From the old days of Two Buck Chuck to Costco today, California wine drinkers are at a distinct advantage.
I suspect Trader Joe’s inexpensive pricing set that bar years ago, while the abundance of small and large wineries added to both the low end and high end pricing of wines available in that state.
As a result, California wine shopping and shopping for the rest of us should be addressed separately.
By the way, a tour of California wineries makes for a nice trip, but wonderful wines from both small and larger wineries are available in local CA stores.
I had a bet in the oughts on what wine we could find for less than 20 bucks that was good, really good. I found wonderful wines cabs and zifs, chardonays , temperanillios and pinots that cost less than 20. So we went through a lot of wines.
The sweet spot was about 14.00 usd.
Last year bargains for 11.00 bucks are now pushing 20. I can't put my finger on why last year's 2015 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo at 13.00 is now worth 17. It just seems that prices have risen a lot in little time.
Trump tariffs on imported wines ...is the answer
I thank Mr. Asimov for this column and would like to salute all of the intrepid wine enthusiasts who seek out the best wines for the least amount of money. About 15 years ago I was in California, Los Angeles to be more precise, and haunted the $.99 stores that are fixture in that part of the country. As I was roaming the aisles I happened upon bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon at $.99. I thought it was a joke and bought one just to say that I had purchased a bottle of wine cheaper than Two Buck Chuck. A few days later I was reading an article in the Los Angeles times about a winery that had gone out of business and had left that years vintage in oak barrels for over two years! Whoever bought the business decided to bottle it and sell it through the $.99 store. I was reading the paper and I saw a picture of that very same bottle. The Los Angeles times conducted a taste testing of that $.99 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon along with some very expensive French bottles. Guess which one won? I ran to the cupboard opened that bottle and had a most extraordinary experience. The next day I went to the $.99 store and of course the shelves were empty. The moral of the story is that you can find wonderful wines at a very, very affordable prices. Happy hunting!
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My $10-15 is usually a second top off bottle after splitting a first one with my equally wine loving husband(I married well). Even if we don’t finish it, I have no guilt storing it for the next day.
Quinta de Cabriz Dao 2014
Colossal Réserva red blend 2015
d’Arenberg Stump Jump shiraz 2016
Cline zin 2016
Any Chateau de la Huste
I’ll definitely try out your other red recommendation.
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Vrac also makes a lovely rose at a very affordable price. Used to buy it often from Uva in Williamsburg.
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Been drinking Terrramore Nero d'Avoloa Sicilia for a while. Organic and about $11. Excellent everyday red.
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Re: VRAC--"harks back to a time when local villagers bought their wines “en vrac,” or in bulk, in containers that they filled and refilled directly from the producer"!!! Hah ! The "local villagers" haven't stopped filling up "en vrac" and neither have we! I think you ought to spend a little more time in the southwest of France where this "local custom"endures....
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Out of 12 wines, only 4 whites, with one a sparkling and one quite sweet, so 2 wines I might drink, one of which is an Alsace Pinot Blanc not made from Pinot Blanc. Although hard pressed to find good Long Island whites for less than $12 even with a wine club discount, I still think I'll stick with slightly more expensive, locally produced and actually available vintages.
Mr. Asimov does a disservice to small, independent wine retailers, once again, when the prices he posts for various wines reflect those offered at stores which are generally larger, or do vastly more volume, or the dreaded online retailers. This is important to note because several of the wines listed today (actually, almost all of them) are wines which I have sold in my own shop; and I can tell you that it would be impossible to offer these rock-bottom prices without us being able to take very large case discounts (in some cases as much as 10 cases at a time), or drastically reduce our margin. This is financially unsustainable, especially when faced with exorbitant New York rents, and the very high costs of labor. The result is that customers read these articles -whose overall contribution, thematically, to the conversation about wine are really important- is that customers come in to shops such as mine, see bottles discussed in these articles, and say that we are “overpriced.” Perhaps Mr. Asimov (who, by the way, I think is a fantastic writer and does a great job promoting wines and producers from areas deserving, but lacking, attention), draws his prices from national averages, I don’t know. And I don’t know the most effective way , maybe use the median price? Anyway, please consider us small and struggling folks in the business when posting your “prices.”
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I have never spent that much for wine. I find a good large bottle of Kirkland at $7.49 the best value.
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Eric thanks for the list; I like the Cune; one other great value wine I always buy is the Rueda white from Marques de Caceres. The just arrived 2018 is a rock star of a white at about $10, also the sister Caceres red 2015 is keeping my palate happy these days thanks again Eric Bill
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Cool list. There are at least a few I'll be keeping an eye out for on the shelves here in Cincinnati, especially at this price point. I haven't had a Monastrell in a while, but I remember having a couple good ones at around this price point about five years ago. Both were made with carbonic maceration so they were more on the fruity side (smelled like gummy bears and Strawberry Shortcake doll). And one of these days I'll get into sherry. So many wines, so little time. Thanks, Eric!
