I’m surprised I’ve never thought to ask this question before!
I’m very interested to hear your answers because we don’t currently have an old, reliable standby in our household.
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Altos malbec is about $9, and for that price, it is fantastic. YDFM used to carry it, but I haven’t seen it there lately. Then again I haven’t been looking too hard, either.
That has a yellow and whitish label right? I think I saw it at YDFM last week…
It does. I first bought it when the WSJ weekend edition gave it high marks in a testing of melbecs. That was probably the 2009 vintage.
Castle Rock Pinot Noir
It’s obvious, but Smoking Loon is my go to wine when I’m not trying something different.
I’ve always liked Cellar Number 8 Cabernet Sauvignon
Black Box Cab makes for a good every day table wine and comes to about $6.50 a “bottle”. Don’t knock it until you try it.
I’ve been drinking Tilia Malbec lately. Delicious!
Mirrasou 2008 Pinot Noir ($9-10)
Hahn Estates Pinot Noir ($9-10)
Sorry, forgot the year. Hahn Estates 2009 Pinot Noir ($9-10)
Goats Do Roam – a terrific red wine from South Africa!
Seconded.
What? No chardonnay drinkers? J. Lohr, Coastal Ridge always on hand.
+10
Ah Santa Barbara Chardonnay from Trader Joe’s. It is wonderful and around $6
Karass’s cooking sherry. Works every time for only $4.99.
Any word on whether she’ll sell it in growlers?
only on sundays!
DM,
It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn I despise wine almost as much as cheese. It might have to do with the time my dad played a joke on me by switching out my Kool-Aid with red wine.
Beer, on the other hand, is really really good.
Beer, beer.
(More so when you brew your own.)
Your dad sounds like my kind of dad. The main reason I had children was to play jokes on them.
Oh, my. No wine or cheese? Token, you are just broken.
Agreed. He also loathes kittens, marshmallows and fabric softener.
“Token, you are just broken.”
That’s the quote of the day.
And writerchad, I’m a cat person. But you’re right about the marshmallows.
Castle Rock Pinot Noir, Rock Rabbit Sauvignon blanc, Chatue st. jean, Woodbridge….
totally forgot…Frontera Carmenere is awesome less than 8 bucks for a big bottle….
The best way to find out is to go to any upscale restaurant and ask which is their best $50 bottle, then go to a package store and buy it for $10.
Ha! Good idea. I’ve actually done that in the past and it’s worked out pretty well.
Also, I try things at YDFM that are almost gone from the shelf. That’s how I discovered Cline Zinfandel which is as close to an old standby for us as there is. Windmill Zin is another I found that way after seeing a guy buying a case of the stuff at YDFM. But man is that stuff vanilla-y! Don’t EVER drink it with pasta.
I like Cline Zin, too. I find that the Ancient Vines label is better, though it is a few more dollars than the plain old Cline label.
Good choices! Side by side, we found some years the regular Cline zin is actually better than the Ancient Vines (despite the ancient one being a little more expensive). Both always seem consistently good though.
Our “house” wine has been Seven Deadly Zins for years… A good price for it is $12. We usually get it at Costco or YDFM. For a splurge, the Rosenblum: Richard Sauret or Rockpile Zins are great, but not in our budget for a house wine.
Lately our house wine is beer. I figure we live in the ‘Sonoma county’ of beer… Plus you can drink some of the best that the beer world has to offer, for around the same budget as the house wine.
How much is the Cline Zin at YDFM?
Eh…$8.99 I believe.
Windmill Zin!
Hahn Chardonnay yum!
Under $5, 2010 Cabernet Sav. “120” from Chile at DFM for $3.99.
Yep, surprisingly good.
Yep– as is the Carmenere!
Rex Goliath Pinot Noir! Found for around $6 at Publix, Kroger, or Target. It’s the one with the rooster on the label.
You can get a big bottle for $10 at Candler Park Market.
Rex Goliath Chardonnay is $4.27 at Total Wine, but no case discounts at that price.
Being a wine nut, I’ve had everything mentioned so far and they are all good value buys. However hands down is Sebastiani Cab Sauv.
For a hot summer day, vino verdi, nearly any label.
Six Grapes Port. But the best price I can find is $15.49, so I guess it doesn’t count….
Yum!
Before I was preggers, McMannis Cabernet Sauvingon. But I will tell you under NO circumstances should you consider buying either Fre or Ariel both are Non Alcoholic Wines and are the most disgusting things I have ever drank. I couldn’t even get a full glass down. Apparently, the winemakers do not think that pregnant women actually liked wine before they got pregnant… not sure how they think we got pregnant but…
Nomination for best post of the day: “not sure how they think we got pregnant but…”
Poppy Pinot Noir.
