We have been doing a bunch of wine shopping this year. We had been buying Vieille Ferme, a nice Rhone blend (50%+ Grenache), as our table wine. About $7.50/bottle in case lots. But, decided to branch out as our wine store has been bringing in a surprisingly wide range of sub-$10 wines from everywhere. We have been buying mixed cases for the past few months and have come up with a couple of Italian reds and Australian Shiraz which are excellent. But our favorite has been a Spanish wine from Rioja, Cortijo III, 2004. Terrific. Our next buy will be a case of it and another mixed case. We drink about two cases per month. That is a nice glass or two with dinner and another in the evening. Everything goes with good wine and you gotta keep that blood flowing. :thmbsp:

Are you near a Costco???
They are the top retailer of wine in the US and have several selections uner $10.
One of the guys recommended a Pinot Noir to me for $6.99/bottle that seemed good.
I'll check out some of their recommendations tomorrow.
FWIW, the members seem to like the occasional Kirkland branded wines too. And don't ask about the craziness that occurred with the 2000 bordeauxs!!

Yellow Tail Shiraz - about $7.99. Very full and easy to finish.
La Vina Merlot. Available only direct from La Vina in New Mexico. About $8.00 a bottle. Probably the best in it's class for a red IMHO.

And don't ask about the craziness that occurred with the 2000 bordeauxs!!


2000? Shoot, remember the 1994's? The prices went to over $400.00 for a bottle of Italian Bordeaux!!! The next year they dropped back to a reasonable $120.00. I don't remember them having a drought in 94. :sigh:

The Muscadine is native to our region, and there are numerous local wineries producing an amazing number of varieties. The reds can be a lot too sweet and sticky for me, but the whites - especially scuppernog - are delicious! If you can find it, try the Duplin brand. Averages $7.50 or so.

For a more traditional wine, we like Biltmore Estate Chardonnay Sur Lies. Very nice, (riesling base) and around $8.50.

I like reds and the best bank for the buck is: Frontera El Toro. Sold at Costco and Kroger. Don't be put off by the price. $6.50 at Costco and $7.50 at Kroger for a large bottle. A mix of cabernet and merlot that's bottled in Chile. Getting raves, give it a try and no, I don't have any affiliation with any of the above mentioned names.

Anyone interested in California wines at good prices, check out BevMo at www.bevmo.com
Here is some pictures of my stock....... :banana:

I think Fishstink was referencing Concha y Toro's Frontera series--and even better than the Cab/Merlot is their Carmeniere--a grape variety that may be unfamiliar to you, but I guarantee that if you like Robert Hass' La Vielle Ferme you like this.

What's good that comes with a screw top :music:

Lefty

2000? Shoot, remember the 1994's? The prices went to over $400.00 for a bottle of Italian Bordeaux!!! The next year they dropped back to a reasonable $120.00. I don't remember them having a drought in 94. :sigh:

I never knew the Italians made a Bordeaux. I thought Bordeaux was just a French wine?

Any recommendations for inexpensive Chianti's?

What's good that comes with a screw top :music:
LeftyThe Vieille Ferme that I mentioned in the original post of this thread has recently gone to a screw top. Makes no difference to a bottle that you are not putting away to age. Ours last a month or two, at most, before being emptied. Was a shock at first, but once I tasted the wine and observed no difference, it only makes it easier to open. :yes:

Bonny Doon Vineyard makes great screw top wines from Santa Cruz......My favorite is 2004 Vin Gris De Cigare. Great summer wine as well.....

Rosemont shiraz is always a good value usually under $10. Also, agree yellow tail merlot. Try Big Ass Red, you might be surprised.

If you have a Trader Joes near where you live, the Charles Shaw wines are good, and very inexpensive. They call it "2 buck chuck"

isn't two buck chuck, three buck chuck now??? last time i bought some it's gone up in price

Hey, where's Gary???
Mad Dog isn't more than $10/bottle these days is it???

I never knew the Italians made a Bordeaux. I thought Bordeaux was just a French wine?

Any recommendations for inexpensive Chianti's?

You're right, it's french.