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I regularly find excellent wines priced under $12. on the recommendation of the always knowledgeable staff at Total Wines.
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Did you send this article to the liquor stores of the world? The advice of wine drinkers leads me to what I buy.
We live in California. No shortage of affordable wines here, and we produce some of the greatest crus on the planet. A lot of silly names on bottles with fine wine inside, so don't let that put you off. Try 'em, you'll like 'em.
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At first store glance I assumed the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc & Viognier was related to the South Dakota/Nebraska reservation, a remnant of the Oglala Lakota nation — home to Black Elk and Crazy Horse, whose memorial near Mt. Rushmore will become the world's largest sculpture. Pine Ridge is also the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre and where activist Leonard Peltier was accused of murdering two FBI agents. (Amnesty International called his trial in Fargo unfair.) But just as the reliable Bogle wines (inferior but cheaper than Coppola) have no connection to John C. Bogle — the financial wiz, there's no connection here. I loved the taste of the wine, but it was too sweet to repurchase. I guessed: the viognier brought the flavor, and the chenin blanc brought the sugar.
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I wounder whats the content bcse still you dont have to show incridience in wine and not organic grapes one of food most pestcides in it
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90 Plus has a wonderful and consistently good selection of wines priced at $10, give or take a few. I’ve never been disappointed.
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$12 is probably the average of what I spend. I like to drink a bottle over three days and some wines lose their flavor after about 90 minutes. Sadly the average palette preferes a wine with some sweetness, therefore most blended wines are too sweet for me. In my opinion the lower the price the more likely there will be one or more off flavors in the wine. Some wines get rated a 91 or 92 but then start to deteriorate. They lower the price to compensate but still call it a 91 or 92 bottle. Out of the same case, some will still be good and others not so much, hence the discount price.
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Thanks Eric. I am fortunate my son lives in the Albany area and a popular wine store there has eight of the wines and what is better most at a lower price you list.He will definitely pick some up for summer drinking.Whatever I'll get will taste even better.After all he's paying for it
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Everytime you publish an article like this you never tell us how to find these wines perhaps because you can't. If the best one can do is find the wine (in NYC) all the way across town, it requires an expedition just buy a bottle to try it, but getting a case delivered, forget it Like Jim Wooll said below, "How about a list of the top ten quality wines with major production quantities?" I think we're also stuck with a bad system. If you go to a bookstore (if you can find one) and they don't have your book they can order it. Not so at a wine shop where they are limited by their distributors. I think we need a Wine-azon.com :-)
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@Stephen
Good idea. Then, as with everything else you buy, you can live online and never have to leave the house to go all the way across town or even across the street. Then when you die, your family can use an online body-disposal service. Maybe they can cremate you right in the apartment and leave your ashes in a jar next to the computer, or torch the computer and mix it with your ashes, since the two of you will have become pretty indiscernible at that point.
Survival was just so inconvenient before 1990, wasn't it?
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Try wine-searcher.com
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@Stephen I use wine-searcher.com. Try it.
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This list as with most of the lists of multiple wines has almost no value to me as I have never been able to find these wines in my locate stores (Austin Texas}. How about a list of the top ten quality wines with major production quantities?
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@Jim Wooll I know each state has different sources for wine, but in Alabama and Florida I've seen the Trimbach, the Pine Ridge, and the Cristalino. I wasn't impressed with any of the 3. You probably have a Costco. Their Kirkland Prosecco at $6.99 is better than the Cristalino. Their Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling $8.99 is better than the Trimbach.
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@Jim Wooll So we can’t go to our local spec’s with this list? Bummer. Especially on the proverbial retirement income.
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@Jim Wooll realizing your frustration, I got in touch with John Roenigk at the Austin Wine Merchant/ Here are his comments and (alternate)suggestions:
"Right now, only the (2017) Trimbach Pinot Blanc is here. But, sadly... retail it for $15.75 the bottle. I am working on this even now.
For Côtes de Gascogne, we work with Domaine de Pouy from Tariquet. We have the 2017 vintage right now at $7.99 the bottle. The 2018 is on order.
We occasionally offer the Altos La Hormigas Malbec, the CVNE Cune Rioja and the Bodegas Olivares Jumilla Altos de la Hoya Monastrell.
