Quality Cheap Wine

[Paxosmotic]

I found a $8 pinot gris at Walmart that works really well with chickens and pastas. It's delish.

[dc_publius]

If you have Trader Joe's near you, check out their wine specials. $3-4/bottle and personally I can't tell much difference between their wine and expensive brand wine. Even if I could tell the difference, I doubt it would be worth paying 300%-500% more for it.

[Rick Nebiolo]

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i love your wine in the box advice for everday wine drinkers. i think they have really improved the quality in a lot of respects recently,

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Almost forgot what I wrote elsewhere (I type faster than I search) and I haven't had time to hit up the fancy markets but my guess is a place like "Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck" would have some of the real good boxed wines. I do like a "two hour before bedtime" glass of Chardonnay or (gasp, the Paul G. character in Sideways would hate me!) Merlot in the neat little square boxes that Target sells ($16 for 4 liters - the equivalent of $4 per 750ml bottle) so lately I've been sticking with that. (Note: If my "never had a drink" Mom is reading this remember Micheal Corleone talking to his Dad in the garden during The Godfather, "Dad, a little wine is good for you").

That said I couldn't help but pick up a few bottles of Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago. A few days later gf was over and it was going to be a "whole bottle night" (wild people we are) so I had her try the Charles Shaw and Target boxed wine Chardonnay side by side. gf liked the Two Buck Chuck a little better! In the early years of our relationship she liked the $10ish bottles, so someday I'd like her to check out Two Buck Chuck versus her favorite old brand (think it was Clou du Vous (sp?). Over the years I've got her to think my way - cheaper is better when cheaper tastes just about as good (or better). But you can't be looking at the labels to admit this.

I've been to some recent 2+2 "get-togethers" and it seems the new generation revels in showing off how much they can spend. I grew up in a different time, even the rich Yale, Tufts and Harvard "trust fund" kids we at URI used to race (Collegiate Sailing) during the seventies counted their pennies, ostentatious spending just wasn't cool (of course "old money" is cheap). We would socialize af course and if we went out in a big group it was always budget, nothing like that 2+2 Palm's or Dal Rae extravaganza that still makes me a little sick inside.


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plus you can have a moon man party by taking it out of the box an wearing the silver "wine bag" on your back while running the spout around to your mouth. a true bonus!!

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Sounds good but I'm not a "life of the party" guy (although gabe, mike l. and lmd do think I'm a little nuts the rare time I make it to a party). I do take the bladder out when it is running low so I can get the last drop, with merlot and Chardonnay it looks like I have bags of blood and piss in my fridge. But only three people ever see it so it doesn't matter since they know me. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]



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Rick doesn't part of you even miss pulling the cork and all of the fun that goes into opening a nice bottle of wine? no decanting from a box either?!?

i would miss that for sure, the routine around opening a new bottle, but that might just be me.

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Nah, I'm clumsy and most things elegant, but I'm trying to improve as I age.



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back to the OP....my all time fave for around $10 is Marietta Cellars old vine red, a very nice blend that goes with about anything. try it you won't be disappointed.

Oregon pinot noirs are also very very good as a general rule and anything in the $15 to $20 range will make you happy.

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I'll keep this thread as a favorite but in my present circumstances I believe I'll have to concentrate on the virtues of Charles Shaw. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

~ Rick

[J.Brown]

Rick,

next time i make to l.a. to play i will set something up and we can waste some of my money drinking really good wine.

i have an friend up here in MT who says you are a nice guy, although i don't really know how well he knows you.

thanks for your input.

2 buck chuck tastes good especially is it is bottle no. 2.

take care. J.

[HDPM]

A few of us have mentioned this wine now. Being all insecure I am glad to see others like it. I have not had a bad one from them yet. The Old Vine Red blend is solid and dependable. I have also liked their zin and petite syrah. Both were good, with the petite syrah being the most expensive of theirs I have tried at approx 18. I like their idea about winemaking - making wines that can be consumed at a variety of functions with food for less than big money - and am still waiting to try a bad one.

[testaaja]

I don't really know anything about wines but that they can get you drunk. We had a 10 liter & 2x 6-packs (red) of wine when we were in italy and, well, I drank quite a bit of that stuff. Tasty and really good. Bottles were 0.79 euros/piece so hell they were cheap. So I'd say, try the wines. The 10 liter stuff was pretty horrible but I managed to get it down (what wouldn't I [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]). I think you know this but I'm still drunkeen from the night and I can't sleep anymore so I thought I should write up something reaally important.
Peace lopl [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[MrMon]

Speaking of Merlot, here are some choices from my wine store's newsletter.

