The (cheap) wine project
I have a favor to ask of you. It involves you drinking wine.
Do I have your attention now?
I am working on a new page for the blog which will contain wine reviews. I want both the good and the bad, so we know what to look for and what to avoid at all costs.
On a personal note, I like the cheap stuff.
Not Boone’s Farm kind of cheap (though I’m not knocking it – every wine has it’s time and place, including all manners of hooch). Just inexpensive.
The kind that you won’t hesitate to spontaneously buy, even when it’s not on sale. The budget-friendly-even-in-a-recession kind. The wine we do not cut from the budget ever. That kind.
Not that I don’t appreciate good wine – I most certainly do. A decade+ ago I worked in a 5-star restaurant and learned a lot about what makes a wine great. I was fortunate enough to be able to enjoy that great wine at bargain prices too. But what I once enjoyed wholesale gives me sticker shock retail. ‘How much? For something we will drink? It will be ALL GONE? Ummm…no.’
Anyway…I welcome reviews of all price ranges, but I personally am focusing on the cheap more affordable varieties. (Hint – the less it costs, the more you can buy)
I’m making note of every bottle we open and I will be adding a new tab shortly. I hope to add to this list on an ongoing basis, and while I do love wine I can’t afford to drink it all, so I welcome your input. My goal is to have a fairly comprehensive list of budget-friendly wines we can all refer to and enjoy.
So there’s a project for you this weekend.
Go, drink lots of wine, and report back.
Do-able, right?
By melanie, March 6, 2009 @ 2:19 pm
Kendall Jackson Reserve Pinot Noir–under $10 and always yummy.
Yellow Tail Riesling–under $10–thumbs up!
Trader Joe’s Proseco (spelling?)–don’t know if it has a brand name, but it’s in a green bottle and around $8. Awesome!
By melanie, March 6, 2009 @ 2:20 pm
Correction: Robert Mondavi Reserve, not Kendall Jackson.
By Heather, March 6, 2009 @ 2:41 pm
I have Yellow Tail Reisling in my fridge right now, but haven’t tasted it. Thanks!
By Darcie - Such The Spot, March 6, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
Gosh…I don’t know. Okay. You twisted my arm. Bring on the vino. And at least I have an excuse…
reports to follow.
Great idea btw. I knew I loved you for a reason!
By Ashleigh, March 6, 2009 @ 4:54 pm
The Painted Turtle brand is usually a good bet!
And if, in your search, you come across a disappointing red wine, try mixing it with Coca-Cola. It’s an old trick that works in a pinch! (But you have to like Coke!)
By Jenny, March 6, 2009 @ 5:39 pm
Hi, I found you through HCTS. I personally love any flavor of the Wild Vines wine. I know at about $3.50-$4.00 a bottle I am pretty cheap, but it is honestly one of my favorites.
I am excited to see which ones others suggest.
By Heather, March 6, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
Oh Ashleigh! I am *so* glad to hear your tip! I have a so-so (too tart) bottle downstairs that I hate to waste. I tried microwaving for 10 seconds and adding sugar, both of which I read elsewhere and neither worked. I will try the coke now!
By Cindy, March 7, 2009 @ 7:35 am
My suggestion is to try wine in a box. It is NOT what it used to be-it stays fresh for weeks. Even here in Pennsylvania, where the prices are higher, I can always get a 4-bottle equivalent box for 15.99, which occasionally goes on sale as low as 11.99.
I like the Corbet Canyon Cabernet the best, but I’m partial to Hardy’s right now…. as that’s what’s in my kitchen!
By mary b, March 7, 2009 @ 6:47 pm
A couple of my favorite reasonably priced wines are reds Smoking Loon Cabernet or Pinot Noir (usually around $10) and white I like Francis Ford Coppola’s Sauvignon Blanc (around $12-13)
I’ll have to do my homework and try a few more this weekend & report back
By Lynette, March 31, 2009 @ 11:44 am
I like the box wine, too. …I’m a white/blush kind of gal. “Chillable Red” My husband drinks Merlot, Burgundy or Cabernet, in the box. Affordable. 11.99-16.99 a box, which is…5 liters.