But we tend to run with a few different wines in this league:
Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red $11.99 the bottle
Mas de Guiot Costières de Nîmes Grenache Syrah $9.99
Caparzo Sangiovese $9.99
Dow Douro Vale do Bomfim $11.99
Casa Ferreirinha Douro Esteva $7.99
Alois Lagader Pinot Bianco Dolomiti $11.99
Domaine des Cassagnoles Côtes de Gascogne $9.99
Casa Ferreirinha Planalto Douro Branco $11.25
Hedges Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Syrah Washington State $11.99
Côtes-du-Rhône Saint-Esprit Delas $11.99
Torres Rioja Altos Ibericos $11.99
Quinta dos Roques Quinta do Correio Dão $7.99
Tintonegro Malbec Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza $9.99
Domaine des Corbillières Touraine Sauvignon $11.99
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Another way to improve the taste of a bottle of wine? Share it with a friend and a couple of laughs.
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@TC So agree with you. The same bottle of wine tastes better in certain situations than others. Really subjective, I think.
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Though they may be beyond the scope of this sampling, I recommend wines from 90+ Cellars, which buys overages from mostly highly regarded wineries, and then bottles them under the 90+ label. If your tastebuds are keen enough, you can sometimes guess the winery based on the taste profile. This week I drank a 2015 Chardonnay that came from Chalone, purchased for about $12. The limestone came through clearly, typical of Chalone. It was so delicious I regretted not having bought more bottles.
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I feel I am doing our readers a huge favor by suggesting they find Bogle Winery wines and enjoy them. This winery has always provided affordable quality wines both red and white.
I was introduced to Bogle wines about 20 years ago and since that time I have seldom purchased any other. This winery should not remain a secret. Others need to enjoy them.
It's no surprise to me that Eric Asimov did not list a single Bogle wine. Perhaps it was not possible to do so.
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The credibility of this list is enhanced by its omission of any wine I have ever poured down a sink.
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@ Charles E Flynn Rhode Island
Of the twelve bottles in the poicture, I re3cognize on the Trimbach label of Alsace, makers of also Riesling and Gewürztraminer. In no wine store have I ever found any Trimbach wine of quality as high as that served in Alsatian restaurants.
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Au contraire! Cune Rioja is surely in the canon of inexpensive wine. It was the first thing I looked for and it’s on the list. Give it another look. I’m excited to try the others.
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Thanks for the article. I drink a few of these wines as everyday. Mr. Asimov’s prior lessor wine articles concentrate on $19.99 in the under $20 range. While I would love to drink pricier wines every day it is not prudent.
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My go to Côte de Gascogne is Domaine Saint-Lannes at the same price. I’ll have to give the Domaine Duffour a try.
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I remember when word processors were new, and many critics decried the poor quality of prose produced through the short-cuts and cost savings this technology provided.
Does anyone seriously say that about writing any more?
Does anyone seriously say that about winemaking any more?
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@Ruralist
Actually yes! Oaking wine with sawdust is quite common and unquestionably yields a lower quality wine. And BTW when I typed "Oaking" it auto corrected to "taking" so you may be wrong on both counts.
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@Ruralist Plenty of people believe that certain technological advances in winemaking have led to not necessarily "poor quality" wine, but generic, unmemorable wines that lack distinctiveness. To each their own, but I'd prefer to keep purple food coloring out of my wine.
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Only 1 California wine? Really? Lots of good CA wine at Trader Joes for this price range...
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Due to NY state liquor laws, our grocery stores can't sell wine. There is one Trader Joe's Wine Shop in the entire city, and maybe the state, on 14th Street in Manhattan. I can really only easily carry 6 bottles home on the subway. NJ has similar laws separating the sale of liquor/ wine and groceries. It's a drag. Especially knowing about the TJs wine options in other states. All that is to say, I am VERY grateful these are not TJs only wines.
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@Brendan Ward
You are correct about TJ's sir. I've been picking up bottles of Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon for $11.99 there. They are running out of the 2015, but the 2016 is good also. It's extremely difficult to find better NorCal Cabernet for less money. It's too bad some people don't have easy access to this.
That being said, one of the best deals I've found anywhere lately is the 2016 Bodegas Mustiguillo "Mestizaje" Bobal I've been getting at Costco for $11.99. This outstanding Spanish red is made from organic grapes and for the money is spectacular. Good luck find a better organic red (or any red for that matter) at this price level.
Another great Costco deal is the 2015 Château De La Cour D'Argent, a Bordeaux Superior I've been getting for $8.49. Seriously. A fine 2015 Bordeaux for $8.49. It's true. Again, good luck getting a better quality red in that price range. Bottles like this allow me to justify buying more expensive wine on the "dollar cost average" theory.
Pinot Noir, on the other hand, tends to run a little more. I've had trouble getting decent bottles for less than $15, but I have run across a number of Pinots from New Zealand, Washington State, Oregon, and even Sonoma and Santa Barbara County in the $13 to $16 that are really quite good. Costco is generally the first place I look. K&L often has extremely good deals as well.
Cheers!
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@rbjd
"Mestizaje" They used to have this by the glass at Temple Bar, on Lafayette Street in NY. It's a great blend that a kind of forgot about over the years. Thanks for reminding me. I'll look for a bottle or 6.
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