Prisoner isn't worth the money. A Mollydooker at half the price is just as good. Also, the Kirkland Russian river valley pinot is better than the Meowhatever.
4
A spot-on review. My wife and I had the Meiomi at a restaurant in Connecticut about a year ago. It was the house pinot noir, so we asked what it was after we tried it and became fans. In fact, I bought a bottle during my pre-holiday trip to the wine store. Cheers to 2019!
4
Sorry had all three wines was not impressed. I prefer French wines, these are headachy wines.
16
I was given a bottle of Meiomi for Christmas...one of the best wines that I've had in years!
3
Apothic Red has been a favorite of ours for several years. It's a great wine to have with food and a very reasonable price. Apothic White, however, is not so great.
5
One can get good fine wines from a WSJ wine subscription or probably any of the many others offered. They taste good and don’t give headaches or tummy upsets. Each mailing gives a reasonable selection and one can always order more. To me the disadvantage is that twelve bottles at a time is a lot to consume. One can always refuse one or two offerings in a row and possibly more. Perhaps you could share a case with a friend or neighbor or relative. I was never disappointed with any offering.
1
Factory farming, Madison Avenue marketing and Wall Street accounting yield wines for the masses. If only as much care were devoted to what's in the bottle (and what's left out, such as additives) as to the design of the label adorning the bottle and its quirky, artisanal name, great American wines might be more commonplace than mediocre ones--even ones at accessible prices.
8
BOTTLED SYRUP
I respect Eric Asimov's palate for wine, in part
because he appreciates well-made wine from
any country, grape, or region. He brings a true
egalitarian sprit to the table.
He also has traditionally favored wines with good
backbones of acidity, as do I.
Which is why I'm perplexed he would recommend
anybody try the syrupy concoction called
Meiomi.
I love good Pinot Noir, especially from Burgundy, but
I found this ostensibly cool-climate California
version to be undrinkable.
7
@John G. Tucker. 100% agree. So unbearably sweet. I wanted to enjoy these but cannot.
@John G. Tucker Money!
He’s not recommending people drink them. He’s asking people to drink them and tell him what they think. It’s crowd-sourcing using widely available wines and it could just as easily be used to encourage the winemakers to make better wine.
4
we've been drinking wines from south africa lately having visited there in september/october. really excellent wines with a good cross section of pricing. their pinotages are our favorite with spier (reserve) and neethlingshof topping the list.
other great wines we've enjoyed following travels there are from mendoza, argentina and colonia, uruguay. reasonably priced and so tasty.
2
@Laurence I too love pinotages! I work in Africa and it is fairly easy to find the good examples from RSA. Nearby Fort Ross winery in Jenner, CA, owned by a South African couple, makes a marvelous Pinotage, although a bit pricey.
I'm from outside of Philadelphia, PA Until last year, you bought hard liquor and wine in a 'state' store; you bought beer at a beer distributor. Now that has changed to the grocery store model, in addition to the aforementioned. Still, I rarely EVER see a wine recommended by the NYT anywhere in my environs....wonderful memories of the Surrey Liquor Store on Madison when I lived in NYC, now long gone, as well of lots of other lovely places.
6
@Outraged in PA
I live outside of Philadelphia, also; and have seen lots of Apothic Red at Wegman's supermarket and elsewhere, too. Look around for it. A friend of mine likes it. I've never tried it, myself. Happy hunting! - P.S., it's getting better in PA. I've even seen 'state stores' inside of supermarkets.
2
@Barry Apothic Red is also available at Costco in Delaware in Christiana, by the case at around $7/btl.
1
Head over to NJ. A good selection there
When my wife and moved to Oregon and discovered Oregon pinots, that was when we started drinking wine almost every night. Our wine shop there, the Broadway has a sign "the best wine is the wine you like the best." We have stuck with that idea ever since we saw it. For years we experimented, tasting lots of different wines. It became obvious to us that the way to figure out what you like is simply to drink lots of different wines. After a while though, there is a case of diminishing returns. I know I like Oregon Pinot noirs, Napa cabs, Rhone varietals actually from the Rhone, some washington reds, some Bordeauxs, and good California Zinfandels, like Turley, Biale and Ridge. With all these areas to choose from, i'll never run out of new wines to try and the odds I will like them are much better than chance.
The downside of all this is that it becomes clearer that better wines usually cost more. I never really find a cheap (<$30) wine that I love anymore, but many are perfectly drinkable. The Meiomi is one such. I really disagree that it has no Pinot character and half my cellar is Pinot. It's not a great wine, but it's good. We used to drink Prisoner often, but now I can always find something I'm likely to like better at the same price point.
A lot of the commenters here seem offended that people like fruit bombs. Well, once they drink enough wines to know what they like, chances are good they will no longer like the fruit bombs. And if they do, so what?
22
Apropos to nothing, In NJ we have no supermarket wine because wine and beer are sold in liquor stores (not state stores) and nowhere else. All of these wines are available though I avoid them and prefer small volume producers. Increasingly I buy wine on line (usually from Last Bottle) and despite often being unfamiliar with the wine producer I have almost never bought a wine that was not well worth the price paid.
@Rob D Not entirely true about supermarkets not selling wine anymore. Wegmans has 5 or 6 stores that sell wine, there are a couple of Costcos that do too. Iy is still fairly scarce but you will be seeing more of it going forward (though probably not like other states where every CVS and gas station convenience store does)
@Kend What you say is true, there are a few exceptions. But in NJ any corporate entity is only allowed two liquor licenses in the state. Thus, Trader Joe's only has two in NJ that sell wine and beer. Wegmans (a privately held co.) gets around the law by putting each of its licences in the name of another family member. Liquor licences are extremely expensive, often finite and are controlled by the state but issued at the discretion of the city or township level.
I find all three very uninteresting and don't enjoy them at all. However, I find Line 39 Pinot Noir ($10) to be my go-to wine to take to pot-luck parties. It's often the first to be consumed by those who are cheapskates and bring disgusting, $5 liquids in bottles that resemble wine. But for pairing with a good meal, I can be a snob.
4
I can not see why wines that are manufactured to exhibit what has become mainstream acceptance of high sugar levels and extract have somehow made it onto the front page of the Times? Nowhere is Pinot Noir produced in this fashion as it is with Meiomi in California. The Prisoner is fashioned cut of the same cloth for 'spread it on your toast' extract and redidual sugar that no serious wine connoiseur would ever consider drinking. Asimov used to see wine in a different light, aparently bending his taste and column toward the mega million dollar producers rather than small or even boutique producers. The column used to shine for pointing us in the direction of those producers who have reverence for the way a perticular grape variety has been universally expected to taste. I don't find the reading to be the case, any longer. The delicate body associated with classically produced Pinot Noir does not allow for the 25% added grape varieties that Meiomi uses and over-shaddow the varietal character of the grape on the label. Let the reader and the buyer beware.
21
@AP So true. The Meiomi represents everything that I hate about so many California PNs. And yet, people dining at my restaurant ask for it all the time. In my opinion, wine is cool because it offers new experiences, but there will always be those who pick a thing, stick to it, and insist it's the best. Yawn.
Ok, I'll take my snobby pants off now!
2
Yes, "enzymes, yeasts, tannins and other enhancers" are common additives, but so are concentrates, acids, oak chips, and other flavor enhancement products that have no labeling requirement. Will the NYT ever find wine to recommend that is simply wine?
20
I'm a sommelier in an expensive steakhouse with a wine list of 1,300 selections. The Prisoner and another off-dry red blend are essential wines to carry, because on many occasions they are the only wines on my list a guest enjoys and I'm glad to have something to offer them. Big fruit, warming alcohol and oak-derived spice with a touch or sugar make these wines crowd pleasers without offense.
66
I found Apothic Red very disagreeable. I'm lucky enough to live in southern Oregon, a wine area that is only beginning to get 'discovered'. If I need a drinkable all-purpose red blend, Troon's "Druid's Fluid" fills the bill nicely for ~15.00.
5
If price is not an object, the best Pinots in northern Cal are Dehlinger (waiting list only), Williams Selyem and Rochioli. ... Oh, and anything by Iron Horse, particularly their sparkling rose, is fabou. It's also a breathtakingly beautiful property, off remote 116.
6
Apothic Red meets my criteria for "a pretty darn good table wine", which is a category I've developed for myself. What I look for (as a person who loves wine but is on a fixed income) is a cheap wine that is palatable enough to get by, and won't offend my friends who have more refined tastes. For those with super-refined tastes who might literally turn up their noses, I offer them my home's well water, with the most authentic * terroir*.
27
Me? I love anything under $10 for easy drinking, dependable flavor and cost conscious, but Apothic and Meiomi are just two of many wines that are often better than $20+ wines. That's their niche! They produce steady quality at a great price to compete with wines up to $20.
Some wines just plain taste good, but other wines also remind you of a time and place gone by (whether that's "Ripple" or Rothschild).
Drink what tastes good to you (and you can afford). Cheers and happy New Year!
25
It is not a bias but most likely the genetic make up of my taste buds and olfactory senses that I prefer dry deep red wine. I have not tasted the wines described in this excellent piece. My home state provides me with wine chain stores like Bottle King and Laithwaite's wine which offer a gamut of excellent wines representing the major continents, namely, Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, South America and continental US. I always try humble wine names from the above continents and most of the time not disappointed. I call it backyard wine tasting.
4
FYI, most of the rest of the country:
Closest supermarket to where I live that sells wine: Supermarkets do not sell wine in NY.
But we sure do have liquor stores, and they are still in business precisely because NY does not allow spirits to be sold in supermarkets.
In the Western Catskills, the closest Costco and Trader Joe's are over 2 hours away.
It's interesting to read about the wine buying habits of others, as I buy all my wine, inexpensive and expensive, in liquor stores.
7
@Monica
"...But we sure do have liquor stores, and they are still in business precisely because NY does not allow spirits to be sold in supermarkets...."
THANK YOU!
EXACTLY. I said similarly and got "tagged" for being "happy" that we are not allowing competition from supermarkets. omg.
2
@elle
You said it sister.
I live 16 miles from each of the three nearest villages, and all three have small, privately owned liquor stores. They not only provide a living for the owners, but for the people who work there as well.
For value try the Washington State wines. Chateau St. Michelle Indian Wells for about $15 Cabernet which has been picked by Wine Spectator and widely available is hard to beat without going to $25 .
10
There are LOTS of Washington state Bordeaux style red blends that are excellent and priced from $18-60. Some of the best values in the world for such full bodied wines.
