11 replies to this topic

[Mirandar]

Thanks for being here! I live for NYT on wednesdays !

I love wine and I'm even thinking of studying it after college. Of course on my college student budget, I can't afford super expensive. Or actually, I can't afford anything not cheap. I was curious to know if there are any general guidelines for buying at least decent wines for under $10. I've heard Austrailian wines are often a good bet as well as Chilean? I'd love your input! Thanks !

[Eric Asimov]

You know, in a way it's liberating to be on a tight budget. Your options are limited but you can experiment freely.

$10 and under is not an easy category to find wines of distinction, but there are some out there. I remember a year or two ago finding a decent barbera from Michele Chiarlo. You used to be able to find decent beaujolais and the occasional good Vouvray -- Montfort was one such label. I think with the rise of the euro, though, this may not be true anymore.
Australian wines are tough, as so many of the inexpensive ones are those brandname wine products. They don't taste too bad but they're not always good for the spirit.

[phatbastard]

If you have access to wines from the Niagara region of Ontario, you have a few relatively cheap options at your disposal. Vineland Estates, Peller Estates, and Cave Springs are some notable wineries offering inexpensive bangs for your buck. I find Riesling from the NOL (Niagara on the Lake) gorgeous, and pinot noir tends to be of high quality as well. If you can find a Viognier from any Niagara winery, snap it up as fast as you can. The grape seems to really prosper here.

Cheers, and good luck!

[Mirandar]

Thanks for your input! To the store I go! :)

[LindaK]

Mirandar, many of us have been there and have learned a lot about wine in the process. So have fun.

I've found some reliable wines in that price point from:

- southern France, esp. Cote de Rhones
- Spain (reds) and Portugal (whites)
- South Africa, esp. meritages (red) and sauvignon blancs

Get to know your local wine shops, ask questions. The good ones will have some decent choices in your price range and will be happy to recommend them. If they don't, shop somewhere else.

Though I am loyal to my favorite local wine merchants, I would be interested in Eric Asimov's thoughts and advice about buying wine over the Internet. So many wines from the west coast never find their way to retail outlets in the east.

[Mirandar]

Lindak~
thanks for the advice, also! I will give some of those a try!

[jayt90]

One currently available South African red getting great reviews is
Porcupine Ridge 2003. It sells for $13 in Ontario, $10 in New York, and 6.5pd in London. It is a shiraz based blend.
I'm getting some for current drinking, but I'll be watching the winery year to year.

[300rwhp]

What is a meritage i think you mean pinotage and as for porcupine ridge i think it comes from someone else and is not the name of the winery i think it is boekenhoutskloof which makes many nice wines. For the price point i would see if you can find anything from thelema also from south africa

[phatbastard]

No, meritage and pinotage are two entirely different wines.

Pinotage refers to a South African grape derived from the French grapes pinot noir and cinsault.

Meritage wines are modeled after French Bordeaux wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

[jayt90]

Meritage wines are modeled after French Bordeaux wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Cabernet Sauvigon, Merlot, and Cinsault. A classic Meritage usually contains at least three of the grapes allowed in Bordeaux.

[LindaK]

What is a meritage i think you mean pinotage

No, meritage and pinotage are two entirely different wines.

Thanks, you are both correct. The South African wines I wanted to steer Mirinadar towards are the pinotages. Meritages are also worth exploring but (from what I know) are not indiginous to South Africa and definitely not in the student budget category.

[jayt90]

as for porcupine ridge i think it comes from someone else and is not the name of the winery i think it is boekenhoutskloof which makes many nice wines.  For the price point i would see if you can find anything from thelema also from south africa

Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2003 is the wine that boekenhoutskloof is releasing around the world now, and is worth looking for based on reviews and word of mouth.

Can you suggest any current or past wines from Thelema?