If you want a decent Chianti that is good for every day use then go to HEB (that's our local grocery store, I think Kroger also carries this) and find the small tweed wrapped bottle of Chianti (the brand escapes me, but the bottle look is unmistakeable). It runs about $9.00, and like I said is wrapped in tweed. Very good stuff.

What's good that comes with a screw top :music:

Lefty
I really hesitated to add this for fear of looking stupid or tasteless, but I'll admit that I'm fond of inexpensive whites (especially Blue Nun, believe it or not) and zinfandels. To me, they're even pretty good to cook seafood or chicken as an ingredient.
Tom

I wouldnt touch a bottle under 28-30.00 or so.Inglenook Pri. Reserve estate bottlled. Cjarles Krug, R. Mondavi.Helots!Best wine without a cork? ---Mad dog 20-20.

Guess you are a 'wine snob'. :D

Wines are a bit like vintage gear. Price doesn't make it sound, or taste, good. We spent a week in St. Emilion last summer and the best wine we found was a $25 La Tour Figeac, 2000. Put most of the $50-100 bottles we tried to shame (St. Emilion, Pomeral or Medoc). Same result two years before when we spent ten days in Cote d'Or. We bought several of the good ones both times for our cellar. But the under $10 daily drinking wines (table wines) were/are outstanding in most every case. Just like the ones folks have listed in the previous posts.

Hopefully, during our week of gastronomic excess in Lyon this summer we will find some to equal the La Tour Figeac at a similar price. :thmbsp:

I like Johan Klauss whites. I'm not sure if Mondoro Asti is under ten bucks but it tastes great to me - good enough to pick it for my wedding toast. I guess you can tell I like wine that is juicy and a bit on the sugary side. No I'm not what you'd call a wine commonsewer.

Jerry,
AS my Mom says......good more for us ! :banana: :music: I used to be fooled by wines above 30 plus, not anymore buddy.......I buy local to my area under 15.00 with or without screw ...... :yes: :smoke:

Lefty,
Good screw top? How 'bout some Thunderbird? Screw off the top and dump in a package of Grape Kool Ade. Shake vigorously, drink very quickly, before the froth dissappears from the bottle. Has a little bit of a bite, but then again, if you are gonna poison yourself with this crap, you knew that to begin with! Cheers!

You're right, it's french.

If you want a decent Chianti that is good for every day use then go to HEB (that's our local grocery store, I think Kroger also carries this) and find the small tweed wrapped bottle of Chianti (the brand escapes me, but the bottle look is unmistakeable). It runs about $9.00, and like I said is wrapped in tweed. Very good stuff.
I think you mean wrapped in reed, or straw, not tweed.dont you?

Maybe it is one of the rare Outer Hebrides varietals? :D

We visited the Pillitteri Estates winery in Niagara, 3 years ago. Their Vidal icewine is world-class, but most of their collection was amazing, at 9-18$ per bottle. Some reserves 20-35$. Amazing. Yes, amazing. 905-468-3147 will sell directly as well. www.pillitteri.com.

Finding these inexpensive "sleepers" is one of my favorite hobbies. Check out the Bogle Vineyards Cab and Chard...both are under $8 at Total Wine. Also love the Concannon Chard, runs just south of $9...and comes in a strangely heavy bottle.

Lots of fine screw-top wines available these days, The inimitable Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon was one of the leaders in the screw-top revolution. See http://www.deathofthecork.com/.

THANK YOU cortr !!!!! I didn't respond to the some folks here commonly known as wine snobbs that WASTE money on over rated/over priced wine that bashed me about screw tops and referenced that crap called MD 20/20......I WAS NOT referring to that junk......thanks for support!
Fab :banana:

Bonny Doon makes some excellent California wines which happen to be in my back yard ! :music: :music: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke:

Also great screw-tops from New Zealand--Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is world-class, comes in a screw-top and, at least around here, will retail on deal for $9.99. The Aussies make good bag-in-a-box stuff, too. We've known for a long time that a significant proportion of production is ruined by bacterially-infected corks. You can SO2 'em to death and they'll still "cork" your vino. Hence the number of screw-tops and silicon "corks."