2
I like the Apothic Red, and had no idea it was owned by E&J Gallo. It's so good with spaghetti. Speaking of spaghetti, I now live in Polcenigo, Italy, and have tried a lot of wine from family-owned vineyards. These are very fresh and fruity, lacking in the "back of my tongue after taste" (that I like) of a Bordeaux. Maybe someone who is familiar with that particular taste can share with me why I like that taste and feel. I know that the local wines I have around me taste okay, but it is like the taste of the grape. That's it. What I'm looking for is the additional elements, like the soil, the cask, and the ageing. But, back to the story (and the top), I like Apothic Red.
8
@David Note also that domestic Italian wines are made from grapes grown with fewer pesticides than in chemical-crazy USA and many Italian vintners do not add sulfides. Both affect the taste – and the effect of wine
9
@David
Lucky you.
I am not so fond of northern Italian wines and much prefer those from the south. Suggest you try a wide variety to find something that might appeal, including Sicilia, Sardegna, Basilicata, and Pulia. They have more character than northern wines which I find insipid.
But to each their own.
2
Eh, I think these wines are all fine if you tend towards high alcohol, tannins, and overbearing fruit. The Apothic and Meiomi both taste super manipulated to me. I agree with some other commenters that there are more worthy wines at a similar price point that are also produced with a bit more soul. I'd rather give my money to people who are doing it the right way. But again, wine is a subjective experience. I'll admit to liking Apothic when I tried it early in my wine drinking years, but as a long time bartender, I've had the opportunity to taste so many different wines, and my preferences have become very specific as a result. Cost has little to do with it, though I've found a $25ish retail price point to offer many solid options.
7
Well give us some names then...if you’re so confident.
2
Thanks for the advice! I found the Apothic Red at Trader Joe's here in Fort Lauderdale this afternoon. Your column has great value because I will arrive at a party this evening with a good contribution that was inexpensive. I'll ask them to open it so we can all try to identify the characteristic you say "everybody will taste right away." This is the kind of info I hope for from the NYTimes.
7
Evaluate wine by how they taste to you, not by the price tag or what somebody else says about. Try it yourself and decide. There are plenty of good (in my opinion, judgement strickly on personal taste) wines in $10-15/bottle range. Unless you can afford $50+ bottle on a daily basis, why bother with the expense except perhaps on special occasions?
10
I'm from San Francisco, in my 60's, and have watched the wine industry grow and change in Napa and Sonoma over the years. It's estimated the percentage of wineries (in Napa and Sonoma) that are owned by the large beverage companies, is about 70% owned by eight companies. They don't worry about cannibalization of their products. They use their financial resources and do deep market research to figure out specific tastes and tailor the taste of each label they own at each price point.
The wine industry is a curious one and not unlike high-tech in Silicon Valley. There are constantly start-ups with very low volume production. They often hire a noted winemaker to come in and do a turn-key development to get them up and running, and depending on how much they pay, they can nearly get a guaranty of having a 90+ point wine within five years.
Then, like Silicon Valley, they have a decision to make. Do they try to grow their business or do they sell to a large beverage house? Fascinating business model.
There are "newer" regions in CA that have come on strong at much lower price points as the land cost is a fraction of that in Napa/Sonoma. Pasa Robles, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, in the a Central Coast region have come on strong in the last 10+ years. Californians have known about it, but they are now more visible and popular outside of CA. And, the prices are lower for surprisingly good quality.
Whatever your tastes, there is a wine and price for you from CA!!
36
@Gary Love your comparison of large popular wines to Silicon Valley. Really good wines are NOT mass produced. Protect small, original wineries that respect their products.
5
If I like the taste of a wine considering all the variables including confirmation by my octogenarian taste buds I'm in.I tried Meiomi
pricy in Canadian dollars and liked it.In fact I'm yet to taste a bad wine from Monterey county.Apothic red went inoffensively with a curry and that was the intention from the start.I refuse to mortgage my house to get to the Prisoner with its ominous sociopolitical undertone.
10
We have been buying Apothic Red by the case, as our daily table wine, for years-- $7.99 a bottle at Costco here in New Orleans. Its the first wine I have ever become so habituated to, that I literally am bothered when I must drink something else. Tip-- its better two or three days after the bottle has been opened. Its fine freshly opened... but letting it breath a few days does lovely things to it...
7
@Phagpa Do you think decanting it on the first day would do the same? Sounds like it needs aeration more than anything.
2
I am a true noob in the sense that, since I began dating my boyfriend nearly 5 years ago, I never really appreciated wine for the myriad of flavors, smells and looks. With time I have found that some red wines are not "horrid' to my taste buds. The ones that bother me most are the ones that have the strongest of flavors. I've mellowed in my snobbishness at only drinking white wines because I've had a few reds that really made me appreciate the depth that white wines sometimes lack. See, I'm a complete noob. Anyway, I've seen these in the markets and I'll give them a whirl! Thanks
2
@SweetestAmyC
Curious to know what the BF has to do with your growth and maturity.
The Prisoner, I agree is excellent. We had discovered that many years ago when it first appeared. Now Apothic Red, which as others have stated, I find utterly undrinkable. A weird cheap-wine sweetness or something that hits me the wrong way. Very wrong.
8
If you're looking for inexpensive but decent grocery-store-quality wines, please consider looking at wines in Tetra Pak containers. Glass, while technically recyclable, is a problem because of the high cost to ship it to a recycler. Give "Provisions" or "Bandit" a try for an everyday kind of wine.
3
Bota Box Pinot noir!
1
@Diane Englander
We refer to anything in a box as "cardbordeaux"!
Many a good late night discussion or camping trip with boxed wine - only trouble is tracking how much you drink.
Forget where you buy and who owns it - who’s making it and where does it come from? Been buying wine for years, and at the “lower” price points, there are consistently bargains available from all over the world, but most will not be from California. Most cheap California reds are hugely mass produced and have no character. Bogle and McManis are exceptions. Beyond them, stick to Washington State and Europe. And don’t forget Australia - don’t understand how it’s fallen out of favor. This is the best time in history to be a wine lover - feel no obligation to “be familiar” with the giant production wines just because they’re there.
11
The comment that "mass-produced wines are often another category, tailored to fit a preconceived notion in which flavor, texture and color have been carefully tested for popular appeal" is framed as a criticism.
For what other product would intentionally designing something to please the consumer be seen as a fault? Do the folks at NYTs Wirecutter ever apply that standard?
6
@Ruralist, The problem with mass market wines is the degree to which the wines are manipulated to achieve their goals of taste, mouth feel, sweetness, acidic balance and especially, a consistent product from year to year. Additives not natural to wine making are used liberally in such wines and there are no laws prohibiting their use and no requirement for listing them.
9
@Ruralist Great wines have always been about the land and the hands that tend the wines, so it serves to reason that a column dedicated to wine would focus on how these factors influence their flavor and our enjoyment of these beverages. To me and many others, there is no romance in wines that are made in labs and consumer focus groups - what more can be said of such wines by their defenders beyond "It tastes good" and "I like it"?
4
Trader Joes carries all of these labels and has a great price on them as well.
They are all good.
2
@Julie - TJ's in New Jersey d/n carry wine. Wish it did.
1
What's the premise of this article? As someone who lived in the Bay Area for over 25 years, you can get incredible wines in supermarkets in California. Frog's Leap, Sterling Vineyards, Chateau St Jean, as well as an amazing assortment of French, Italian and Australian wines, just to name a few. Just because you buy it in a supermarket, doesn't mean it's an inferior quality.
My rule of thumb if I want inexpensive wine, regardless of where I buy it, is to stick with France or Italy.
43
@Chana
AGREED!
6
I bought a bottle of the Meiomi and thought that it was the worst bottle of the year. To my mind, it bore no resemblance to any Pinot Noir that I had ever experienced. Yuk.
13
While I admit to being a Pinot snob (California, Oregon, Burgundy or even New Zealand) I may have a separate opinion on Meiomi. I donate wine to a local charity a couple of times a year that hosts events as a fundraiser. They sell the wine by the glass at their bar as part of their event. I have supplied several different wines over the years, but consistently, the wine that sell the most and get the most positive feedback from guests is the Meiomi Pinot. It may be the McDonald’s hamburger of Pinot: consistent, accepted and understood, but like those hamburgers, it sells. (As a note: Gloria Ferrer sparkling wines have the same effect.)
15
California and other West Coast producers make some very good wines, but they're not good at making cheap wines. That's because every good inexpensive wine is turned into a commodity and becomes a bland industrial product. If I want to find real bargains in good wines, I look for imports from Western Europe, which are much more likely to have an interesting character.
13
I don't agree. For the money it's hard to beat California Bogel's "Essental Red", as an everyday red table wine for $7.99 at Costco. Or, perhaps, Washington's 14 Hands "Hot to Trot" blend for $6.59-$7.99 also at Costco.
For a Pinot, I'd go with Oregon's Willamette Valley Vineyard's "Whole Cluster ", an amazingly soft, fruit forward Pinot Noir, a great buy at $18.
11
Two thumbs up for Bogle’s CA Essential Red!
3
Meiomi Pinot is great. Excellent for the price point and great with food or on its own. With all due respect, Apothic Red, even for a 10 dollar bottle of wine, is undrinkable. Black Box Malbec is ten times better.
7
@Jeremy
drinking black box right now, on sale for twenty dollars a box, and i totally agree.
2
Wine is supposed to be an agricultural product. Buying Apothic Red at the grocery store is like picking up a 6-pack of Coke. There's nothing wrong with it, if that's what you like. But it is nothing like getting fresh produce from a farmer's market.
26
I had my first glass of Apothic Red at a wine bar. We were eating random appetizers and buying wine by the glass. At the time it seemed mild but palatable. It didn’t clash with the food we were eating.
The following week, I bought a bottle to have with dinner at home, which was planned rather than random, and better suited perhaps to the Nero d’Avolas and Malbecs that we had been buying around that time. The Apothic Red was a disappointing companion. Too thin, too light. Unhelpful to the dishes we made rather than bought. Never purchased again.
In my opinion, Apothic Red doesn’t pair. It submits.
9
Stewed fruit and alcohol...they lack any structure or finesse at all. There are so many better alternatives in the same price range (albeit not from California usually).
12
Interesting to learn that The Prisoner is mass produced. I recently had it at a tasting in our local wine shop and found it particularly off-putting to my septuagenarian taste. Jammy, simplistic, sugar converted to alcohol. But it seemed a cult wine to many at the mostly zinfandel tasting - as evidenced by the price.
