Recommendations for inexpensive wines

[earl]

The recent discussion about Yellowtail wines inspired me to start a thread where folks could list their favorite inexpensive wines. My 2 nominees are:

1. Barefoot Wines Merlot- a lush, smooth wine and
2. Yellowtail Shiraz-Grenache blend- fuller than a merlot yet also smooth and ripe with that full berry flavor and hints of spice.

Both I can obtain locally for $12.98 for 1 1/2 liters. Earl

 

[dh66]

Lucky Duck, from Argentina, has a really decent malbec. I've not tried their other offerings, but all their wines retail at Walmart for around $4 for a 750 ml bottle.
I also recently had a very serviceable chianti that came from Aldi for $4.99. Can't remember the name, but next time I'm in there I'll look (and probably buy some more).

 

[earl]

Lucky Duck, from Argentina, has a really decent malbec. I've not tried their other offerings, but all their wines retail at Walmart for around $4 for a 750 ml bottle.
I also recently had a very serviceable chianti that came from Aldi for $4.99. Can't remember the name, but next time I'm in there I'll look (and probably buy some more).

Interesting that a Walmart carries wines. Ours doesn't. Wasn't fond of the malbec wine I tried, but maybe I just need to try other vintners. Have only recently delved into wines. Had always drank only scotch or vodka, but find myself now craving only lighter fare. Earl

 

[Stanley Doble]

Have you tried making your own? With all the wine stores these days it is not hard, you don't even make it at home if you don't want to. They are much lower in preservatives and additives as well as being low cost.

 

[sheeplady]

These are a few of our favorites. (I consider a discount wine to be anything below $10 a bottle for a local wine, under $6 for a large manufacturer. (The costs to a local winery are more, so the cost to the customer is going to go up. I'd rather have a bit less in my glass but know where my wine comes from.)

Here are the major manufacturers I like that I would serve to a large gathering:
Barefoot Merlot- I find this to be a very smooth Merlot. This is a good beginner's wine- it is smooth with a hint of tannin. There is a slight fruit taste at the beginning, followed by a mellow middle, and a mildly sweet aftertaste. It tastes like a wine twice it's value. Other Barefoots I have not been as impressed with. $6

Lindemans Cabernet-Merlot: Very smooth- the cabernet moderates the merlot (I find that Merlot is sometimes too astringent for my tastes). Midly fruity. Slightly dry finish. $5

Lindemans Shiraz-Cabernet: A very nice "everyday" wine. I like the fact that this is not too tannic- you get nice berries and oak, but there is some tannins for contrast. $5.


I am also a HUGE fan of local wines. Here in NYS we have a thriving and growing wine industry, which I am absolutely eager to support:
Buttonwood Vineyard's Redbud: Great red-blend tablewine. Slightly sweet with a tannic finish. Can't be beat at $7.
Montezuma Winery's Big Fat Frog Red: Great robust red table wine- contrasts great with all sorts of food. $10 (Dragonfly is great too- but a bit pricey at $12. They also have a great cranberry wine.)
Knapp Winery's Suspicion: Sweet red table wine. Excellent with dessert. $9.
Knapp Winery's Pasta Red: Great with pasta, pizza, or anything a tomato touches. $9

By far the best value for the money is Salmon Run's Petit Noir. At $10 a bottle, it is easily a $25 bottle of wine in taste. Their other reds are yummy too.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I heard a few years ago that some of the large wineries had excess wine in stock that they could not sell at full list price. So they created new labels and sold their expensive wines at a considerable discount, under different names.

This made for some great bargains for those in the know.

 

[Sharpsburg]

I have rarely had a bad glass of Chilean wine! The cost has gone up a bit lately, but still a bargain (red wine).

 

[GHT]

These are a few of our favorites. (I consider a discount wine to be anything below $10 a bottle for a local wine, under $6 for a large manufacturer. (The costs to a local winery are more, so the cost to the customer is going to go up. I'd rather have a bit less in my glass but know where my wine comes from.)

Nothing, but nothing beats french wine for my palate. By french wine I don't mean a french grape grown elsewhere in the world. But the problem with my wine snobbery is, the only cheap french wine is in France. I can save by buying one of those three litre packs, which is the equivilent of four bottles, but there's a problem with that. Given that if a bottle of wine in my house lasts more than two or three days before I demolish it, it's called vintage. Can you imagine the state of my liver if I were to buy three litre packs?

 

[jamespowers]

Lucky Duck, from Argentina, has a really decent malbec. I've not tried their other offerings, but all their wines retail at Walmart for around $4 for a 750 ml bottle.
I also recently had a very serviceable chianti that came from Aldi for $4.99. Can't remember the name, but next time I'm in there I'll look (and probably buy some more).

