I have always heard Spain mentioned as good for value in wine.
The wine I have had most from Spain is Tres Picos Garnacha and for $13 I think it is a good value even though it is a very ripe fruit driven wine.
I found some Alto Moncayo Veraton for $25 which seems would be a step up from Tres Picos but not sure if its still a value at twice the price.
I had a Priorat at a wine bar I liked very much but couldn’t find it anywhere. I tried a couple Priorats in the $20 range and decided I would have to spend more to find something nice.
So I am wondering what else I might try be it Garnacha, Tempranillo, Monastrell or a blend ideally under $20.
For around the price of your cheap garnachas, I’ve enjoyed Riojas from Lopez de Haro (not Heredia, ah if only Tondonia were under fifteen bucks), crianzas and reserves. Pretty traditionally styled and great value. Hell, traditional Rioja at higher price points are also tremendous values for that matter, but that’s not what you’re asking.
Then again our palates may be polar opposites: I don’t enjoy either those cheap high-point garnachas nor the pricey Priorats.
I don’t find Finca Allende to be classic/traditional personally…I’ve stopped buying it.
But Muga is definitely good old school, and good value, and should please those who like Bordeaux.
I will also chime in with the Lopez de Haro and CVNE suggestions. (WL usually has a good spectrum of those)
Don’t know where your cut off for values might be, but Peter Sisseck makes a super Ribera del Duero – Hacienda Monasterio.
The market has recognized its quality, but sometimes you can find it in the $30’s.
PJ’s in NYC has a broad spectrum of Spanish wines, top to bottom, and although its a little harder for me to deal with them because they are a UPS shipper, sometimes they have items others don’t.
If you can still find 2010 crianza’s in the market, those are a good place to start, since it was a nice year.
However many of those have sold through.
Perhaps GregT will chime in here, but if he doesn’t, you might consider searching for his posts. In addition to being knowledgeable, he has a gift for writing about wine.
Sierra Carche is great wine. As I recall, one of the fat guys at the Wine Advocate drank some while taking an all expenses paid hot air balloon trip with Pancho Campo, 3 hookers, an entire Cinco Jotas jamon iberico de bellota, and an ounce of blow, or stumbling haphazardly with the bulls in Pamplona with Pancho Campo and a suitcase full of Euros he found abandoned after the bulls ran by. I forget which. Anyway, he loved the wine and gave it 103 points. I think they bottle it as El Nido now.
Agree with the above. I also use Wine Searcher to make sure the pricing is in line. While Rioja gets all the press, I prefer Ribera Del Duero (particularly '04,'05, and '09). I’ve been quite pleased with some of the other appellations(Bierzo, Jumilla, Navarra, Priorat) too, but will also note that there seems to be more bottle variation in Spanish wines.
Very affordable everyday drinkers:
2012 Gil Monastrell (Silver label)
2009 Tardencuba
2005 Temperancia (Bernard Magrez)
2004 Pago Altolandon
2006 Marco Real Crianza
I did try this one a few months a go and it just didn’t do it for me, kind of monotone if I remember.
Could be bottle variation? It was way below the one I had at the wine bar (Sao de Coster)