I miss the claret-styled Napa zinfandels of my twenties and thirties, most hovering around 12% alcohol. In my forties, zinfandel somehow became a "white" wine? And then returned in a style we used to term "late harvest" and considered a desert wine. Tastes cycle and people should drink what they enjoy, but with The Prisoner at $42 people are over paying not only for manufactured wine, but manufactured cachet.
23
@Dennis the prisoner is a prisoner of its own success. Clearly showing, yet again that pretty labels do sell wine, and what is in the bottle, may be be just red in color.
6
@Warren Bobrow
You're right Warren that the Prisoner has become a prisoner of its own success. It started off well both in price and taste. But, it's changed since its early days since being sold to Constellation. Dave Phinney is off doing other interesting "Blend" projects, so I follow what he's doing and buy his early efforts before he sells-out to the large conglomerates.
3
@Dennis Agreed. My description of The Prisoner is a "sun bomb". For the same price range (or less), there some rather spectacular Zinfandels being produced in the Dry Creek area up by Healdsburg - Bella comes to mind. Same price range for carefully made small vineyard and small batch wines.
6
I like the Meiomi. It stacks up pretty well against the other Pinots in the price range. And although I've tried many outstanding wines—analyzing and dissecting their subtle and distinctive flavors—I've never really done so with the Meiomi. It just feels pleasant going down, and leaves a nice taste behind. This may be exactly why half the commenters here hate it, and the other half like it: it's predictably pleasant, with very little pretense.
5
When you get beyond the reds, please try Meiomi Rose. I always wondered about the source, now I know. It is ~$20 at WF (cheaper at Safeway w/ the current discount). More than I usually spend for everyday wine but very yummy. And I'm on a Rose kick (despite the season).
1
Good imported rosado from Portugal can be had for $10 a bottle. $20 is way too expensive for any rosé.
3
Portugal has some good ones, indeed. But try all the French rose' wines--including those around $20. Some really amazing ones!!
2
Readers who shop at Trader Joes should ask a manager or the wine clerk to explain the TJ house wine label color system. The TJ house wines are extraordinary values.
The 2018 $15 dollar TJ champagne with the platinum label this year was (now sold out) a $50 bottle if the originating vineyard's label had been applied. We thought it to be Domaine Chandon. Crisp, delicious and affordable for retirees.
33
@john sheridan Here in Idaho, the state won't allow stores to sell wine that has their name on it. We buy the TJ Reserves when we are in AZ or CA or WA or OR...........you get my drift.
Oh, Idaho!
Prisoner at $42 is excels at being over-priced.
20
I enjoyed the other readers' comments; they make an interesting comparison to my thoughts and ran the gamut, though often they are the same points we've been hearing made for quite some time.
We have been drinking Meiomi at home since a friend introduced us and we like the Pinot Project and A to Z as well. Overall, I do find these wines a little sweet, and maybe too full or chewy or solid... sometimes, but they are usually on sale and are always reliable and a solid step up from 3 buck Chuck. With 100's and 100's of labels to choose from and a constant churn of labels, seasons, availability issues, price changes and opinionators, it is very hard for an enthusiastic, time pressed, casual drinker on a budget to make choices. Meiomi and its like fill the bill for us in most situations.
4
Tried the Meiomi some time ago and found it to be a little on the sweet side. As already noted, some of the best bargains in good, every day wines come from Italy, France, Portugal and especially Spain, which itself offers a wide variety of excellent reds and whites for under $15, many everyday table wines for under $10, including wines from the Rioja Alta and Alavesa, Navarra, Ribera del Duero, Toro, Rueda, Empordà, Castilla y León, Madrid, Ribeira Sacra and Rias Baixas.
Washington State also has some very decent everyday reds and whites for under $12, but few of my favorite California wines, from Paso Robles, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara, are priced under $25.
10
@Philip Perhaps you haven't tried some of the very decent California pinot noirs such as La Crema (Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County and Monterey) all to be found reasonably priced around 15 to 17 dollars at Costco, Safeway and other venues. Also Kenwood is a very nice pinot. We were given Meiomi around Christmas and didn't like it ... in fact tipped some down the sink. To each his or her own.
4
@Terezinha also MacMurray Pinot Noir is a nice red under $20. And Rodney Strong.
4
@Philip
Shhh. We want to save the Spanish wines for ourselves.
3
I am only good at distinguishing white wine from red wine. I am perfectly happy with my cheap wine and delighted when a 30 10% off sale hits the supermarket. I really DON'T want to learn to enjoy wine, I can't afford which seems sacrilegious so close to wine country.
8
@Vickie, the best thing I learned in a (fancy) wine school 30 years ago is that any idiot with lots of money can buy a good bottle of wine, but it takes education and work to find a bottle that you can both enjoy and afford. Of the wines written above, I find the Meomi too sweet; the Apothek is an OK zinfandel plonk, and I won't spend $42 on the other one when I can get quite lovely cotes de Rhone, Rioja, Pinot Gris, and others for well below $15. Life is too short to drink bad wine. Trying new wines is grown up playing with your food.
3
I'm curious to know whether any of these wines are sold in China and how their tastes are influencing the mass produced wines that are sold in the US.
Mr. Asimov - I'm not sure if you'll read this or if I'll get another chance but I wanted to thank you for your "$25 and under" column back in the 90's. In grad school at the time and with limited funds it allowed me to experience good food when I otherwise should not have been able to. I have many fond memories of great meals at L'Ardoise on the upper east side and Marichu by the UN (just to name a few). Thank you so much.
18
Prisoner is still a good wine, even though it is now part of Constellation. Prisoner just opened a new tasting room in the old Franciscan Wines space. They make a couple of other interesting wines such as Saldo and Headlock which is a Charbono blend.
1
At $42 for The Prisoner, I'll pass. There are thousands of wines from small producers around the globe at that price point that are far better. There are many thousands available for less money that are better as well.
7
I‘m confused. Perhaps I‘m not used to US prizes but in Germany most wines prized above the equivalent of 10$ in retail would be considered pretty good, anything costing 40$ or more better be excellent or buying them would be a waste of money. There are exceptions of course but that’s the rule of thumb in Europe. And that’s not me saying it but one friend who is a sommelier and another who studied viticulture and enology.
45
@Frank Neumann
You are right. There are more than a few good red California wines to be had at food markets for $7 or less, especially if you buy with the 6-bottle discount. The higher prices cited by Mr Asimov are what one expects to pay for special occasion wines of inherent character, not beverages made to conform to a marketing profile. I am at a loss to understand how this article is supposed to educate anyone.
8
I haven't bought much wine Germany, but we spent 2 months in Copenhagen and on another occasion 6 weeks travelling between Amsterdam and Stockholm. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find good wines, even at a 40 euro price point. There just wasn't much variety available even at wine shops in the middle of capital cities. I expected to find lots of Rhone and Bordeaux, but didn't really. I expect that the problem is high taxes on wine in that part of the world. I love Europe and given our current government I actually feel more comfortable there. However, the US wine retail environment is much better.
5
@Frank Neumann -- Danke Frank! I lived in Munich for 8 years and got spoiled with the quality, selection and availability of good wines for 10 euros or less.
4
I enjoy fruity, even jammy wines among others. We also are proud consumers of inexpensive wines. The 3 showcased wines are on my too sweet, too bland to drink list however inexpensive they are. Old world wine makers have followed the California trend toward fruitier more easy drinking wines extending choices for interested drinkers. No need to drink these 3 sugar bombs.
Brian
7
First of all, I'm a big fan of Mr. Asimov and value highly and often resonate strongly with, his opinions and advice. This little plug for giving the commercial, mass produced, CA wines a try is surprisingly uncharacteristic. I have tasted two out of the three suggested wines and, although it's been awhile, in my estimation, they don't hold a candle to more authentic and unadulterated small production wines. It's true that I am biased toward natural wines and my palate has grown accustomed to these. I also don't mean to be elitist and exclusive by rejecting the more commercial brands but honestly, for less than the price of The Prisoner one can find many higher quality, real wines that reflect where they come from and the personality of the grape rather than some pre-fabricated taste standard.
24
@Spring Berlandt ..... Yup.
1
I think the best point in this article is that popular labels get sold to large winemakers. And Apothic Red is owned by Gallo! So find out who owns the label and look for some vintner with a little more integrity. Big is all right, but dedicated to good wines like the the guys in Bordeaux. Blends, as Mr. Asimov points out have been around for a long time. Tame the names, figure out what you like and enjoy them. Oh, and look at a few Pacific Northwest wines where value and taste come together is a big way.
16
I taught wine courses at the UNLV Hotel College and always taught my students that the best wine is the wine they like the best. There are a multitude of wines because there are a multitude of tastes. No one person's taste is superior to another's, and I refuse to pass judgment on someone whose taste differs from mine, nor will I pass judgment on those who produce wines for those people.
Am I better able than those of simpler taste to discern what makes Meiomi a lesser Pinot Noir? Probably. So what? Those people do not care. They know what they like and they know what they can afford. Kudos to Constellation for providing those customers an affordable product they can appreciate. Having tasted Meiomi once I will never try it again. But Constellation isn't making that wine for me. I am not superior to their customers, merely different.
126
Simply: California "wines"? Echh! Alcoholic fruit beverage.
Value and real wine? Spain, Italy, southern France are the best areas to explore in the $12.00 to $18.00 range.
24
@Janice Don't throw out the baby with the bath water. There are some terrific new unpretentious wineries popping up in CA., away from Sonoma. I just tried one that came from a new winery where the grapes are grown and the wines are made in the City of LA! Delicious and not expensive.
7
@Janice: I assume from your post that you tried all the bottlings from all the vineyards...? Oh, you haven't? Hmmm...
FWIW, I think many of the reds from smaller vineyards in the Paso Robles area are outstanding. Frankly, nowadays if you spend $15-20 on a bottle from almost *anywhere*, chances are you'll drink a decent to very good wine. Not transformative, but still quite pleasant.
10
@Janice
And what about Oregon wines? I've found one excellent one--white. Lexome if I'm spelling it correctly. Tasty!
3
My general experience has shown that at an equivalent price level, the European wines far outstrip the California wines every time. I have never understood why this is.
28
2000+ plus years of experience making them? Americans tend to believe that a determined person can become anything, in next to no time, if he or she sets her/his mind to it. I am not convinced.
11
@rlschles. Land and labor costs probably explain why two comparable wines are priced differently.
5
It always sounds good when one is able to verbalize and ask for a preferred style of wine, but there’s one problem with asking for a red blend because it isn’t one single style of wine.
In fact, red blend doesn’t really mean anything at all.