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The M Word...
"Not so long ago it was hot. Couldn't keep the good ones on the shelf and they all seem to sell themselves. A retailers dream. And what was not to like? They were rich, silky, seductive and user friendly. Drinkable when released but could blossom with bottle age. Some even had exotic aromatics of cocoa, coffee bean, etc. Catchy name too. Easy to pronounce even for non-French speakers. Then some large wineries got greedy. Increased their yields and production which diluted the quality. Demand began to wane. Oh yeah, and then that movie came along. Yes, we're talking about Merlot. A grape with origins and tremendous history in France's Bordeaux region where it's blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and a few other grapes adding aromatic complexity and texture. Merlot has also grabbed a foothold in southern France where it flourishes. The grape grows well in the New World too and can produce exotically scented and textured wines in California and South America. We're glass half-full kind of people and we look at this current lull in demand for Merlot as a buying opportunity. There's virtually no price pressure which is good for us wine drinkers. Here are some of our current favorites all under $20..."
-John Nash, The Wine Merchant, Ltd.

2004 Oakhurst Merlot
(Red Wine, California)
E-mail Price $4.99 Save !!!
"We're sorry to see this go. This is the last vintage. A consistent Medal Winner in California. Notes of red plum and ripe cherries lead you to a soft, lush palate and silky finish. Get some while you can."
-John Nash, The Wine Merchant, Ltd.

2004 Gournier Merlot
(Red Wine, France, Provence)
E-mail Price $7.99 Save !!!
"Produced from 25 year old vines harvested at 40 hectoliters per hectare, the 2004 Merlot displays aromatic as well as flavor profiles dominated by sweet red and black cherries. Light to medium-bodied and easygoing, this is an expressive, satin-textured value for quaffing over the next 2 years. This wine is a special cuvee produced for (and with the input of) its US importer, Robert Kacher. It is available only in the United States..."
-Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

2002 Dallas Conté Merlot
(Red Wine, Chile, Maipo Valley)
E-mail Price $9.99 Save !!!
"This is a perennial favorite with The Merch staff. Dark purple color. Great nose, really exotic almost like a chocolate covered cherry. Lush, velvety fruit coats your palate. Tremendous value."
-John Nash, The Wine Merchant, Ltd.

2004 Saint-Antoine Merlot
(Red Wine, France, Languedoc)
E-mail Price $9.99 Save !!!
"We really like this one. It's from sunny, southern France where the grapes benefit from the abundant sunshine, arid climate and soil perfect for growing grapes. Deep color. This is silky and rich and very satisfying. Wine importer Bobby Kacher has the winery add a dollop of Syrah to this adding a little spice into the mix and has the winery bottle it 'unfiltered' so that all of the flavor and aroma end up in the bottle. Delish."
-John Nash, The Wine Merchant, Ltd.

2004 Malma Merlot
(Red Wine, Argentina, Patagonia)
E-mail Price $10.99 Save !!!
"This one is all about fruit. Loads of it really that show notes of spice and earth that are all wrapped up in a silky finish."
-John Nash, The Wine Merchant, Ltd.

2004 Dickson's Mill Merlot Napa Valley
(Red Wine, California, Napa Valley)
E-mail Price $11.99 Save !!!
"This is an awesome value from Napa Valley. You just don't see this kind of quality at this price from Napa anymore. Deeply colored with lush yet well balanced fruit and an oh-so-velvety finish. This is the goods."
-John Nash, The Wine Merchant, Ltd.

2003 Montpezat Merlot
(Red Wine France, Langeudoc)
E-mail Price $15.99 Save !!!
"This Merlot from France's value-rich Languedoc region drinks like a wine at twice the price. It's a big wine, extracted and rich with berry and plum fruit flavors accented by herbal aromatics and finishing firm with ripe tannins. Bottled unfiltered. Imported by Bobby Kacher."
-John Nash, The Wine Merchant, Ltd.

2003 Malma Merlot Reserva
(Red Wine, Argentina, Patagonia)
E-mail Price $19.99 Save !!!
"This one really shines. Dark color, looks more like a Cab. The nose is great. Deep, dark fruits with notes of cocoa, espresso and vanilla bean. It's lush and rounded by aging in oak barrels. Delicious finish."
-John Nash, The Wine Merchant, Ltd.


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Even if you don't live in St. Louis, they can put you on the trail of some interesting stuff. Subscribe here:

The Wine Merchant

[MrWookie]

Good stuff. I'll see about looking some of these up next time I hit up the liquor store.

[fearless]

"pomino rosso"
"trilogy"

[WillMagic]

I wonder if anyone has tried Three Thieves Cabernet 2003. I've tried maybe 5-6 of the ~$10 wines at Whole Foods, and this has easily been the best. And at $10 for a 1-liter jug it's a good deal.

But my wine experience is limited, so I'm wondering if someone has tried this and knows of better cheap wine.