Recently I realized I don’t have ample “everyday” red wines that fit my preferred style (traditional/old world, earth/mineral, good food wines, lower alcohol) that I’d be equally happy opening for spontaneous guests (who may/may not drink wine) as I would be drinking a glass (or two). Ideally am looking for suggestions that are in the $20-$30 range (or under) that are recent releases approachable early or past releases market available. What are your top three that fit into this rubric?
Actually pretty tough to pair it down to 3 since there is an ocean of Old World juice out there that meets your criteria. Any other food or wine preferences to narrow things down?
Many Cru Beaujolais and Chianti Classico fits the bill as described. See other recent threads here about specific producers.
Southern Italy and most of Spain are literally awash in delicious, food friendly stuff for under $15 or even $10 US retail.
The question here is crazy overly broad and hard to sum up. You should look to Sicily and the Loire region. Baudry is a great choice for the Loire that not only provides great QPR but also just objectively high quality.
I would suggest trying some basic Rioja or Rioja at the Crianza level and see which ones you like. Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages is another possibility. Wines from Southern Italy based on the Aglianico grape (from Taurasi or Basilicata) might be a possibility but prices vary greatly so you might want to price them and taste in a shop before purchasing.
You can’t get much in Taurasi for small money anymore but Aglianico Beneventano in Campania and d’Vulture in Basilicata are solid values.
The Cotes du Rhone is another good source, and there’s Dolcetto from Piemonte and even a fair deal of Nebbiolo d’Alba in that price range. Sardinia offers some good values, too.
In California, Edmunds St. John and Unti come to mind as wineries that produce interesting wines that meet these criteria.
My favorite everyday red is Jadot bourgogne that I can get at the Costco for $14. I have drunk tons of it and the current 2009 model is is very good.
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2008 - Tenuta Monteti Caburnio around 16$
Buy it and thank me later
Loire. Almost anything.
this
whites and reds
Here are a few that might fit the criteria.
Jean Marc Pillot Chassagne Rouge
2009 Candialle la Misse Chiantio Classico
2009 Solar Viejo Rioja Crianza
2010 Faiveley Mercurey Crus (Framboisiere, Clos des Myglands, Clos do Roy)
Vissoux Beaujolais
Many great recs, thanks! Few have asked to narrow scope of question / more information about interets. So, here goes: I love Italian wines and the focus of my modest (couple hundred bottle) cellar are traditional style Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello with min price around $50 and max just over $100. So recommendations for old world style Nebbiolos and Chianti Classico’s in the $20-30 or under range would be great as I love the underlying grapes, just don’t have experience with the everyday drinkers at this price point. Also recs from Sicily as the island has come up a couple times above. Basically some things to drink and open with guests whist the big Bs age!
Also love the Mount Eden PN style and have a number of these. Would like to support the wines of my own state, so a low alcohol, mineral driven, earthy CA everyday PN with similar characteristics to Mt Eden would be great. Most of the IPOB wines (a number of which I like) are outside of the budget parameters, right?
I have no French or Spanish wines, largely due to a focus on Italy and budget/time constraint so I’ll likely pass on those, but file for the day that I have more time, money and space!
Thanks again for the great recs, please keep them coming!
This one is a beauty…
Albino Rocca Rosso di Rocca, which is an earthy blend of Neb, Barbera and Cab Franc…cheap too. Their normale Barbaresco is VG and may sneak into the budget.
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Tons of great juice for those who favor Italian wines but since you want a very short list and don’t have much time to explore I’ll give my 4 recent purchases that are drinking well now and will probably get better with bit of age.
2010 is shaping up to be a wonderful vintage for many part of Italy and the reds meant for earlier drinking have been entering distribution for almost a year.
Rocca di Montegrossi 2010 Chianti Classico (just great sangio that will get better with some age but is great now)
Brigaldara 2010 Valpolicella Classico (Amarone producers seem to be raising their entry-level game. Same grapes but without the heavy-weight Amarone style)
Cantine Barbera 2010 Nero d’Avola (Nero d’Avola can be kind of jammy and warm but this one is elegant)
Marziano Abbona 2010 Dolcetto di Dogliani “Papa Celso” (I’m not usually a dolcetto fan but this has a lot going on today and will likely be rocking for at least a decade)
Also just tasted a couple of nebbiolos drinking well now and are a great deal:
Mamete 2010 Prevostini “Botonero”
Sandro Fay 2009 Valtellina Superiore Costa Bassa
If you can find them, Arianna Occhipinti of Sicily has a budget label called Tami’. The prices run in the high teens, and the Nero D’avolo and Frappato offer outstanding value.
Of course her regular wines are great, but you ain’t going to find them under $20.
M @ r k
This
Drinking Guion right now
Crazy good
I second this. TAMI is the line I was thinking of when I mentioned Sicily. They’re great wines… hard to find though.
La Clarine Farms has become an everyday go-to for me. Reds and whites are all earthy and lean. Maybe a little stemmy sometimes, but always interesting.