Red blends are typically full-bodied, round, rich, and juicy, providing full flavor and drinkability at a low cost and that is it.
5
@BMEL47, That may describe California red blends but in Europe the majority of wines are blends and have been for eons. The greatest Bordeaux and Bourgogne are blends. They are usually far more subtle than American blends. Europeans and other knowledgable wine drinkers don't buy wine by the varietal of grape as Americans have become accustomed to doing. IMHO a well crafted blend is superior to a single varietal. I don't find that finesse in large production wines.
3
@Rob D
Please let us know which of the greatest wines from Bourgogne are blends. All these years I have been under the impression that red Burgundy is pinot noir (alone) and white Burgundy is chardonnay (alone).
4
What I learned from the comments: First if the wine is mass-produced (supermarket wine), then a connoisseur will not like it. After all, how can you can you have expert taste if you like the same wines as the masses do. Second, if the wine is sweet and has an identifiable fruit flavor, a connoisseur will not like it. Humans are naturally drawn to sweets. So, a non-sweet wine is an acquired (sophisticated) taste. Third, because there are thousands of wines, you can show off your knowledge, by discovering a rare (boutique) wine. This is much like being able to identify unusual mushrooms in the forest (but much less important). Fourth, “de gustibus non-disputandum” holds (there is no accounting for taste), although connoisseurs argue otherwise. The fifth point is related to the fourth. A particular boutique winery may produce a wine that appeals to someone’s taste. This taste preference is often inappropriately justified by the argument that small-scale production is better, more natural, or whatever. Sixth, some individuals spend a great deal of time on discovering and evaluating wine when they could be spending their time on learning more on history, economics, and politics. Admittedly, I have been spending my valuable time responding to the comments.
198
@wd40 each of your points are spot on. I rarely spend $42 on a bottle of wine, but when I do, I better love it. I know that will be the case with The Prisoner. I don't have enough interest in the topic to spend any time on it (when it comes up at business dinners, I'm checking my watch/phone/exit). I choose to be a snob in other areas.
8
@wd40 There is a difference between sweet and fruity. Lots of wine aficianados love fruity wine... Failing to draw a distinction between fruit driven reds and manufactured sweet gloppy messes like Apothic does all wine drinkers a disservice. These manufactured wines might be best described as "grape product", with no sense of any particular region, grape, vintage, and certainly no nuance. There are dozens of wines like this, and they're almost indistinguishable from one another. If that's what you like, more power to you, but please don't pretend we need literally dozens of these ubiquitous-tasting off-dry marketing vehicles (aka wines) cluttering store shelves and wine lists.
Meanwhile, and perhaps worst of all, all these Apothic and Meoimi drinkers will tell you they don't like "sweet" wine, and refuse to even try German Riesling (for example)... Despite many of them being better wines, more nuanced, balanced, and delicious in every way. And that's because they are drinking off-dry wines, but don't even know it.
I'd love to see Eric do a follow up where he levels with these "wine" fans about what they are drinking... Maybe it would open up a whole new world of wines that they never considered before.
20
@wd40 this comment is awesome.
7
I have nothing against inexpensive wines; in fact, there is an Italian red at Trader Joe's that is absolutely wonderful that I enjoy on a regular basis. That said, some of these low-priced wines are just plain awful; tasteless, acidic and way too oaky. I stopped drinking California Chardonnays for that reason---many of the low-end Chards have been undrinkable and taste the same to varying degrees, but that is slowly changing. I hope the Times will have more of these articles, however. The Post does, and the suggestions are helpful, and definitely worth a try.
11
@Birdygirl
Could you share the name of the TJ's italian wine? We promise not to drink it all!
2
This is a useful rubric. It is very rare that I go above $20 or below $10. In this price range, I can find excellent choices at my local Kroger, Costco, or Whole Foods. My go-to label is California 's Joel Gott, particularly, in a red, the 2015 or 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon 815, 13.9% alcohol. By tbe way, the Gott unoaked Chardonnay is also very good. Finally, can anyone tell me why my Mid-Michigan Kroger has a better California wine selection than comparable supermarkets in California?
8
I received four bottle of Gott Cab from a friend. Opened one, tasted it, poured it out, and threw the rest away.
2
I had a good friend who grew on a ranch in Montana and never drank a drop of wine until he moved to CA in his late 30's. He wore a cowboy hat, boots and jeans until the day he passed and it was always a treat to walk in to a winery tasting room with him along side. No one I know could pick out a good wine better than he could. "I just know what I like".......That's all you need to know about wine tasting.
38
Is decanting a red wine a thing of the past? I find that any red tastes better afterwards.
7
@Jack McDonald we usually decant a decent red. It speeds up the breathing process to have a large surface of air exposed wine.
8
@Jack McDonald. To avoid preciousness: Just pour it into glasses in advance or pour it from glass to glass a few times before drinking.
1
@Jack McDonald We have a special funnel for aeration that sprays the wine out horizontally onto the walls of a carafe. We bought it in an odd little place just south of Central Park, but they’re probably available online. We also have a set of carafes from 250ml up to a litre, depending on how many people we intend to serve and how many bottles we intend to open. Sometimes, we leave an empty bottle (with the filter left in it) in a place where people can look at it. Or we have a couple of carafes going on the table. Decanting is an activity that appeals to guests (well, some guests anyway).
We also have decanter cleaners, which appeal to foodies, who enjoy finding them in our kitchen drawers.
So decant away, I say!
1
There are "everyday" wines, "for company" wines and "special occasion" wines. My rule-of-thumb is that everyday wines are about $10, but that is arbitrary, and based on budget. There are lots of bottles in this category, so plenty of opportunity to pick favorites.
We find that the Apothic is jammy, a good pairing with sweet/spicy red meat dishes like barbecued ribs. 14 Hands Wild Horses is, in my opinion, a better value in a red blend. Decent Bordeaux can also be had at this price point. For that food pairing, I would pick an everyday Zinfandel.
I don't particularly care for the Meiomi. Mark West and D'Autrefois Pinots come in at the same price point and in my view are a better value.
I can't comment on The Prisoner.
It is, of course, a matter of personal preference. An everyday bottle is no great investment, so it's painless to try a few unfamiliar bottles and note which ones strike your fancy. When we particularly enjoy such a bottle, I take a picture with my phone, so I can look for it at the wine store.
12
As someone who makes his living selling and writing about wine I have always held a grudging respect for big volume wine producers because the economy of scale gets wine on the shelves at an affordable price. As much as I love small, artisanal producers they simply cannot make $10 wine, and most of the world drinks $10 wine. My issue with Apothic is that it is sold as a dry wine but in fact contains 17 grams of residual sugar, more than a can of Coke. If I want sweet wine I will drink a Spatlese Riesling, a naturally sweet that doesn't pretend to be anything but.
83
I get a headache whenever I drink a wine made by Gallo. Haven’t seen any recently at places I shop, but last encounter with one they had disguised corporate name in tiny print. Will be more aware if I am purchasing an unknown California wine.
7
@Geoff Last " As much as I love small, artisanal producers they simply cannot make $10 wine"
They can, just not in North America.
36
@Bob R
All because of the crowding out effect from the marketing muscle behind wines like these and consumers trained on the brand as the sole guiding post.
8
Eric-
These wines are much like fast food, but not priced like the commodities that they are. These are all California wines that are candied, overtly alcoholic, oak bombs. If your taste is for accessible California wines, Bogle would be my go-to brand for $10 or less (still famliy-owned, by the way). If you're willing to pay $42 - the price of The Prisoner- try the extraordinarily reliable, high quality wines of Charles Krug (oldest winery in the Napa Valley and still owned by the (Peter) Mondavi family).
If you really like wine, look beyond California for great Rioja Reserva from Spain, Chianti Classico from Italy, red and white Bourgogne wines from reputable négociants in Burgundy, as well as true Chablis if you like "naked" (unoaked) Chardonnay. Wines from Long Island, the Finger Lakes, the Hudson Valley of New York State, and Pinot Noir from Oregon might also foot the bill.
These wines are all big "brands," and if you like predictable consistency, by all means enjoy one of these with your Big Mac and fries.
46
@Steven Kolpan
Spot on.
Please don't mention Rioja and Chablis, though. We want to keep them for ourselves. Along with Jadot Macon Villages.
3
@Steven Kolpan: Written like a true wine snob, and not likely to get people to try the wines you espouse.
Like the wines mentioned in this article or not, "predictable consistency" is absolutely, positively not a fault in wine. The best makers aspire to it, as much as is possible, from vintage to vintage.
The snarky "Big Mac and fries" trope is really the epitome of wine-snobdom.
3
@Steven Kolpan
I second the Bogle. Try their old vine zinfandel.
3
In my cellar have 2000 Chateau Margaux and many other 2000 and 2003 Bordeaux's plus many excellent California and Oregon wines. But I routinely drink all 3 of these wines. They are perfectly good house wines. Price is right and they go fine with food. No reason being a wine snob. These are what most of my friends serve when I go to their homes.
9
@Marina beirne "Price is right." Not for The Prisoner.
1
My go-to: 7 Deadly Zins. I understand that the brand has just been purchased, so we'll see if it remains a favorite.
11
The idea of drinking Mieomi makes me welcome the traditional dry January. (Haven't tried Apothic Red & from the comments probably best that I haven't).
5
I wish the reviewer had tried Apothic Dark, a much richer red blend which I've been enjoying for over a year now, and my guests appreciate it too. It has an subtle undertone of coffee, making for a pleasant experience to drink alone or with food.
1
As a former wine seller, the best values by far, even for mass produced wines, are Chilean. From the supermarket, the go-to is the Concha y Toro Frontera cab/merlot blend, $8.99 for the mag (1.5 liter/ 2 bottles worth); or anything from Errazuriz or Casa Lapostolle in the $10 to $20 range. The carmenere varietal (formerly confused with merlot) produces amazing values, the malbec of Chile.
56
@fullkeel Shhhhhh. Been drinking chilean carmenere and taking advantage of its amazing value for about 10 years -- always dreading the day when it will be "discovered" and the prices skyrocket.
4
The Argentine blended reds are widely available in supermarkets and tend to be excellent - especially with food. At the low price point, I really enjoy the Carlos Basso 'Dos Fincas' (blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec) can be found for under $15 and sometimes under $10. As one would expect with Argentine wines, it goes really well with steaks.
10
Argentina's Malbecs are wonderful and not at all costly for majority.
Great wine with red meat--as the Argentinians, masters of grilling, know! Also great with cheese dishes.
