El Cheapo Wine Tasting

[Varmint]

Kathi Purvis of the Charlotte Observer has a piece in today's edition about ultra-cheap wines. Click here for the article (free registration may be required).

A walk through Total Wines on Park Road turned up possibilities. I ended up with 14 wines, five white and nine red, from $3.49 to $5.67.

[hollywood]

If you pick up Bonny Doon's 2002 Big House Red with the screw cap, you can feel like you're drinking cheap wine but it tastes good. Probably around $10. And I have to say the screw cap really works. Without magnets.

[Varmint]

Hell, I placed this order the other day:

2 cases 2000 Lamborghini Trescone - $8.99 a bottle

1 case 2000 Chateau Fongrave Blanc $4.17 a bottle

1 case 2000 Guigal Cotes-du-Rhone - $6.99 a bottle

You can call me, "Big Bucks Varmint"

Meanwhile, one of my partners is talking about the cases of Petrus he has in his cellar.

[hollywood]

Meanwhile, one of my partners is talking about the cases of Petrus he has in his cellar.

Yeah, but Petrus doesn't have a screw cap!

[Chad]

Holy crap! You're getting the Guigal Cotes du Rhone for $6.99? Damn. I pay $12 here in Kansas.

If you're into Sauvignon Blanc, we've found a pretty good one in the Morande Chilean SB. We get it for ~$6.00 a bottle, $64 for a case (including tax).

Chad

[Craig Camp]

I have to admit even here in Italy where there are really no significant taxes on wines and the stores buy directly from the producer is is damn hard to find a decent bottle under Euro 5.00. I mean really how can the producer do it and make a decent living if they are not pumping out every ounce of wine out of every vine they just can't stay in business. Spending a few Euro or Dollars more makes all the difference.

The Trescone is tasty by the way.

[Craig Camp]

Meanwhile, one of my partners is talking about the cases of Petrus he has in his cellar.

Yeah, but Petrus doesn't have a screw cap!

Yet.

[hollywood]

Holy crap! You're getting the Guigal Cotes du Rhone for $6.99? Damn. I pay $12 here in Kansas.

What if he's getting a case discount as well?

[tommy]

if she went to the same Total Wines that i have up here, then she got some of the best prices around (well, up here anyway).

i particularly like Michel Lynch white bordeaux. and at about 7.60 a bottle with a case discount, you can't get hurt.

Edited November 5, 2003 by tommy (log)

[badthings]

Protocolo red has just resurfaced (in N. California) for $5.50/bottle.

Tasty, unpretentious 100% tempranillo -- forget the region, but it's no d.o.c. obviously.

[Varmint]

Holy crap! You're getting the Guigal Cotes du Rhone for $6.99? Damn. I pay $12 here in Kansas.

What if he's getting a case discount as well?

That's the case price. All from Carolina Wine Company here in l'il ol' Raleigh.

[bushey]

Protocolo red has just resurfaced (in N. California) for $5.50/bottle.

Tasty, unpretentious 100% tempranillo -- forget the region, but it's no d.o.c. obviously.

I love Protocolo and can get it here at Table & Vine in western MA for $4.99.

A white cheapie I love is Ockfener Scharzberg Riesling, also @$4.99.

Pepperwood Grove Zinfandel ($5.99) and Cabernet Franc ($6.99) are also standbys for me when I want a weekday red under $10.00.

The Guigal CdR is $8.99 locally, but for the same price I prefer the Perrin Reserve.

Solid case discounts are 10%, mixed case 5%.

[hollywood]

It's a naive domestic burgundy without any breeding, but I think you'll be amused by its presumption--Thurber

[Varmint]

Mrs. Varmint had a soccer game tonight, so I broke open a bottle of that 4 buck Chateau de Fongrave to go with this potato, hot pepper, shallot and parsley omelet (sorry for the sucky photo quality):

Damn, this is perhaps the single best value wine I've ever had in my life. You cannot possibly get a better 4 dollar wine. And I'm drinking the whole damn bottle myself. On a school night, at that!!! Time to order a couple more cases to fill up the wine fridge.

[Anna N]

Even I learned something. I did not for one minute believe that I could buy a bottle of wine (750ml) for under $10 Cdn but I logged on to our LCBO site and it returned 1055 matches for wine under $10!

Of course the site won't let me search by any reasonable method to try to find the wines mentioned in this thread!

[Varmint]

I just ordered 3 cases of that Chateau de Fongrave at 50 bucks a case. Al_Dente is all over it!