Here are some of my favorite local wines under 15.99 a bottle. Two of them are Contra Costa County. What is "Contra Costa County"? The largest fastest growing County in California! Several towns produce excellent wines.....like Bllomfield in Brentwood and Hannah Nicole also from Brentwood, my neighbor towns.....Bonny Doons screw top shown is excellent grown in Santa Cruz.....Who thought I drank ghetto wines ? :nono:

Yah I've got some of those "high" dollar heavy reds too ! :lmao: :lmao: :wave:
Opus One: $400.00 plus a bottle
Margaux: $149.00 a pop
The rest were gifts, but are high dollar reds...
At least a grand for all these conservatively speaking...... :yes:
So much for that 20/20 crapo! :music: :music: :music:

Yah I've got some of those "high" dollar heavy reds too ! :lmao: :lmao: :wave:
Opus One: $400.00 plus a bottle
Margaux: $149.00 a pop
The rest were gifts, but are high dollar reds...
At least a grand for all these conservatively speaking...... :yes:
So much for that 20/20 crapo! :music: :music: :music:
when i was a teenager growing up, my 'rents always had something like a nice margaux on the table. and they wondered why i never did my homework... :scratch2:

back then it was ~$3-$4 a bottle. then, within about a month or so (this was somewhere back around 1971), all of a sudden the nice bordeaux's like the margaux's were ~$20-$30 a bottle. the 'rents could no longer afford the good stuff, & that's when i started examining the labels before i would let them pour me a glass. i have been a wine snob ever since - i have a hard time enjoying cheap wine. it's a real treat to find something for $10 that even comes *close* to a margaux. if anyone has any tips for the nice dry velvety red's, lemme know! :)

doug s.

dougs:
Do you like Zinfandel from NCAL ? We have a lady who refused to sell her 100 year old wine crop. Rosenblum cellars sells it out of Alameda Ca. San Francisco Bay (Actually my home town of Antioch) "Carla's Vineyard:
Carla's vineyards, some over 100 years old, are mostly head pruned and dry farmed. They are located at the entrance to the San Francisco bay in Contra Costa County, California. The sparse production per vine and the cool evening breezes produce perfectly ripe Zinfandel fruit.
The vineyards are named after long-time grower Tony Cutino's daughter, Carla Meadows, who has been a superlative supporter of saving these heritage vineyards from the clutches of real estate developers.
The wine posesses an enchanting, vibrant black cherry fruit in the bouquet. The flavor includes rich black cherry, chocolate, currant and vanilla spice....

It is an amazing wine rated at 92 pts. for $19.99.......

All of Kent Rosenblum's zins are good. And from the East Bay, Fred Cline's Oakley zins are a bargain. But I interpreted Doug S's post to mean he was looking for something in the syle of a Margaux. Was I mistaken?

All of Kent Rosenblum's zins are good. And from the East Bay, Fred Cline's Oakley zins are a bargain. But I interpreted Doug S's post to mean he was looking for something in the syle of a Margaux. Was I mistaken?
no, *not* mistaken - i prefer a dry, smooth velvety red like the margaux bordeaux's. not a big fan of fruity wines. nouveau beaujelais is about as sweet/light as i can enjoy... re: white wines, i cannot tolerate most any of them. a nice dry graves or pouilly fuisse i can handle...

doug s.

Then you should try Bonny Doons " Vin Gris De Cigare" dry pink that is mighty good. I too don't care for fruity wines, l like em dry........this one is a keeper....

Then you should try Bonny Doons " Vin Gris De Cigare" dry pink that is mighty good. I too don't care for fruity wines, l like em dry........this one is a keeper....
Agreed. Also Big House Red. Laurel Glen makes an inexpensive blend simply called "Reds" that's a perennial winner. And in spite of the dollars' weakness against the Euro, there's a legion of imports offering good drinking at under $10 a pop. Since you're in Maryland, Doug S. you have a great opportunity to get some outstanding French reds at super prices--just look for "Robert Kacher selections." The Maryland/DC area was where he first got his start and consequently his stocklist has great representation there. Never met a Bobby Kacher wine I didn't like. Also look for another DC/maryland importer--Dan Kravitz of Hand Picked Selections. Again, you just can't go wrong. Kravitz is out of Warrenton,Virginia as I recollect.