The Prisoner is my absolute favorite wine. I realize the author's point, but it was jarring to see it in the same picture as Apothic (I'm not familiar with the third). Apothic wines are not bad, and certainly priced nicely. But The Prisoner has a smoothness to it that surpasses most wines...Apothic doesn't even come close. It's like comparing mushrooms and truffles.
I plan to be opening my remaining bottle of The Prisoner later today, it isn't distributed to stores up here in northern Maine, but picked up two bottles at Whole Foods when I was down in Portland some months ago. It's going to be a good day.
10
Buying wine by the brand??? Eric, you've sold out to the US wine marketing machine. They are driven by people who have no compunction about deceiving wine drinkers instead of honestly nurturing them.
For the readers,
https://www.winesandvines.com/news/article/203507/Elouan-Wines-Draw-Ire-in-Oregon-Over-Labeling
4
@interested observer Do you honestly believe most Italians and French consume the finest vintage on a daily basis. The drink vin ordinaire. I suspect these are a step above the American vin ordinaires.
2
@GUANNA
Don't understand the point you are trying to make in your reply.
The point I am making is that there are people in the industry who couldn't care less about truth in labeling. If they are willing to bend the rules, who knows what else they are willing to do, chemical flavoring additives, colors, etc. to hoodwink a customer to make a profit.
1
Meiomi "Pinot Noir." That stuff is stalking me, and here it is again. It follows me, taunts me. It is horrid.
20
When I first tried Apothic Red, I enjoyed it and began using it as my every day wine. It didn't take me very long to tire of this wine, and I won't drink it again. My go to wine is now a Cotes du Rhone for a few bucks more.
That said, my goal for an every day wine is to drink the cheapest one I can enjoy, so if a reader can drink Apothic Red frequently and still like it, more power to him/her!
8
@Mike in New Mexico: Same experience over here with Apothic Red. With wine it's like with people: Immediate pleasure is not always a good indicator for a long-term relationship which may need some effort from both sides.
5
@Mike in New Mexico - You need Apothic Dark.
We're full-time RVers who traipse up and down the West Coast each year. We stop at a number of the wine producing areas, taste their offerings, and usually buy a bottle or two at each stop, usually in the $30-50 price range. These wines are then brought out for special occasions. The rest of the time, we quaff what Costco has to offer, usually buying in the $10-12 per bottle price range.
I have no trouble discerning the differences between our winery wines and the more broadly distributed bottles. If I could afford to spend $30 and up for a bottle on a daily basis, I would probably move up to the pricier offerings, but, alas, I cannot. Nevertheless, we enjoy our cocktail hour each evening and the wine we drink with it. The simple pleasures are often the best.
102
Stating that a wine is best known for a particular characteristic that I’m sure everybody will taste right away, without identifying the characteristic, is the hallmark of a terrible and irresponsible review. What makes a wine good, great or terrible, lies in the tastebuds of the beholder. What makes a wine review great is education of the consumer; not haughty, pretentious riddles. Full disclosure: the characteristic is sweetness, a manufactured sugar bomb that some may enjoy
140
@Paul I figured it would be alcohol - mass market Cali wines are typically booze bombs. Prob a combination of the two.
5
@Paul
This column was in no way a review; it was an invitation to a discussion about mass-produced wines, with these as examples. The sweetness of Apothic Red apparently hits one over the head (I don't know, because I'm not about to taste it after reading the comments), so Asimov's coyness -- or reluctance to bias the discussion -- strikes me as reasonable.
12
@Paul Yes, it is sickeningly sweet. That's what was meant.
Stopped all wines, headaches were unbearable. Grapefruit and vodka with an occasional sativa hybrid works for me.
6
@hb --suggest you try a low tannin wine, such as pinot noir.
3
@hb: top-shelf mescal, neat, in a large snifter...
1
@Elizabeth Thanks, happy new year.
Californian wine is like syrup....
4
Sweeping generalizations aside, California wine is like many things, but by all means, take a pass, more for us.
20
@JC You've tried them all?
2
With pleasure!!!!@Wendoyloch
1
There’s an awful lot of concern in these comments about who’s a snob and who isn’t. I offer the suggestion that, with respect to wine, everyone—absolutely everyone—should be considered a snob.
15
@rjon
"Not that there's anything wrong with that!"
3
I'd be interested in your thoughts about truth in labeling. When grapes come from Oregon, say, but are made into wine in California, what should the label say. There's been some serious controversy about Meiomi's creator, Joseph Wagner, and his production of Elouan wine, which one wine store owner told me was very similar to Meiomi. Elouan uses all sorts of Oregon descriptors but . . . .
5
@George Vogt Yes, you can just imagine what goes on behind the scenes when they adopt such deceptive practices and do so righteously.
1
I'm a fan of Apothic red but I've never seen it, or any other decent wine, in a supermarket.
@Jon B Well, you wouldn't in New York (where supermarkets can't sell real wine), but I definitely once bought it in a 7-11 in Virginia.
2
@Jon B, ah those Blue Laws and the package store owners who supported them have seriously left New England (and by extension it seems Long Island too) out in the cold. I moved from the east to California where my local Safeway grocery store carries all of the libations I could ever need--and sells them well into the late evening too!
9
@Jon B - Good for you Jon! It is sold in my Giant food store in Allentown PA. DO try the Apothic Dark.
It's wonderful!
I like Apothic Red. It goes well with almost anything (except seafood). It's bright red and jammy (can I call it sweet?), and the price is right. Just for fun, I like to call it Apathetic when I go to the store.
6
Palpable sweetness in the Apothic and Meoimi, while the Prisoner is drier, but pruney/overripe. These is nothing distinctive for the first two... they could be from any grape or any place. The obvious residual sugar and cheap oak treatment not only creates consistency, but also destroys any sense of flavor beyond sweet grape juice and vanilla. Meanwhile, The Prisoner has some unique attributes still, but that doesn't mean it is a good wine... I think it is an overripe and over concentrated mess. Honestly, to my palate, all of these are awful grape juice concoctions and barely merit being called wine.
42
@Jim B-
“... they could be from any grape or any place ...” because they are.
As for the idea that “terroir” is a crucial element in fine wine, the vintner probably worries more about “terroirists” attacking his factory. And that’s what it is, too, a factory, and the wine-making process resembles beer brewing. Those wines should be in boxes, not bottles. “Box wine” pronounced “boxswine”, as in swill. Of course, if you ask your favorite bartender for “a glass of swill” he might pour you anything, including a shot of Hennessy VS.
1
@Jim B Your descriptions are exactly what I would suspect the wines taste like. Thank you, so now I have no reason to try them.
I think anyone offering an opinion on what these wines -- or anything else -- tastes like, should state whether or not they smoke. I say this not to dump on smokers, but because I remember a time in my teens when my parents, both chimneys, quit smoking. Within a few days they began complaining that all of their food tasted terrible. I told them that was because they were actually tasting their food for the first time in many years. Within a week they went back to multiple packs a day, and enjoying their food until they died way too young, one from cancer, the other COPD. But not to digress. My point is, whenever someone tells me they are having a great cabernet, or an IPA, then they go outside to have a cigarette (or worse, cigar), I give their opinion no credence. Perhaps it is valuable to other smokers, though.
27
@Outdoor Greg, and when it comes to an IPA, your taste buds are dead after the first beer. Well, not so much dead because you can still taste *grapefruit* for some reason--but yeah, smoking is definitely not something that you want to take up when drinking good wine.
I love wine. I've had very expensive wine and cheap wine. In a blindfold test I don't think I could tell the difference. My favorite $10 go-to red is Bogle Essential Red. Fruit forward but not too sweet. Delicious.
10
@Rebecca-
Well, if that’s really the case might I recommend the two great wines of my dissipated youth for your ultimate displeasure (if you’re the least bit sentient):
Ripple, and Red Mountain.
Ripple needs no explanation but what separated Red Mountain from it and all the rest (besides the gallon jug it came in) — if its acidic, tannic cloying taste became too great an insult to your palate you could use it to clean your carburetor.
3
@Rebecca
John Bogle was the founder of Vanguard. He was the most trustworthy and wonderful man in the financial world. I trust his wines.
2
Amazing! I did not know this winery was related to John Bogel. Thanks for sharing.
Besides the "Essential Red", I recommend their "Phantom", for about $13 at Costco. Great name and an even greater blend worthy of $20 priced wines.
4
Each year we choose a city or region in the U.S. for a vacation setting aside one day to explore the region's wineries. The explanation for the success of these wines came from our trip to Omaha, Nebraska. We visited five wineries in the region around nearby Lincoln. Only one had what an experienced wine drinker would call a decent red. The rest had overly sweet wines and one vintner, explaining the abundance, simply said, "It's what the public wants." No telling for taste, eh.
4
@Jimmy
I too, have noticed this annoying trend to "sweet red wines". It used to be the blackberry wines were the sole owners for that category.
I enjoy blackberry wine (or elderberry wine) on occasion but this growing sweet wine thing is for the birds!
4
The only one of these wines I've tried is the Apothic, both the red and the black label. They are quite drinkable and good with pizza, but there are better 10-dollar wines out there. Red blends from Bogle and Menage a Trois are a little more complex but still fruity and on the sweet side.
I picked up a bottle of Coppola Rosso for $10 last night which was pretty good, much more adult, drier and a bit astringent, like a good, cheap Tuscan table wine.
Speaking of Italian reds, Trader Joe's has a line if them - the Epicuro brand - that can be pretty good at $7.00. The Primitivo and the Nero d'Avola are as good as their equivalents in Italy in the 6-7 Euro range. They are not consistent but if you get a good bottle they can be quite good. Buon appetit!
17
Trader Joe’s has the best $4-6 wine. Anything from Chile is a safe bet.
13
@Jmk
Long live Trader Joe's!!
1
I thought this column was going to be about the critic telling us which of these wines was the best value for the money. Silly me. Perhaps if wine writers had to pay for their own bottles like the rest of us, they might not be so dismissive of affordable bottles. I've had all three of these wines, and enjoyed each of them because of the people I was with at the time. Period.
72
@Capt. Obvious
Wine is really in the mouth of the beholder. Mostly anyway. So, just relax and enjoy. Do not overdo the tasting. Let go and just be yourself. Try it !
6
@Capt. Obvious they always do a follow-up article where they will analyze the wine club wines. Relax.
5
It is New Year's Eve. humbly suggest that Mr. Asimov address Champagne. I am not a student of wine and know what I like when I taste it. Yes, I would have difficulty expressing the attributes apparently required for informed discussion about wine.