[tcizma]

2002 CASA SILVA – SAUVIGNON GRIS $9.99

NEVER HEARD OF SAUVIGNON GRIS BEFORE? ME NEITHER UNTIL THIS LITTLE GEM SHOWED UP ON OUR DOORSTEP.A GENETIC SIBLING OF SAUVIGNON BLANC AND PINOT GRIS PACKING A PUNCH OF FRUIT NOT FOUND IN IT’S PARENTS. DAZZLING, TROPICAL FRUIT BURSTS ON THE TONGUE WITH A PENETRATING FORCE THEN GIVES WAY TO A LONG CITRUSY FINISH. GREAT ACIDITY GIVES IT THE MUSCLE TO STAND UP TO THE SPICIEST FARE. AT TEN BUCKS THIS IS A STEAL!

Cardinal wines, Crystal Lake, Il. From their flyer

perfect with sauteed scallops in ginger coconut cream with thai chile and basil oil

http://www.cheftedcizma.com/food.php

[Al_Dente]

I just ordered 3 cases of that Chateau de Fongrave at 50 bucks a case. Al_Dente is all over it!

Will you throw in a burek with that order?

[jhlurie]

If you pick up Bonny Doon's 2002 Big House Red with the screw cap, you can feel like you're drinking cheap wine but it tastes good. Probably around $10. And I have to say the screw cap really works. Without magnets.

Between this and the Bum Wine topic, it really would seem like we are getting obsessed with screw tops.

[tcizma]

I have been drinking some germanic wines with screw tops. A winemaker from the Rheingau was telling me that for him, it was simply a matter of economics. Too many corked wines.

With our everyday "swill at will" drinking wines ( like Kabinett or QBA riesling, for example ) I don't mind the idea of a screw top. The cork however, remains an important part of the ritual, if nothing else, that goes with enjoying fine wines.

[Carlovski]

I like good wine.

Unfortunately, I happen to like drinking wine on a regular basis even more, and cannot afford the good stuff on a regular basis.

You can get drinkable wine at a low price. Occasionally you even get something interesting. I normally try and sniff out the reduced price bargains at the supermarket - You get some ropy stuff along with some genuine bargains, but, hey, at least it adds a touch of excitement.

Tesco's in the UK are trying to push screwcap wines with their 'UNWIND' range. Can't say I have tried any of them, but I am a big fan of screwcaps in general - I am not likely to be laying down wine anytime soon!

[DaleW]

Protocolo red has just resurfaced (in N. California) for $5.50/bottle.

Tasty, unpretentious 100% tempranillo -- forget the region, but it's no d.o.c. obviously.

I love Protocolo and can get it here at Table & Vine in western MA for $4.99.

Pepperwood Grove Zinfandel ($5.99) and Cabernet Franc ($6.99)

Pepperwood Grove also makes a decent Syrah for $6-7.

A couple of other Spanish cheapies I like a lot are the Borsao and the Viña Alarba (I've seen both as low as $4). I'll look for the Protocolo.

Interestingly enough, though I'm usually willing to spend more for a great bottle of red than white, I find it harder to find a really palatable bottle of under-$8 white.

[victornet]

The vina Alarba also has an 'old vines' version, well worth the extra buck. $5.00 at Super Savers in Paterson, NJ (home to many good bargains).

[futronic]

Even I learned something.  I did not for one minute believe that I could buy a bottle of wine (750ml) for under $10 Cdn but I logged on to our LCBO site and it returned 1055 matches for wine under $10!

Of course the site won't let me search by any reasonable method to try to find the wines mentioned in this thread!

Sure you can. Go to the LCBO Product Search, and set the search criteria at the bottom of the page. Select price "under $10," product type "wine," prodcut category "still table wine," product size, "501-750mL."

This will return 779 results.

If you're searching for red or white specifically, change the product sub-category. Red gives you 378 choices. From there, you can select the country of origin to break it down even further.

As for searching for the wines specifically mentioned in this thread, I can pretty much guarantee that nothing listed here is available in Ontario.

Edited November 14, 2003 by futronic (log)

[tighe]

Whenever great value wines are discussed, I have to talk about my local favorite, Snoqualmie Syrah. I know its probably not available nationwide, but I've seen it retail for as little as $7/bottle and I think it rivals the value of similarly priced Cotes-du-Rhones.

Edited November 14, 2003 by tighe (log)