Wine Blog

February 25, 2009

Yes, there is GOOD wine for $10 and under

These days, you can get a lot for not a lot of money - a foot-long deli sandwich for $5, a Starbucks Latte AND a coffee cake for under $4, or a seashell that looks like an ear on Ebay.com for $9. And now - we tell you how you can get good wine for $10 or less!

Our Secret #1 - Volume Sellers. Trader Joe's and CostCo can be great places to find good bargain wines. They buy A LOT of wine and can negotiate hard with wineries and any middlemen. For most of my buying, I prefer to work with a local retailer with staff that get to know me and my tastes, but there is no doubt that the volume guys will almost always beat the little guys on the bargains. On the West Coast, BevMo is also great for this.

Our Secret #2 - Volume Discounts. Most retailers will offer you a half-case or case discount. If you're buying a house wine that's not too expensive, you might as well go for a 6- or a 12-pack to get a discount that can be as much as 20% or more, depending on the store's policy.

Our Secret #3 - Think Outside the Box. Forget trying to get a $5 Bordeaux Supérieur or Napa Cabernet. These will always be premium wines. Look for good producers that make more generic blends - either from large regions, like the whole state of California rather than a single appellation, or that blend different varietals into a generic "red" or "white".

Here are our ten of our favorites for $10 and under:

2007 Chateau St. Michelle Riesling, Columbia Valley ($9)
2007 Indaba Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa ($5)
2005 Kenwood Vintage Red or White, California ($8)
2007 Hogue Fume Blanc, Columbia Valley ($8)
2006 Mirassou Pinot Noir, California ($9)
2005 Falesco Vitiano Rosso, Umbria ($9)
2005 Stella Montepulciano, Abruzzi ($9)
2006 La Ferme Julien, Côtes du Ventoux ($5)
2007 Mark West Pinot Noir, Calfornia ($8)
2007 Cline Zinfandel, California ($9)

 
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