While I prefer "supermarket" red wines well under $20 a bottle and usually under $10, holidays and special occasions include Champagne. Thank Costco for delivering such choices of consistent red and white wines for under $10. On those few holiday occasions, the cost is less important and the difference to me in Champagne is greater than the difference among different types of wine. Again, thank Costco for offering Bollinger for a not unreasonable price.
5
@Andrew
I gladly jump in for the Champagne.
A few years ago, on Cape Cod, I came across a bottle of “Gruet” from New Mexico; this French Champagne maker has its U.S vineyard over there. On my following trips to the U.S. I did not manage to find it again although I had liked to bring a bottle back to Europe. But then again, I also find the French Gruet very pleasurable and the price/quality ratio of both is excellent.
11
In California Gruet can be found at BevMo at a great price. Right now they have their 5 cent sale going on. You can buy a bottle of Gruet for $19.95 and get a second one for 5 cents. It’s my go-to sparkling wine. The sparkling rosè is nice, too.
3
@Marie Here in New Mexico, Gruet Champagne is readily available. The Gruet pinot noir is quite good and an excellent value.
3
It's interesting that few if any commenters mention drinking these wines with food. Isn't that what wine is (mostly) for?
6
@Frank,that's what wine used to be for, at least before the homogenization of wine at the hands of global consumerism. Now, winemakers eager to cash in on high scores resort to micro-oxygenation to cater to the mass palate. Yeah, call me elitist, but I do like wines that have personality; however, I also like to quaff wine without food, which is something that the mass palate enjoys.
What's happened with wine is what's happened to the rest of "high" culture--it's been made palatable for the masses because, as winemaker Ettiene de Montille sees it, "People are wicked for money."
We love Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cab. $9.99. Consistent and probably has that "characteristic" that everyone recognizes, but so what? For everyday drinking, it can't be beat. We love it so much that a tasting trip to Columbia Valley was capped by a tour of the winery, a special chance meeting with the winemaker, and a chance to sample their craft and limited edition vintages. We even withstood some ribbing by the pourers in the fancy tasting rooms in Walla Walla when we dared to mention that we had been to Columbia Crest and enjoyed their wines.
We are not wine snobs by any means, but love to educate ourselves in the different flavors of our favorite grapes. We have a cellar full of small batch and small vineyard wines we picked up and lovingly packed in suitcases from Willamette Valley, Columbia Valley and eastern Washington State, Anderson Valley and Sonoma, which we save for special occasions and to share with friends.
We love wine that tastes good and familiar, including the three mentioned in this article, Apothic Red is on our rack right now. We always have good luck browsing the "Alternative Red" wall at our local Stew Leonards and sampling new things. A decent, reliable bottle under $19.99 is always a good find.
11
I used to work at Trader Joe’s and therefore are familiar with our own TJ-branded wines as well as some of the biggest name brands. We didn’t sell The Prisoner but am very familiar with the other two. The Meiomi was quite popular because, if you tasted it blind, you’d probably guess it was a Syrah or Merlot. It’s not varietally consistent with what makes a Pinot taste like a Pinot, and people seemed to like that. As for the Apothic...let me say that Starbucks realized that people like really sweet warm coffee-like drinks, and made a fortune. Apothic is the Frappuccino of red wine.
118
@Dan
AHA! I told you it was the coffee!!
2
@Dan
Your comments are spot-on.
Of the three in the article, I've had only the Apothic. I hated it, because as you said, it's a "really sweet warm [wine]-like" drink. It is indeed "the Frappuccino of red wine."
I don't generally like Pinots (pace the film Sideways), but as a result of your description, I will try the Meiomi. I'll likely never try the Prisoner unless it gets offered to me on someone else's tab.
As to cheap mass-market wines, I like nearly all the Dark Horse varietals and blends, and Pillar Box Red was always a favorite. Pricier (~$15+) but quite good is Bogle's Phantom.
4
I had Starbucks remake the last frappuccino that arrived warm.
1
My daughter opened a Meiomi Pinot over Christmas that she and I agreed had been corked; we both have experienced great wines at various levels, including one I had at $2,000/bottle so are not novices; I have had Meiomi more than once and enjoyed it. It was unfortunate, but can happen to any wine as I've also experienced. With wines in this class it can be a bit deceiving if the spoliation has just begun or in early stages, as these wines do tend to have distinctive flavors that may be a bit pronounced around the edges. I would still recommend Meiomi (and the Apothic Red, which I've also had) as very good inexpensive and highly accessible red wines.
1
A long time ago, I kept a journal of wines I bought and their charactericstics. What a total waste of time. I have stopped trying to remember specific producers or labels and simply go to my most trusted wine store. There I have found and enjoyed bottles ranging in price from under $10 upwards to amounts reserved for only the most special occasions. The owners provide advice as needed, but I know that they would never put an unpalatable bottle on their shelves.
24
@Jim T
Right down the road from us. We live in Hendersonville. What is the name of the store?
Another note. I don't drink red much because I fell in love with chardonnay. And I don't understand how that happened. My favorite red wines were big jammy Zinfandels. My taste buds simply flipped. Strange!
And I agree with the Bogle lovers.
Only I drink their chardonnay.
4
How does this compare with 3 buck chuck Cab from TJs ( 2 buck in lower tax states)?
5
I'm curious, Mr. Asimov, exactly why these are wines we should be familiar with? As a retail wine professional of 30 years, it has been my experience that many wine novices choose a wine simply because its something they've heard of, not because they are particularly in tune with their own preferences. These wines need no help in terms of that name recognition because they have the marketing muscle of the big conglomerates behind them.
I view it as my job to avoid being a wine snob. If someone drinks supermarket wine, I do not look down my nose at them. Anyone drinking wine is good for my industry. However, a more interesting approach might have been to try to encourage fans of these wines to try something else, perhaps something more interesting.
Most wine drinkers lack the ability to express what they like. But I've found that, when tasting side by side, most appreciate (even prefer) the wines that pros would consider superior to these mass-produced wines.
If, as part of your wine school, you had suggested that Meiomi be compared with something from a highly-regarded, yet widely available Pinot producer, perhaps I could understand what the learning experience was supposed to be. But simply tasting three random red wines, simply because of their massive popularity? I guess I'm missing the point. It would be like a food writer telling me I should try McDonald's (Apothic), Ruth's Chris (The Prisoner) and Corner Bakery (Meiomi).
258
Wow
12
@Deano
Ad revenue?
3
@Deano: ...don't sugar-coat it, tell us how you really feel! (BTW, I agree with you)
6
I confess to having very much liked The Prisoner when it was owned by the Orin Swift Cellars, but more recent vintages have tasted decidedly different and have been disappointing to me. I suppose the new owners changed the blend and it definitely shows in the taste. Shame, because it’s rare that I find a wine that I really prefer.
I do find some of Orin Swift’s other wines, like Abstract, to be very good.
2
@RTB Ditto. Not worth the $$ now that it's a mass produced mess.
2
I usually drink wine in the $15 price range, in most cases from small producers. The only constant is that I buy red. My suppliers offerings are wide-ranging and give me the distinctness that I am looking for.
My problem with the mass producers is that I would become disinterested in the same old same old.
5
My objection to these wines is the consistency they are praised for. Once you take the variation out of wine, it stops being wine and becomes a beverage. When every bottle is the same, what then is the point of wine appreciation?
37
Sometimes, a simple Hershey bar will get the job done, and a Toyota Corolla will get you to your destination as capably as a Rolls Royce.
Similarly, not every bottle of wine needs to be a pricey one. Branding and packaging exist for a reason, and not everyone can afford expensive products accompanied by myth or an appeal to snobbery.
37
@Quoth The Raven
Totally agree. But there is a line between truthfulness in marketing and...
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Did-winemaker-Joe-Wagner-misrepresent-where-his-13245903.php
Uh.... Have you rode in a Rolls Royce? Or even driven a Toyota Supra? Or a BMW Z3? The Toyota Corolla is only as capable as the other three in that it gets you from point A to point B. The style of delivery is a whole other story. Responsiveness, quietness of drive, handling, comfort - the others provide an experience that the Corolla just doesn't.
Sure, you can watch a movie on your smartphone. Or you can watch it on a large, OLED screen in a home theater that has been sonically and visually tuned to convey the full audio and visual dynamics of the film. Or better yet, see a 70mm print of a movie such as Lawrence of Arabia or 2001 on a 60 foot tall, massive screen.
Or you can watch them on your smartphone. No difference, right?
1
As a lowbrow wine enthusiast, I like the Sebastiani Pinot Noir for fancy occasions. Priced between $14-$16. It seems to appeal to a wide variety of guests' tastes. No point in overspending on the guests if they like the under $20 wines.
3
Apothic Red is delicious AND consistent, a smooth "jammy" wine. It's great when purchased and will evenimprove if it sits for a year. Another Apothic winner is the Apothic Crush, a red blend that is aged for several months in whiskey barrels. Again, if left to sit for a few months, it ages to a rich wine with a bit of whiskey-flavored warmth. Crush is only issued once per year around Sept and it sells out fast.
13
Apothic’s white blend is absolutely delicious as well. It’s a fine line of wine.
5
@GariRae
Ugh. I hate jammy wine, which is almost all of the overripe reds produced in CA. Give me a dry French or Italian wine. Or a good Malbec.
7
@M. My post was meant to provide accurate information, not to address you personal taste.
1
I think sweet is the running theme for these. And at $42 for The Prisoner, there are far more pleasing bottles for far less money.
13
Meh. To each palate, a different response. Meiomi is acceptable plonk as are many others. The key is find what you like to drink and which grape and then which producer tickles your fancy. Once you get that down, then start experimenting with vintage and price. One note: Even the bulk wines can have a bad bottle. I see Meiomi often at parties and occasionally there will be a truly bad bottle. Rather than leave it out, I gently notify the host to pour it down the drain as soon as possible rather than accept the unacceptable. The same is true in any restaurant. If a bottle is dreadful, any good restaurant will replace it. I ordered a rather pricey Chateauneuf vintage and sure enough, the bottle had failed. The steward had no problem replacing it.
4
$42 is considered mass-market these days?
353
@Chicago Guy
These wines are pure marketing. Barely worth more than 2 buck chuck and it's all because of the packaging.
27
@Chicago Guy
I wondered the same thing, but especially on a 75-cent Canadian dollar.
Apothic Red - that's long been our go-to, and the price is right.
14
Yes. There is a large population willing to spend $40 for wine. If you’re shocked, you aren’t paying attention to anything around you. In other news, normal houses in some areas of the country cost nearly $1 million dollars.
