Looking for a good & inexpensive wine

In my view Chilean whites are always excellent and ridiculously good value for money. New Zealand and Argentina are good for white wines, too.

Red wines can be more of a minefield, but Australian and New Zealand reds are pretty consistent and good value. South African are worth a try but can be a bit robust.

Buying European wines tends to be rather more hit-and-miss, unless you follow the recommendations of a good wine writer. There are just so many and they can vary dramatically from year to year.

Andy.
 
Finding a good cheap wine is like finding a good cheap knife...Hard, takes a lot of buying, and YMMV. "cheap" is waay relative in the wine world, too. I look at cheap as 15-20/bottle. Under that, you may hit a few good ones, but a ton of stinkers. some folks say 35-45 is perfectly reasonable. The good news is that you can try out a number of wines at a wine tasting. My problem is that beyond brands, grapes will vary with season, and some vintages will taste like crap in comparison to other years of the exact same wine. I don't have the time to dedicate to drinking, and I don't have the palate to appreciate good wine, or even great wine. It's a damn expensive habit to get into, I'll say that.
 
Recently there has been a glut of good grapes in California and some rather cheap brands have produced some very decent jug wines. At this stage some very cheap brands may let you find something that suits you. For example I buy Gallo Cabernet Sauvignon by the jug. It makes a very decent table wine. You should probably also try a Zinfandel variety and a Merlot. Try Gallo or Italian Swiss to start with. See if you are even interested. It amazes me how well the volume producers can do when they get good grapes.

Beringer has traditionally been a good moderately priced brand. Inglenook has its ups and downs. If you can find it, CK Mondavi is a bargain. (This is different than Robert Mondavi which tends to be higher priced).

Anyway, get your palate wet and then we can talk about other things to try.

If you have a Trader Joe's Market in your area they are great for giving you information and providing a great deal on great wine. Here is a link to a description of one of their specials. They put out newsletters that describe interesting products to try:
http://www.traderjoes.com/new/chuckshaw.asp
 
Thanks for all the replies. I went into the local liquor store today and bought two bottles at the advice of the clerk. One is a "pinot noir" and the other is a "merlot." Both were under $10/each, made in the USA.

I'll keep you posted...

steve
 
Just for your edification, Both of those are varieties of grapes with which the particular wines are made.
 
If you want really cheap wine which is good, try this link:
http://www.epinions.com/content_3809058948

I'm a definite wine lover (and love good wine!) and had the opportunity to try the L'Authentique Red Table Wine from France recently.
Very decent for $3.99 at a local store. Tastes like a $15 bottle of wine!

So, if you have access to some French imports (and don't mind buying a cheap French wine), you can't go wrong with the L'Authentique.

Place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before serving and it'll be at just the right temperature. Don't want it cold, just a smidge cooler than room temperature.

Hope that helps...

Cheers,
Mike
 
And for the novice...

Zinfandel and "white Zinfandel" are worlds apart.

Zinfandel is a red wine grape--a rather old variety I think.

"White Zinfandel" is the cheap blush or rosea wine.
It has rather negative connotations among wine lovers and gets zero respect.

If you went to a wine tasting and stated that your favorite wine is "white Zinfandel", while the others might not say anything, they would probably laugh at you behind your back.

Kind of like going to a beer tasting in Munich and claiming that you prefer Colt 45!

Allen.
 
You can often get good Zinfadels for less (and I mean real red Zinfandel, not the white Zinfandel stuff).
Zinfandel does not need to age as much before it gets good. If a wine has to age a lot before it's drinkable (like Pinot Noir) then it will be pricier.
I like Zinfandel.
 
"A good every day wine is Vendange Cabernet Savignon for about $6.00 a bottle (my wife has been drinking it for years)."

Was this arround the time she met you? :D :p



Just messing with ya :)
 
md.jpg
It's cheap but it's good! You might pour it into a empty bottle of wine that cost more so your guest will be caught off guard if you have a little get together. :D :D :D
 
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