WINE CHAT: Great Wine for $11/Bottle--A Buyer's Guide

Yes, great wine can be had for $11 per bottle.  Finding good wines on a modest budget is a challenge I enjoy. So when on my most recent visit to the local wine ship I left armed with among other bottles 3 Burgundies and a $30+ zinfandel, and spent under $11 per bottle on the entire purchase, I was quite pleased.  Keeping my strategies for pulling off such a feat would not be in the spirit of this Wine Chat column, so here are my seven tips for finding your own great wine on a budget:

1.  Follow your taste.  The amount of information out there about wine and some of the terms used can make wine intimidating to the uninitiated.  Paying attention to your own tastes, what kinds of wine appeal to you unfiltered by expert opinions, is an important starting point.  Make note of wines you enjoy (both specific bottles as well as producers and varietals), and make those wines your base when you go wine shopping.

2.  Don't get locked in.  It's helpful to have a base of wines you know you enjoy, but don't get too comfortable.  There are hundreds of grape varietals and wine producing regions to sample, and you're missing out on much of the fun if all you drink is California chardonnay.  Be careful about dismissing an entire type of wine based on a few tastes.  I unfortunately shunned cabernet sauvignon for a few years after tasting a few cheap tannic bombs; only recently have I come around to enjoy this substantial wine.

3.  Learn about regions & varietals.  Getting to know a few of the major wine regions pretty well is a big help navigating your way around a wine shop.  I started getting to know California first.  We've visited Sonoma and Napa wineries on several trips, so I had a sense of the place from which those wines were coming.  And I find American labels easy to read, as they give the grape varietal name.  Now I'm getting to know French and Italian wine regions better, rounding out my options.  Knowing that the Russian River Valley in Sonoma is a good source for chardonnay and Australia's hot climate produces tasty shiraz gives focus on wine shopping trips.

4.  Find a local wine shop.  Of course, good selection is a crucial feature of a good wine shop.  As important, though, is good customer service, which means focusing on helping you find what you want to drink in your price range.  One thing I like about my local shop, Giles, is that if I say I'm looking for a good wine under a certain price, they will often pick a bottle several dollars under my ceiling.  This makes me comfortable they're not trying to pull a fast one or nudge me a bit higher.  And when they do suggest something pricey, I'm more inclined to think it will be worth it.

5.  Attend tastings.  You can only purchase and taste so many bottles of wine.  Find out when your local shop conducts tastings, and do your wine shopping then.  There's nothing like being able to sample 3-5 wines and picking one or two you'd like to take home with you.  Many shops keep an email list that will tell you what they are sampling, so I keep my eye open for wines I want to try.  For instance, last week I got an email saying the shop would be sampling 3 Burgundies well under $20, with a one day 20% discount.  Needless to say, I was there! 

6.  Find drinkable bargains.  Realistically, passable wine under $11 is a pretty good find.  "House wine" is another term to describe such wines.  For this price, if you keep your eyes open, you can find wine that is pleasant to drink and can match everyday food.  When I find one like this, I latch onto it, buying several bottles that allow me one or two splurges to stay within budget.  For instance, during my latest trip I picked up two bottles the 2005 Astica Torrontes for $8 each, offsetting one of the Burgundies.  Stay tuned for the next Wine Chat article featuring 11 wines under $11 to try.  But one hint--for bargains look undervalued regions such as Spain and Argentina.

7.  Make your case.  I rarely buy wine in quantities less than a case now, as it makes poor economic sense to do otherwise if you enjoy a couple bottles of wine per week.  Most wine shops give at least a 10% discount on a case, including mixed cases, and many including Giles give a 15% discount (and sometimes they even make it 20%!).  I'll go to the shop with an idea of some wines I've had recently that I want more of, varietals I want to focus on based on things I plan to cook, and am always open to a few spontaneous picks!  I'll sometimes just ask something like, "what's the best red you've had lately for under ___?". 

So let me demonstrate how I put this strategy into practice with a case I bought a few months ago (as I can now briefly report on all the bottles in it!).  This one came in at $11.37 a bottle with the 15% case discount (prices rounded).  I rate the wines based on quality for the price and varietal:

JimJim Shiraz ($12) from Austrailia.  Very good. This one has some pluck, deep cherry flavors with a bit of spice. Peppery on the finish.

2004 Imagine Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) from the Chalk Hill Winery in Sonoma County.  This wine has a big plum taste.  Very fruit forward with a velvety finish.  Very good glad to have been able to pick up enough $8 bottles to get this one!

2006 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling ($20) another Australian.  Very good.  An interesting, somewhat drier take, on this varietal from down under.  Featured in my Summer Sipping Wines article.

Jewel Petit Syrah ($8) a decent red to accompany simple grilled fare such as a burger.  Good.

2005 Astica Torrontes ($8) this version of Argentina's signature white grape provides bright flavors including ripe citrus and a touch of grapefruit like tartness.  Very good.

J. Lohr Merlot Paso Robles Merlot ($13) more complex than many merlot in this price range, a good match for beef or grilled pork.  Good

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($13) one of the best sauvignon blancs I tasted for the previous Wine Chat column.  Very good deal at this price.

2004 Andezon Cote du Rhone ($12) Features a big bouquet evoking summer roses.  Very good.

2002 Oberon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) Pleasant enough to drink, was probably the biggest disappointment of this case given that I expect more complexity at this price level.

Domaine per Caboche Cotes du Rhone ($10)  honestly I don't have notes for this or much recollection other than I took it to a cookout and no one seemed to complain.  Good enough result for the price.

Ken Forrester Petit Chenin ($10) I've now enjoyed a few bottles of this South African white, goes nice with spicy food.  Good.

Jewel Viogner ($8) passable, but not much more than that. Hey, it was just $8.

2005 Weingut Johann Haart Piesporter Treppchen Riesling ($14) has a light floral quality with taste of pear.  Very good.

So this case worked out pretty well.  The majority were very good deals for the price and there were only 2 I definitely wouldn't buy again.  That's great wine for $11 a bottle in my book. 

David Crowley, Gather Food Correspondent

David enjoys sharing good food and wine with family and friends.  David writes about his wine explorations and discoveries in his column, "Wine Chat", a twice-monthly feature of Gather Essentials:  Food.  He has a new blog Just the Wine where you can search for wine recommendations to match foods you are making.  By day, David is the President and Founder of Social Capital Inc.