4
In related news the Times reported today that Swanson and Birds Eye frozen dinners bear a slight resemblance to food.
213
Alexander Harrison drinks wine every day unfailingly, to keep the coronaries clear, so I can hardly be called an "amateur des vins fins!" Whatever is the cheapest and is nonetheless "buvable!" Yellow Tail and Lindemanns, Australian wines are among the best for the money, as well as Terrain for a decent red California "pinard!"Publix also sell little jars of basic reds and whites, 2 for 5 dollars .. The jars are cute, and can be used for drinking water or other beverages. Senegal produced a wine called Nene which gave you a kick, but never inquired about the ingredients. Reminded of the story about the old Italian wine maker on his death bed advising his son that wine could also be made with grapes!
12
"Pour it down the drain"
"Robitussin"
"fatigues the palatte"
There is an enormous amount of snobbery on display here. People hyping their oh so sophisticated taste that can only be satisfied with artisan small batch vineyards known only to half a dozen of the winemaker's closest friends.
Of course you don't have to like any of these wines. But get a grip - the mass market wines aren't poison.
148
@nub
Exactly. Drinkable table wine shouldn't - and doesn't! - cost $40+ per bottle.
15
@nub
Agreed. The question for wine snobs is why does every now and then a $10-20 per bottle, or less, wine occasionally beat out wines costing 10x as much at blind tasting contests.
10
@nub
Guessing some of the snobbery is from people who's livelihood depends on people paying $50 or more for the right bottle of wine. An article in the Times (gasp!) even SUGGESTING that mass market wines should be in the conversation is not good for business. They don't want people with money switching over to Apothic Red.
I'm lucky I guess. I can't taste any difference between expensive wines and cheap ones I can buy at the grocery store (where I can get the Apothic Red, which I like, for under $8).
and....horrors.......I like Franzia boxed wines.
36
I’m lucky too. As reported most wines are a Frankenstein’s witches brew of chemical mixtures so you might as well give up and buy a cheap boxed wine and save your money for once in a while wine splurges. Francia rocks!
@Dan
3
@Dan
Nobody should be told what to like. Your palate is the best judge. If Franzia satisfies your palate, rejoice! You won't go broke like some hapless wine snobs who drink by the packaging and not the contents.
6
@Jeffipoo
Speaking as a winemaker, your assertion of witches brew simply is not true, even for the big producers.
7
I admire your honesty Eric. I once attended a seminar of yours and somebody asked you what was the most challenging aspect of your job and you answered quite frankly not getting blank faced!
This leads to another question, unlike the fine wine drinker, I suspect many Americans are like me and although not alcoholics do not want a wine cellar in their homes or even more than they will drink in one day not to get tempted.
I would like to see a column on half bottles of wine, the good, the bad and the ugly, prices and where to buy them.
Thank You.
27
Like many others here, calling a $42 bottle of wine a "supermarket wine" created some dissonance for me. While the Prisoner is a very tasty wine it is certainly not an everyday bottle for most of us in the U.S.
305
The dissonance comes from different definitions of “supermarket.” To you it means every day wines which in turn seems to mean affordable. To Mr. Asimov, “supermarket” simply means mass-market, wine produced in very large quantities. Wines produced in mass quantities can have a wide range of price points.
18
@Eric
There are plenty of tasty wines at half that price out on the shelves. These wines are all about packaging and wildly inflated profits in mass distribution.
8
It wasn’t anywhere called an “everyday” wine. Just produced by the”millions” and “popular”.
He gave a $10 option. Why fuss just to fuss?
18
I live in the country and often the convenience mart is my only choice. But if there are things we should know about these mass producers, such as additives or possible health affects that the small producers do not avail themselves of, I would like you to educate us.
99
@Kim if you have access to the internet, you can order a case of wine online.... there are several websites that sell wine and deliver it to your door.
We buy at Costco,Kirkland, the house label. A Pinot Grigo, bottled in Italy and less than $6.00 a bottle and a Malbac with a 91 rating bottled in Argentina also less than $6.00 here in Florida. Costco also a nice Caifornia Pinot Grigo in a 1 1/2 liter bottle for less than $7.00
I understand that Costco is the largest wine merchant in the world.
I would not pay 42 dollars a bottle for any wine period what a rip off
+
184
@Barbian
. . . and Costco has a very good Savignon Blanc from New Zealand for 7 bucks a bottle!
9
@Barbian - Kirkland Bordeaux Superior is $8, I think, and was the hit of our Christmas prime rib dinner party.
3
@Barbian
Yeah, unless there's a specific wine you want that Costco doesn't carry, there's no reason to shop anywhere else.
BTW, 2011 Kirkland Ribero del Duero Gran Reserva for $13. Killer. (Haven't seen it there for over a year, but hopefully a 2012 will be coming sometime. You on it, Costco buyer?)
3
$42 a bottle: a "supermarket" wine? I have enjoyed hundreds, if not thousands, of different wines from some of the finest wineries and chateaus at far less than $42 a bottle.
BTW, try the Apothic Dark if you don't like the red. The Apothic Dark and The Seven Deadly Zins (both widely available under $15) are among our everyday house wines.
28
@Emile Gurstelle
Exactly what I commented earlier. The Apothic Dark is very much more satisfying.
1
I have had the Apothic and it's ok. But I would feel guilty spending $42 for any wine including "The Prisoner." In addition, it sometimes seems people buy wines based upon the novelty or attractiveness of the label. (Sometimes I wonder if there are not just ten wines out there and ten thousand different labels.)
69
Would you feel guilty about going out for a nicer steak? Or going to a restaurant who has a chef known for being a culinary artist, presenting an exquisite meal? Or going to a play performed by Equity actors capable of subtlety and nuance rather than community theater amateurs?
5
I tried and I do not live in a dry a state. The Prisoner is not listed in the "state store" (Fine Wine and Good Spirits) catalog and therefore can not be purchased (or brought into) the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
5
I bought Prisoner in a state store in Lancaster County about 2 weeks ago. You can find it in the larger state stores, though the quantity was very limited.
1
@Emacee State store employees may not tell you, but they can get any wine in the massive portfolio that PA has. The web site of the state LCB lists all the wines and their prices. If you see something that you like there, tell your local store to order it. There is no additional charge.
2
@DWilson
Yes, "Special Liquor Order," or SLO, has an impressive catalog. Now, the fine print. PLCB doesn't always stock these; distributors do, and and have 30 days to deliver the product to the store. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. In the meantime, you're SOL.
And sometimes minimum quantity is 6 or 12.
2
Table wine in our home is most likely to be represented by the
least expensive offerings of Aldi, Walmart or Whole Foods. Paying $3 for a bottle of perfectly palatable red wine to enjoy before dinner offers an opportunity to relax and decompress after another stressful day.
I've had to impress clients with a $100 bottle while dining in a fine restaurant and also paid $8 a glass poured from a $6 bottle. It isn't the cost or taste of the wine that is most important, but the company it brings together.
27
@lyle gary But if you consistently serve them foul-tasting rot gut, it may not continue to bring your company together, and you could end up drinking swill by yourself. Just saying.
6
Why not add vintage Robitussin to the tasting? Similar flavor profile to these selections.
52
@Jay Why
Robitussin has a bad finish but pairs well with chicken soup.
19
@AnnieR: Good one! I didn't just LOL but even chortled.
1
It's pretty fair to say that most of these wine brands are 'manufactured' in the lab.
When marketers create a wine brand, they fabricate a beverage for a specific market in mind with a very distinct profile to suit that market. In the US, it's usually on the sweeter side of things...
They use an unbelievable number of additives to eliminate vintage variations caused by the weather, variations caused by different types of soil, different harvest times, different blends etc. Carbon dioxide, ammonium salt, thiamine hydrochloride, potassium caseinate, silicon dioxide, potassium alginate, lactic acid, tartaric acid, calcium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, citrate, copper sulfate etc anybody? These and many more are routinely used in the 'big' wine industry.
The goal is to end up with the same product, year in, year out.
This is irreconcilable with the work of small artisanal wineries.
72
@froggio
Alcohol consumption in any amount is harmful, period. But consuming beverages concocted using the horror chamber list of chemical agents in your list is simply suicidal.
2
@Civres I am aware of recent studies purporting to show that any alcohol consumption is harmful. I have my doubts and won’t be surprised if equally valid studies demonstrate the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. For one, alcohol can reduce stress and facilitate social interaction. Stress and social isolation are both linked to higher rates of premature death, so a stressed out introvert who is also a casual drinker may, on balance, lead a longer (healthier) life than might otherwise be the case.
29
@froggio
Yuck. I'll ask what are probably rhetorical questions: Why aren't these additives listed on the label? Why are they even allowed?
27
The problem with these mass-market wines is that they're rich, creamy, and totally exhausting to drink. The maquillage fatigues the palate, and the wine does not complement food.
28
@Mark
This makes me laugh out loud. You're exhausted by drinking wine?
3
Wine with too much make-up (maquillage) is truly exhausting and debilitating to consume—and not only for the snobbish. Try drinking a not-manipulated wine 3 days in a row. Then try drinking Apothic Dark 3 days straight.
1
@GL
And don't get him started about his struggle with a toothpick in an hors d'oeuvre!
1
Just tried the Meiomi 2017 Pinot Noir. The first taste immediately after opening was very fruity but not jammy. With food (or perhaps with only air), the “spice” mentioned on the label became more evident and the fruit seemed to disappear. I found this wine to be drinkable and it went well with a variety food, although the fruit seemed easily overwhelmed.
8
Based on this article, I went out and bought a bottle of the Apothic, and Meiomi.
I drink cheap wine and usually favor Kermit Lynch's Cote Rhone from Whole Foods at $12.95.
The Apothic was fine with spaghetti and meatballs. The Meiomi tasted like medicine (it wasn't spoiled). . . I poured it down the drain.
15
Wow a real check on wines.
After looking at where the comments are coming from
I can safely say that I have enjoyed tasting all of them.
Oh my cred contains stints with Hearst winery, J.Loer
Hertzog Wines.
These wines help fill the lineup for people who want to
have a capable glass of red with their food.
I’m sure Miles would have not tasted these, too bad.
4
@The Chief from Cali
Perhaps J Lohr?