Tilia Chardonnay is fabulous. It’s about $6 at YDFM and sustainably farmed…
It’s summer! Head for the Rose! The 2010 rose from Provence is great this year. Houchart is a staple on our deck. Between 12 and 15 dollars. You’re welcome!
Hmmm. The “under $15″ ones for us tend to be Bogle Petit Syrah – about $9 per bottle. Also, Perrin Cotes du Rhone (there are both white and red versions!) – red, about $12 per bottle; white, about $10. Also, if you’re looking for a nice cava (a dry sparkling rose), the Monasteriolo from Spain is around $8 per bottle, and is fabulous (if you can find it) with just about any food.
I always like the Bogle petite syrah, too. I drank a good bit of it while “studying” for finals in law school. (And managed to graduate, too, despite myself.) I recently bought a Bogle blend at YDFM (the name is now escaping me). Again, not bad, and about $12.
For whites (addressed in some posts above), I’ve always thought the best bargains were not so much chardonnay but sauv blanc. Sauv blancs from New Zealand tend to be very good; I always liked Geisen, and I am pretty sure it’s under $15.
No one’s mentioned Two Buck Chuck? Really, the shiraz is not bad.
I think red is the best wine under $15. And it’s occasionally the best over $15.
White: Spanish Albarinos, NZ Sauvignon blancs (Drylands, Kim Crawford usually good). Crisp, refreshing wines that are nowhere near calif chardonnay.
Reds: Spanish tempranillos and granachas (Tres Picos, for example), Rosenblum zin cuvee
Red Diamond Cab, McManus Cab, Castle Rock
$15!
Who has that kind of cash to throw around on booze. I needs 2 bottles for that much dough. And there are lots of options at Trader Joes (not in Decatur .. zing!).
$15! I ain’t no Rockerfeller.*
* Goober Pile, The andy Griffin Show show, circa 1966.
I’m with you, Brad Steel. Any fool can buy a good bottle for $50, but it takes talent to find the good ones for <$10.
Ahhh. Cline Zin. Amazing stuff. Maroon label is excellent for under 10, usually. Ancient Vines is sometimes better, sometimes not at $15 or so. Usually more layered in flavors. If you’re in a mood to splurge, the purple label, vineyard specific Cline Zins are beyond any other zin I have ever had. I’ll never forget when we discovered the Cline winery in southern Sonoma. Great place, very relaxed. Plus, one of the closest wineries to San Fran. A quick drive up if you have a few spare hours. In general, we try to have a couple of bottles of $10 Zin around all the time. A versatile wine. For white, I’m an Pinot Gris/Grigio fan. Hogue at publix for about $9 – already chilled. Brings a smile to spouse’s face when I show up!
Nice. Glad to have some affirmation that I’m on the right track!
Your San Fran mention reminds me that Wente is another good, inexpensive option. My wife discovered it after asking for an inexpensive red option while in San Fran. I think it was a Cab.
Cycles Gladiator Syrah is my favorite cheap red for drinking without food accompaniment.
Another one I like is Big Fire pinot noir, which I believe is right at 15 bucks at Tower Package Store.
Prefer wheat beers to white wine, and a six pack of Sierra Nevada Kellerweis goes for about 9 bucks.
I’m a huge fan of http://wine.woot.com (oddly, no wine today). Great prices and great wines with knowlegeable posters on the blog to do all the research for you. That way I can be lazy and drunk – cheap!
We’re a Columbia Crest household, both read and white, I think all are under $8 (we’re cheap house wine drinkers:-). Hubby is a Herb/Decatur Package Store regular and always comes home with great “Herb’s Picks” for under $10 a bottle.
I have gotten lots of great wines for $9 and under at Trader Joe’s. I shop by what labels I like and most of the time the wines are very good.
Sacred Rock (a red blend, ~$12 at Sherlock’s and ~$10 at YDFM), any Layer Cake wine (close to $15, I particularly like the Malbec), Cono Sur Pinot Noir (~$9 at Publix, if you can find it), and for the warm water you can’t go wrong with Torres Rose (Spain, $7 at YDFM).
Hands down best wine under 8 bucks. Crane Lake Pinot Noir. $3.99 at YDFM. Tastes as good as some $11 bottles like Mirrasou, etc. Hate two buck chuck, Yellow Tail, and many listed here but that is a go to Monday night wine.
Just introduced to a great Pinot Noir &only $11-12 a bottle – ” Poppy”. Good with food/just as good by itself.