I’m still relatively new to the wine world and not ready to drop too much money, but I do like to travel and I’m planning my first wine-focused solo journey.
I want to go somewhere where my money goes further, so instead of getting an entry-level Burgundy or Champagne I could be getting something medium to high end. Relatively lower cost of living in that region (food and accommodation) would be very helpful too.
As far as wine styles, I would say I prefer reds over whites, but have been open to a lot more whites and sparkling wine recently. I’m pretty open to most wine styles and have either liked or been indifferent about everything I’ve tried. The only thing I say I wouldn’t like are some of the more rustic, earthy/barnyard kind of reds.
EDIT - I’m based in NYC. Haven’t gone to Finger Lakes yet but I’ve been meaning to go. But also I’d like an excuse to get out of the country!
Where are you located? Travel could be a significant portion of the overall cost of the trip. I’d recommend the Willamette Valley or the Finger Lakes if one or the other is much closer to you. If they’re about the same, I’d go to Willamette.
Portugal is a very affordable place to visit and the wines there are ridiculously inexpensive for the quality. Italy as well, if you avoid the touristy locations.
Since we don’t know where you are located, can’t really say. If you are in California, wineries are right in your backyard. If you live in Germany, same thing. If you are in Lhasa, it’s going to be a bit more expensive to travel.
Assuming that you’re in the US I’d suggest Oregon. If you’re someplace else in the world then where you are will heavily impact these answers.
My first trip to wine country was to the Willamette Valley and if I had to start over again I’d do it exactly the same as I did before. If you’re looking to travel affordably there are places you can stay for under $100/night. The wineries were all very welcoming, and it seemed more about the wine, experience, and connection then it was about how much I was buying. My first trip, I was only a sophomore in college and on a very tight budget. But every place felt welcoming and kind even when I was only able to afford one bottle at each winery I visited. The other nice thing is it’s close enough to the “real world” that if you can’t afford fancy dinners there is a subway or other small affordable restaurants around Newberg.
Are you looking for a place where your money goes far in travel costs or in wine purchases. For example, Napa is pretty expensive in hotels and good restaurants, while Burgundy is really cheap (if you want it to be) for these things. You can stay at a perfectly located hotel in Beaune for a bit over 100 Euros (including a buffet breakfast) ibis Styles Beaune Centre - ALL and eat wonderful food for relatively inexpensive prices all over the Cotes d’Or (for example, Relais de Saulx and Maison Colombier in Beaune). My guess is that the same is true in a lot of European wine regions but I have been to Burgundy most and so know it better than the others.
But, if you are looking for cheaper wines, some of the better values in wine are in Southern France (great bang for your buck in Bandol), Italy, Spain, Portugal, Alsace and, esp., Germany. For the best value in white wines in the world, go to the Mosel.
Over the past few years, we have spent most of the summer in the Languedoc, staying near Montpellier and Sete. 10 min from great beaches, surrounded by small vineyards. 10 min from Picpoul de pinet country and 30 min from Pic St loup and all the great pezenas area wineries.
We paid under $100 a day for a 2 bedroom AC house surrounded by 35 hectares of grapes, outdoor kitchen and bought amazing roses form Puech Haut for $20 for 3 liters. Amazing seafood all around and incredible local fruit and veggies. Also, through Europcar, I paid under $250 a month for a Brand new SUV w gps .
Italy and France are big countries with wine regions all over the place. In France the Languedoc is known as a cheap wine source, but there are lots of up and coming small producers that are making wonderful wines. The Loire, Provence and Jura are better known but still have lots of high quality, less expensive wineries. The Dordogne isn’t known as a wine region but there is plenty around and it’s a fascinating, beautiful area. In Italy you could visit Sicily (especially the east around Mt. Aetna), Sardinia, Emilia-Romagna, Alto Piemonte, Campania, Marche, Val D’Aosta, etc. etc. In all these places there are great wines, inexpensive hotels and ridiculously good food at reasonable prices (yes I love Italy).
Willamette Valley (Oregon) is a good suggestion, especially if you like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In California, you could visit the Anderson Valley, the Central Coast, Sierra Foothills, or Central Valley (e.g. Lodi Wine Trail). Sonoma County has lots of good places to stay, great inexpensive food, and a wide variety of wineries. Base yourself in Sebastopol and within an hour or two drive is a wine wonderland.
Lots of good choices! You could spend decades visiting these regions and still find new pleasures. The reality is that, outside of Bordeaux and Napa (really built to cater to well-healed visitors), and Burgundy/Champagne (actually very reasonable for lodging and food, but the top wines are expensive) most wine regions are rural/far from urban centers and are actually reasonably inexpensive places to visit!
I think I recall you mentioning that you are based in NYC. If that is the case I strongly recommend taking a weekend and visit the Finger Lakes wine region.The NY Wine & Grape Foundation has plenty of resources on the wineries and even host trips and events. The wines are great quality and my trip their was eye opening.
Best part is how inexpensive the wines are compared to other wine regions. If you would like winery recommendations please send me a PM.
Like Hank, if you’re already in NY, you’re going to save the most by going to Finger Lakes. If you’d like to travel to a destination that fits all of your other criteria (lower-cost wines, ample selection of non-barnyardy, non-funky reds, cheap lodging and food), I’d suggest Eastern Washington State (NOT Walla Walla, mind you). I’d consider staying in either the Yakima Valley or in the Tri Cities and tasting in the Lower Yakima Valley (Zillah down through Prosser) and/or Red Mountain. Tons of good wineries and wine, less of the Rocks funk, cheap lodging and food…but a necessity for a car.
The Mosel has got to be the value of the century, but surprisingly the Northern Rhone can be quite inexpensive, and if you stay away from some of the larger negociants (Guigal, Delas, etc) and prestige names (Jamet, Allemand, etc), you can get world class wine ex cellar for less than €40/bottle. In Cornas and Cote Rotie you can visit Rostaing, Verset, Voge, and many others and ex-cellar their wines are quite affordable, sometimes <1/3 what they cost in the US.
Penedes (where they make Cava) is very fun to visit and SO CHEAP. A short drive from there is Priorat which CAN be quite affordable as well, much more so than one would think given the high price points domestically for many of the prestige cuvees.
I don’t think I’d recommend the Willamette Valley for budget-minded folks, as much as I love the region. It’s hard to get anything but base level PN for <$40/bottle which is specifically what the OP said they didn’t want to be relegated to. American wine in general is $$$$
Jordan - Most of the suggestions here sound right to me.
One thing I’d add: Go out of the tourist season, and accommodation will be much cheaper. Most places in Europe, rates are lower from mid-September through May. (One exception if Piedmont, where the peak tourist season is in the fall because of truffles.)
Some of the smaller regions in the Southern Rhone Valley are excellent, Vacqueyras, Cote du Ventoux, Luberon and the poorman’s CDP: Gigondas. Great food as well. You can drink very good wines for $20 - $25 and great ones for $50 - $70. The Provence’ area should be visited by anyone interested in good wine, food, history and beauty.
Knowing you want to get out of the country changes things. I’ve been to wine country in Chile and, while there is certainly the low cost factor, there is also a lot of dreck wine produced. It’s also not as easy to just drive around and drop into any tasting room and taste without a tour or, at minimum, an appointment. The most thrilling wines we had while there were some of the whites in the Casablanca Valley.
Based in NY and want another country, without spending much $? - obvious choice, drive a few hours and cross the border to visit Niagara. Larger industry than Finger lakes and about an hour further. Your $ go way further too.
Mendoza should be extremely high on the list imo. With the current exchange rate, the OP can eat and drink like a king while still having $$$$ left over