4
I agree with Eric that even the most ardent wine snob should taste these wines. I did a blind pinot tasting and brought a bottle of Lindeman's Pinot Noir ($12 CAD). It was tasted against some beautiful wines from Burgundy, Oregon, Central Otago etc. The non-wine snobs in the group loved the $12 dollar Australian Pinot and more sophisticated drinkers voted on the Burgundy. Are the novice people lesser humans for loving a cheap bottle of overly fruity wine that has zero semblance to what the varietal should taste like? No, they are loving what has been developed for them in a lab to match their taste buds and there is no shame in that. As wine snobs it is our mission to educate our pals one bottle at a time and not make them feel like dummies in the process. I hit up the booze shop and try a new bottle of wine every visit. Most people won't gamble with wine nor do they understand it so they have a "go to" wine such as the ones listed in the article. We should help people navigate the complex world of wine instead of shaming them for loving what is basically designed for their enjoyment.
93
@Jackie B: So correct. The wine snobs such as those so easily recognized here often turn out to be uneducated in truly experiencing wines at different levels and price points. To be honest, I feel it is far easier to pull off the "look at how knowledgeable I am" stunt that many of these snobs do when they are restricting themselves to high end wines; of course the wines taste great...they'd better do so! But being able to discern drinkability in lower end wines demands a more open mind and, to my 70YO mind, more sophistication than most of these snobs have...and I've experienced and enjoyed many great wines, expensive and not so expensive over those 70 years. A person with that open mind is a great joy with whom to share most any wine!
8
@Jackie B
Cannot agree more with the mission. The packaging hoodwinked drinkers that a 3 buck wine is worth 10 times more, a price where great wines from small, genuine artisans are consequently crowded out.
For their pickpocketing mentality, read
https://www.winesandvines.com/news/article/203507/Elouan-Wines-Draw-Ire-in-Oregon-Over-Labeling
1
@Jackie B You lost me when you self identified as a wine snob but I kept reading. My mistake. Who says we need "educated" or help "navigating?!" Maybe I just want to get drunk. Or wash down the round steak I am eating. That is why I generally like beer drinkers. I have never been asked by any of my beer drinking buddies if my Coors had a good finish. They just wanted me to finish my beer so they could open me another.
5
How timely! As a Christmas present, my daughter gave me a book titled something like “Great Recipes to pair with Icky Wine.” (Their word is choicer than “Icky.”) It appears my chance to put it to use will come sooner than expected.
On the other hand, we may have to alter our long-made plans for a Wine School NYC chapter dinner out. The restaurant’s wine list is celebrated for its focus on small, biodynamic producers. They had generously modified the corkage fee to accommodate our month’s assignment. I will not bring Meiomi.
6
I'll find it more fun and interesting to read the comments this month than try these wines (had them all and never again)
72
Eric: Are you aware that these 'supermarket' wines are not sold in NYS supermarkets?
The State Liquor Authority has done the right thing to protect small (and large) wine/liquor stores -- and does not permit supermarkets to sell wine over a certain alcohol level.
They can sell Chateau Ghetto, but none of these.
Wine and liquor stores carry these, and I've been in the business for just under 10 years, and am grateful that no store I've managed or worked in carried an of these.
2
@elle So you're happy that your fellow citizens are denied the choice of purchasing these wines, because your business cannot tolerate competition?
31
NY also has a weird law prohibiting wine and beer from being sold in the same place. These laws may help you stay in business, but by no means are they good for consumers. Fortunately stores like Costco and Total wine have worked around the laws, Costco sells beer and leases a space next door to a wine merchant, and Total Wine does the opposite.
10
@Tom Trader Joe's does the same thing.
3
I hope in 2019 we can proceed directly to pure Mega Purple. Preferably in a 14.1 solution, but straight up concentrate will probably do.
17
Meiomi ...pinot...not, it's enough to drive Sideways Miles & I back to...gasp...merlot.
17
Sorry but I find the Apothic completely unpalatable. Overpowering, excessively vanilla-flavoured and cloyingly. Haven’t tried your other three recommendations (I expect they’re less common in Canada) but I’ll give them a go.
Thanks for the reviews.
13
@Myles Genest: I am not disagreeing with your taste, but might offer a recommendation - popular myths notwithstanding, wine enthusiasts know that some red wines can (often should) be chilled, different reds at different temperatures. I wouldn't say this is done for all or most high-end reds, but those reds that seem too "fruity" often benefit from a cooler serving temperature. Check with the winery on wines you've invested a bit more, often they will recommend chilling one wine to a certain temp, and others at different temps.
1
It's not April 1st, is it?
93
Meh. At my age I drink for effect.
232
Hilarious. And True.
24
@Tom: Same here. I enjoy the soft buzz and it gets me in the mood to prepare dinner. Life is good.
13
@Tom
Wine is fine but likker's quicker. Learned that in high school decades ago.
2
Small producers are hidden gems. They know their vines, their climates, their soils, and how to get the best of it it into the few barrels they produce.
They can't afford advertising and distribution; which in California's wine regions used to be the ultimate goal. Get big enough. Now the strategy is to sell their production only to restaurants; where you can currently find excellent, if unknown, wines at reasonable prices and markups.
Or they sell their grapes or "crush" to other wine makers to blend. While the skill of the winemaker in blending may vary, at least you are dealing with very well made "base wines" which is more than half the challenge.
6
While I welcome a column on wines that are more affordable, there is always an implicit negative judgement about characterizing wines made "for the masses." As if the vast majority of wine drinkers in this country just do not have the educated palate to be able to discern what is good and what is not.
We live in an area where supermarket wines are almost the sole option for our consumption. The one small wine store offering harder to find wines is closing today! We drink wine frequently, but cannot afford to spend more than $15 a bottle for our everyday labels, and it's usually closer to $12. We have bought and enjoyed Apothic Red and Mieomi, as well as others in this category. Would we like to spend more on a regular basis for smaller batch wines? Of course. But we can find satisfaction and enjoyment in labels like these.
155
@Kate Some places offer mix and match case deals—another option for the budget conscious.
4
@Kate I simply try to make my overall wine budget balance out. That means loading up on the $6 Lindemans Chardonnay at Costco for a very drinkable white wine. I can use some of that savings to buy the occasional $20 bottle of Sancerre for a nicer dinner and maybe even paying $40-50 for a really special cabernet or pinot noir that I can only find at a small winery while traveling. I can support a local business and I can taste something new.
20
@Kate: You might want to try WTSO (Wines Till Sold Out) online. They offer a wide variety from all over the world, free shipping, and have a price range of about $10-50/ btl. I don't know if Vermont allows out of state wineries to ship, but check it out. Been using them for years and have never been disappointed.
9
I'm surrounded by people that don't like wine, or, if they say they like wine it doesn't go farther than "I like red" or "I like white". So, I am the one that brings wine to gatherings.
I'm no expert at all, and can't afford to buy the $20 and up bottles, so it's mostly grocery store wine for me, or, some of Ohio's winery finds. Apothic is good for the "I like red" people, though my go to reds for gatherings are by Louis Jadot or Georges Duboeuf. I have not tried the other two but will make it a point to.
7
I recommend people avoid the cloying Ohio wines. Ditto for most Michigan wines.
15
@lynn
I reccomend the you go to Costco and if you buy a case you get a 10% dicount by Ohio law which you would get in any store in OH selling wine.
2
@Barbian Oh I do Costco, and also take advantage of the 10% discount at the local grocery as well. I experienced a forced retirement so our household income has been cut nearly in half. I adhere to the expression that the best wine is the one you like to drink. I've found many, even under $12, that are just as complex and enjoyable as the more expensive ones.
2
We have tried all three of these wines. We will not buy a second bottle of Apothic Red; we didn't like it at all. We sometimes buy Mieomi on sale but find overly structured almost like a parody of all the features of a fruit forward wine. We will drink it though. We liked the Prisoner the first time we had it, but find it above our price point and don't drink it often.
5
@Janet there are varying editions of Apothic "Red", some are darker and denser than others, so try a few. i like Meiomi very much for an everyday pinot noir (i like lighter reds)... i haven't had the Prisoner, may give it a try. i also like Apothic whites and Meiomi white. i tend to like a slightly sweeter white, so they are good.
1
I have used all three wines at wine tasting events, all in very different ways. The Meiomi in a blind Pinot Noir tasting with 5 other Pinot Noir. Two each from California, Oregon and France to offer people an understanding of how Pinot can show differently. It was a blind tasting, several people wondered if I tossed a ringer into the tasting. One wine was very different, almost un Pinot like, the Meiomi.
The second tasting was for the retail trade of very popular wines. Surprisingly, retail staff do not taste the most popular wines, they just sell them. It was a cross section of wine, the Apothic Red was in the tasting, it was panned by most in the tasting as a overly sweet, fruit bomb that was overly manipulated.
The third tasting was a wine dinner featuring California reds, Caberent, Merlot, Meritage, with The Prisoner as one of the wines. It appealed to the novices at the tasting, more off dry, fruity, less refined.
All three wines were produced for the masses and the sales prove that out. They did not show well when tasted against quality competition. All three wines are over manipulated, wines created in a laboratory not in the vineyard.
88
I agree: these are wines for novice palates. But even for novices, better if half the bottle goes into some spicy food like a stew.
11
@Pete And, in the creation, who knows what other kinds of deceptive practices behind your back...
https://www.winesandvines.com/news/article/203507/Elouan-Wines-Draw-Ire-in-Oregon-Over-Labeling
Just finished a bottle of Meiomi. Discovered this wine while in Chicago. Its delicious. I've also had the Apothic red several times. All three are wonderful choices.
6
What's the "particular characteristic" of the Gallo wine that "everybody will taste right away"? I'm genuinely curious.
26
@H.L. Probably "yummie"; lots of Central Coast red wines seem that way: flavorful and easy to drink with food, or alone.
5
@Roger I was expecting something like "hints of damp egret feathers" or "sun-dappled persimmons." I'll go with your answer.
101
I suspect it’s a general taste of bad wine. I think the Apothic Red is terrible. Too sweet. Not surprised to learn that Gallo makes it.
6
As I write this I have two bottles of Meiomi pinot noir in my kitchen and an empty in recycling. I had no idea I had jumped onto a national bandwagon. My mother introduced it to me several months ago and I have found it consistently yummy. What more do you want than that from a wine?
30
@Edward W. At 1/4 the price without the fancy packaging.
4
@interested observer
Meimoi was introduced to me years ago by a reputable local wine store. It’s my go-to Pinot noir. To me, it’s just as good as more expensive ones
3
@MWD
It's also just as good as some wines at 1/4 the price. If you do not care for paying more for the brand instead of the contents you are getting, hey, no issues with that.
1
I first tried Meiomi Pinot on a business trip to a steakhouse in Boise. It was magnificent! And now I find out it’s ... basically just a label! Gasp! But at least I have the Times imprimatur- I’ll keep ordering it when I see it!
8