Cost Plus carries that wine too. Also I bought that french one you mentioned for $5.99 a bottle and it was VERY good.......I learned not to spend big bucks on wine anymore, as there are many local wineries with great wines at great prices ! Fook the french ! Has anyone tried the chard from Virginia ? :yes: :yes:

I'm having a bottle of Handley's with my halibut tonight. Ever had their wines ? Another excellent buy for the money.... :yes:

Milla Handley was/is (haven't seen her in several years)a friend and we were her Texas distributor--along with Bonny Doon, Laurel Glen,Rosenblum, and Cline--among about three hundred others. Always like her work.

Our everyday table wine is Blackstone Merlot, available for about $8/bottle - rich and robust, it is exceptional with lamb and beef.

A new red that we have just tried is Two Brothers Tatoo Red, at $5 a bottle, its a very good wine value (blend of 50% syrah & 50% cabernet) This is a VERY bold wine and may overpower subtle recipes, best with a good steak.

For a quality and inexpensive Spanish white, try Burgans Albarino - value priced at about $6/bottle, it is crisp and clean with no aftertaste.
:banana:

We replenished our table-wine stock last week and picked up a few [ yellow tail ] Australian wines and have been pretty pleased with them. Shiraz, cabernet and a shiraz/grenache blend. All for $8/bottle, have been very good.

belated thanks for the tips, guys - i am saving this thread! :thmbsp:

doug s.

Here's a twist to Under $10/bottle wine. I make my own. In the last three years, I've made a French Cabrinet, Reisling, two Chardonneys, and Merlot. All turned out very well. It doesn't cost that much as I make 5 gallons at time which equates to 24 bottles. I'd compare them to a $15 to $20/bottle. The selection of "juice" is very broad, you can get any or make fruit wines too.

The cork is dying, screw-tops rule.

They don't dry out and allow complete resealing on a partial bottle.

Some of you should get out more.

:rockon:

In the $10 realm, Two Tone Farm merlot is a winner.

I agree with the screw top!

Milla Handley was/is (haven't seen her in several years)a friend and we were her Texas distributor--along with Bonny Doon, Laurel Glen,Rosenblum, and Cline--among about three hundred others. Always like her work.Used to ride the Saturday morning ride from the RBM with a wine distributor. Was that you?

No, unforunately, since we could have had fun discussing wine, music and audio. With both C&E and Bercut-Vandervoort my territory was west of the Mississippi. When a couple of compadres lured me with a start-up import/distribution house, they dragged my butt to Texas.
Here's a recommendatiopn, though. Berberana temperanillo (Dragon Series). Doesn't much matter what vintage; it's consistently very good. Retails here for $6.99 and is widely distributed throughout the US.

Here's some for you all to go find. Most are under 10 bucks.

Ranvenswood "Vintners Blend" zin.

Klarr Cellars Cab. Sauv. 1999, possibly later vintages too. (Food Outlet)

Carmenet 1999 Cabernet Franc ( I found this at my local Food Outlet, 7.99)

Any vintage of the Rancho Zabaco "Dancing Bull" Sauv. Blanc

Im not a fan of Chards, but this one from OZ is pretty good, Mad Fish, available at Costco.

Hmmm, I'll jump on the screw top bandwagon - By far the best vino I've had in years (within my white-trash budget) Seven Terraces, Pinot. Also from New Zealand. I cant get enough of this stuff. A great sub- $20 bottle of grapes.

-J

We're always looking for the best value in reds. Two of my favorites are

Rodney Strong Cabernet ~14
Mark West Pinot Noir ~10

Since red wine prices have gotten jacked in recent years our benchmark has been forced to rise to "best value between $10-15.

...now I gotta go pour a glass...

Cheers!

Another Bobby Kacher winner. Mas de Guiot Grenache/Syrah. Retails here for $7.99. There are two versions -- a prestige cuvee and a Vin du Pays de Gard. This is the latter. Great BBQ vino.