There are several Malbec offerings from Argentina that are very good buys.
Years ago I as at a chi chi restuarant and beknownst to me were one of the Gallo sons and the head of the restaurant owners association. They were discussing the wines coming out of Australia and Argentina. The son thought the stuff from Argentina was of very good caliber and the other gentleman agreed.

 

[earl]

These are a few of our favorites. (I consider a discount wine to be anything below $10 a bottle for a local wine, under $6 for a large manufacturer. (The costs to a local winery are more, so the cost to the customer is going to go up. I'd rather have a bit less in my glass but know where my wine comes from.)

Here are the major manufacturers I like that I would serve to a large gathering:
Barefoot Merlot- I find this to be a very smooth Merlot. This is a good beginner's wine- it is smooth with a hint of tannin. There is a slight fruit taste at the beginning, followed by a mellow middle, and a mildly sweet aftertaste. It tastes like a wine twice it's value. Other Barefoots I have not been as impressed with. $6

Lindemans Cabernet-Merlot: Very smooth- the cabernet moderates the merlot (I find that Merlot is sometimes too astringent for my tastes). Midly fruity. Slightly dry finish. $5

Lindemans Shiraz-Cabernet: A very nice "everyday" wine. I like the fact that this is not too tannic- you get nice berries and oak, but there is some tannins for contrast. $5.


I am also a HUGE fan of local wines. Here in NYS we have a thriving and growing wine industry, which I am absolutely eager to support:
Buttonwood Vineyard's Redbud: Great red-blend tablewine. Slightly sweet with a tannic finish. Can't be beat at $7.
Montezuma Winery's Big Fat Frog Red: Great robust red table wine- contrasts great with all sorts of food. $10 (Dragonfly is great too- but a bit pricey at $12. They also have a great cranberry wine.)
Knapp Winery's Suspicion: Sweet red table wine. Excellent with dessert. $9.
Knapp Winery's Pasta Red: Great with pasta, pizza, or anything a tomato touches. $9

By far the best value for the money is Salmon Run's Petit Noir. At $10 a bottle, it is easily a $25 bottle of wine in taste. Their other reds are yummy too.

Interesting looking wines, though, of course, not available here. As to local wines here-pickins are slim. The state is known more for wheat. Yes, I consider "inexpensive" to mean $10 and under. My pockets are pretty shallow. Earl

 

[earl]

I just tried Gallo Twin Valley Hearty Burgundy last might. Definite keeper. My first foray into Burgundies. Find I like them better than Cab's or Pinot Noir's. Earl

 

[Horace Debussy Jones]

I don't mind the Gallo reds. Not bad for the price. The burgundy is a bit stronger to me than their other reds. Robert Mondavi also has some decent reds, not prone to having a "bitey" finish like so many less expensive wines can have.

 

[earl]

Thank you for your thoughts. Have tried the Mondavi Woodbridge Merlot. Earl

 

[McPeppers]

I personally always stock a case or two of Ravenswood as my "House" wine. I stock their Merlot because this tends to please both white and red drinkers - not having the edge of the Cab. I started this way back in college so if a college student could pull it off anyone can.

 

[dnjan]

Nothing, but nothing beats french wine for my palate. By french wine I don't mean a french grape grown elsewhere in the world. But the problem with my wine snobbery is, the only cheap french wine is in France. I can save by buying one of those three litre packs, which is the equivilent of four bottles, but there's a problem with that. Given that if a bottle of wine in my house lasts more than two or three days before I demolish it, it's called vintage. Can you imagine the state of my liver if I were to buy three litre packs?

I have the same feeling about German Riesling. Along the Rhine I but a bottle for what I pay for a glass over here.
And yes, there is plenty of Riesling grown in the U.S. (especially in Washington), but they just aren't the same.

And as for buying German wine here - the German's seem to keep the best for themselves and send us the rest at inflated prices.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Rieslings are nice in summer. I live at the source (Wiesbaden) but usually I prefer beer.

 

[GoetzManor]

Don't laugh at me and I'm not quite sure if this is the kind of "inexpensive" you're talking about, but I have two options. One is any of the dessert wines by Manischewitz, specifically the blackberry. The other is a Maryland winery called Linganore. They have a red wine called Steeplechase that is out of this world. It usually runs about $12 a bottle and I pair it with most Italian pasta dishes.

 

[dh66]

Manischewitz blackberry is some good stuff......as long as you don't get carried away with it.
I like a little nip of it sometimes on a cold day, when I first walk in the door from work.

 

[Edward]

I tend to prefer South American reds. I'm particularly fond of a Chilean label, Como Sur - especially their Pinot Noir.

 

[dh66]

I tend to prefer South American reds. I'm particularly fond of a Chilean label, Como Sur - especially their Pinot Noir.

Cassilero de Diablo from Chile is also another good one, and reasonably priced. And as I've mentioned before, there are some good ones from Argentina as well. Lucky Duck and Altamonte are both very reasonably priced.