How cheap can good wine be?

WINE TALK
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For those who prefer CA styles:

Margerum, Sean Minor and Walter Hansel S/B’s #15 - 20
Sean Minor Pinot Noir $18
Educated Guess (vintage variable on how good it is) & Sean Minor Cabs $18 - 20
Butter Chardonnay $15 (Rombauer knock off)

Oregon

Share Croppers Pinot Noir $19
Share Croppers Cab $18

There are a number of NZ S/Bs between $16 & 20 that are good to very good.
Argentina has some very good wines between $14 and 23

To me, it appears that some wines are intentionally built for drink now enjoyment and they command the “High” lower end of the spectrum, (how do you like aged Beaujolais?), versus the bulk wines that make it into a bottle where the glass and cork are worth more than the wine.

Those of you who have been to France and Italy, did you notice the village or local wines served by the glass at restaurants were very good for the price?

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A single data point: Central Coast, CA produced a $4 wine called RGMV (TomHill rec. a while ago). The '11 was fantastic at 4-5x the price. The '12 is a buck cheaper and I like it far less. It taste like a $7-$10 grocery store wine.

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$10-20?

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Syrah - Qupe Central Coast is sometimes 11.99. It’s awesome.

Tempranillo - Riscal Reserva is around 12.99. I would drink it happily. And Bodegas Olarra has some for around the same.

Pinot Noir - there’s only one that I ever drink and it’s available for 11.99 from time to time - Erath.

Garnacha and blends - lots from the south of France and Spain for under 15.

Nebbiolo - unclassified Nebbiolo Langhe from Mauro Molino, Fontafredda, the Prudittori and others can be picked up for 15 or so.

Barbera - same as above but you can get it for $12 or so

Docetto - I don’t love it so don’t look around too often.

Sangiovese - you can get some drinkable Rosso di Montalcino for 15 or so and even an inexpensive Chianti for around that.

Gamay - Chermette Fleurie is around 15 if you shop.

Zin - it’s become a bit expensive but I can find Ridge Three Valleys or between 15 and 20 and St Francis for 15.

Cab/Merlot - if you shop you can find stuff like Steltzner claret or Newton’s Merlot or the aforementioned Chateau St Michelle for around 15.

St Laurent - you can find Stattler or Schuster for 15

Malbec - plenty around for under 15

Chardonnay - ditto

Verdejo - ditto

Godello - you can do OK for 15

Mencia - I found some pretty drinkable stuff for 13.99

Xinomavro - a few around 15

Cab Franc - the Vignerons de Saumur is around 8 to 10

Muscadet - as mentioned by others

So for me, good wine can be around $8 but right around $15 is where I can find lots of wines that I’d happily drink. Best in the world? Maybe not. But way better than most swill you get served as a “house” wine in a restaurant and I always have bottles of the afore-mentioned in the house.

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My bias is showing here, but when it comes to Cab/Merlot, I think its just better to load up on good vintages in Bordeaux, on the smaller estates. Its not hard to find stuff that is 200/cs or so, and will last a decade.

If you have to pay for storage, or that’s an issue, then maybe that doesn’t work, and one needs to know a handful of consistent names that can be relied on, that are less vintage dependent. Around our house, we like the fat, buttery, flabby (!) Bogle chard for pre dinner kitchen cooking and mail sorting quaffing. (Their peitit sirah is ok too, but that’s something I can only take a little bit of.) We also like the Ch. St. Jean chardonnays too, again for quaffing/guzzling. Most dry white still wines don’t get too much introspection in this casita.

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Lots of great Santorini Assyrtiko and Assyrtiko/Athiri blends for <$20.

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If you are talking retail, $10-15 is the bottom. On the rare occasion you can find something at $8-10. It kind of depends on the specific wine.

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I don’t have a price theory.

I approach it like peyote buttons. Consume the ones that present themselves in your path.

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It´s depending on:

  • what do you call “good” ?
  • what grape/type/region ?
  • where purchased ?

In France you can buy wines from Languedoc/Roussilion/Minervois etc. easily for 5 € or less - and many are GOOD, sometimes very good.
“Good” Burgundies (Bourgogne) can be found off domaine for 6,50 to 9 € - but hardly later in the market.

On the other hand a “good” minor Bordeaux is often 8-12 €, the cheaper ones (4.99 e.g.) taste like 4.99 … if it tastes like 5.49 it´s already a success [cheers.gif]

In Austria you can buy “good” Grüne Veltliner from “Weinviertel” or Welschriesling/Neuburger from “Burgenland” for around 5-7 €, but Sauvignon blanc/Morillon from Styria is usually 8-10+ €, simply because the steep vineyards are much harder to work which is more expensive.
Also good reds (Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch …) can be found for 5-8 €, but not a good Pinot noir, a St. Laurent or a cabernet cuvee - much more manual work, lower yields etc.

When the wines travel they usually get more expensive, but I think the US 3 trier-system is a real money maker for the steps in between, and headaches for the final consumer.

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I couple years ago, TJ’s was selling a somewhat decent Primitivo for $4. Sadly, I believe that ship has sailed.

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I once combined 2 coupons with a case sale and walked out of the NHSLC with a case of excellent Nero D’Avola for $33.

The cashier yelled at me, “You can’t buy a case of wine for $33!”

I said, “I just did.”

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One of my favorite burgs was only $23…Michael Sarrazin Champs Lalot givry '07

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Last night I had a bottle of the 2011 Volver from Spain, 100% Tempranillo. My cost $11.95. It was very, very good wine.

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Of course it depends on taste but some benchmarks you can use for this are Guigal CdR ($12-15), Vidal-Fleury CdR (sometimes <$10), and Campo de Borja Borsao ($8?). You can get decent Cava and Prosecco under $15. Macon too. Some basic Bourgognes, though I would go to CA Pinot from Navarro or Au Bon Climat in the $15-20 range. If I had to restrict all my drinking to <$20 wines I could still drink really well, I just wouldn’t cellar too much of it. On the other hand if you started seeking out age-worthy wines under $20 it might be pretty interesting too.

Under $8 is difficult for me, except occasional sales.

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Pepiere.
Guion
Vajra rosso

All about $12

Also, premier cru for sick deals

Recently bought a case of '12 Lapierre Raisins Gaulois for $4.50 per.

37

wat

From PC??

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Local close out. Also some good white burgs at 3 for $20. I loaded up.

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That’s a score man.

[cheers.gif]

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Heh oh the memories Firriato Etna Rosso around $15 are some nice QPR.