Cheap and Cheerful Red Wines?


SmittyinAZ

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So was wondering who has had some good wines for around he $10 US price point or even less? With so many out there, anyone had anything recent that was really good but on the 'cheap' side? I'm talking reds here - Malbec, Cab Sauv, petit syrah or even a blend.

The cheaper wines I buy, the more I can spend on great smokes. lol3.gif

Smitty

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Good for you on the Altano!  Another similarly priced wine from the Douro is Ramos Pintos "Duas Quintas".  Made by the same Ramos Pinto of port wine fame from the same grapes.  Altano is made by Symin

For me, none of those varietals at that price which I'd consider really good. I'd agree with the Castle Rock as a solid consistent drinker. Bogle falls into the same category for me. Going away from t

My wife really favors Apothic Red (blended) as well. $10 a bottle and bit sweet for me to have more than 2 glasses as I tend to prefer a things a bit on the dry side - but still a great value dependin

I had some Castle Rock Petite Sirah 2010 that I thought was very good for the price. I got it locally for about $11/bottle. Online, you can find it for a little less than $10/bottle.

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This is a good topic. I am always looking for good, cheap wines. It will make it even better if they show up on the penny sale list (buy one bottle, get a second for a penny).

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anyone had anything recent that was really good but on the 'cheap' side? I'm talking reds here - Malbec, Cab Sauv, petit syrah or even a blend.

For me, none of those varietals at that price which I'd consider really good. I'd agree with the Castle Rock as a solid consistent drinker. Bogle falls into the same category for me. Going away from those varietals, I'm happy to spend a couple more dollars for a Cotes du Rhone, or something from Italy. The Tenuta Sant'Antonio Scaia Corvina ($10 - $12) is an absolute fantastic wine, especially given the price - if you like Corvina smile.png

One of my locals has the Cascina Ballarin Cino (blend of barbera, nebbiolo, and dolcetto) on sale for $9.99 - for me a no brainer. I imagine that as you drink more wine, you may find yourself more willing to spend a few more bucks for a bottle - have fun!

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I just finished off a bottle of Rioja Antano Tempranillo which I bought at a little Italian deli for about $7. It was very good, much better than most of my $10 bottles I have access to around here.

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My wife really favors Apothic Red (blended) as well. $10 a bottle and bit sweet for me to have more than 2 glasses as I tend to prefer a things a bit on the dry side - but still a great value depending on your palette.

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My wife picked up a Jacob's Creek Shiraz for $7.50 at a local grocery store. For $7.50/bottle, its a very drinkable wine...I've had worse that cost twice as much.

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  • 1 year later...

Found a less than $7/bottle wine at the grocery store last night...I had never heard of it until I saw/bought it, came home did some research.  Its from Austarlia and comes in 3L boxes and 750ml bottles...really cheap stuff.  Its called Fisheye...I tried the Pinot Noir.  Honestly, I've had $20+ bottles of Pinot Noir that were nowhere near as good as this stuff.  Mouthful of berries on every drink.  My wife who does not typically like reds thought this one was very good.  Other than her one small glass, I consumed the entire bottle last night.  Went back to the grocery store this morning and bought the remaining five bottles they had on the shelf.

One thing I can say for the Aussies, they can make some really good, inexpensive wines!

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2014 Ca' Momi Napa Merlot.

Insane value. Maybe the best QPR I've ever had.  I drink a lot of wine.

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15 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

not one i've ever heard of but a lot of wines are made solely for offshore. any other hints from it? do they mention a maker or region?

 

Upon further review, it comes from Loxton in South Australia but is imported by The Wine Group in California, USA.  They seem to be on top of the cheap/box wine department in the US...Franzia, Flip Flop, Cupcake are some of their other labels.  Ironically, my wife and I have both tried Flip Flop and Cupcake and were disappointed with both...they are California wines.

At least that's what I've been able to dig up from several websites...

EDIT...

Did some more research and found this...

Wine Group acquires Loxton...

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9 hours ago, ShortFatHokie said:

 

Upon further review, it comes from Loxton in South Australia but is imported by The Wine Group in California, USA.  They seem to be on top of the cheap/box wine department in the US...Franzia, Flip Flop, Cupcake are some of their other labels.  Ironically, my wife and I have both tried Flip Flop and Cupcake and were disappointed with both...they are California wines.

At least that's what I've been able to dig up from several websites...

EDIT...

Did some more research and found this...

Wine Group acquires Loxton...

thanks. makes sense. we are seeing offshore groups, not least from china, buying vineyards/wineries to supply their home markets. 

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  • 1 month later...

Just picked up a bottle of Boxhead Cab Sauv.  It was great at 8 bucks a bottle. Very much wanting to be a Molly Dooker with their label design etc.. It's made by Hently Farm(s) I believe it was. 

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Big fan of Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel for under $10 for that woody spicy profile. Apothic is good too, very nutty. If you have a Costco near you, their Kirkland Signature line is by nature cheap and cheerful. Cheers!

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Sirius, cab sauv from Bordeaux, cheap and delicious. I bought two cases of '05 and one of '10 just to see how it would age.

5 and 10 years later it is still developing, although I don't have mych '05 left. 

I have been buying different spanish wines lately, Vinas Alarba comes to mind, it's Grenache I think. Lots of dark fruit with a nice depth to it.

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I've had good luck with BV Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon from Beaulieu Vineyards. Bought a case a while back for CHEAP but even with regular sale prices it's usually around $8-9 here. With mail in rebates you can sometimes get it down to $5 a bottle of you wait for the check haha. Big mocha/cocoa note that works well with the dark red fruit.

 

I've enjoyed the Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage as well. When so many $8 red blends are full of sugar and  juicy fruit, it's nice to find one (from a huge producer as well) that actually has some restraint and structure. Drinks like a bargain-bin Bordeaux which in this case is a compliment.

 

Finally, keep digging through the import sections of your local wine retailer. Lots of bargains to be had from overseas. Spain is a solid bet for reds as is South America and Australia. Maybe look for a Chilean Carmenere. Excellent little red grape that is still cheap despite American domestic producers charging exorbitant prices for their examples due to its niche status.

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For a group of guys that don't mind spending $10+ on a cigar, my advice is don't skimp on wine. 

 

An an empty bottle costs $1, the box it comes in costs $1, the cork or screw cap can be $0.50-$1, the labels and capsules cost money. If a bottle costs $5, there's something wrong with it, or there was something wrong with it and it was reverse engineered and sold cheap on the bulk wine market. 

 

<$10 wines are usually loaded with flavor and texture enhancers, preservatives, sweeteners, coloring agents, oak and tannin powder...not to mention all of the cheap wines that tested for high concentrations of arsenic a few years ago. 

 

Drink smart. 

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10 hours ago, NapaNolan said:

 

 

<$10 wines are usually loaded with flavor and texture enhancers, preservatives, sweeteners, coloring agents, oak and tannin powder...not to mention all of the cheap wines that tested for high concentrations of arsenic a few years ago. 

 

 

Don't forget the infamous additive Mega Purple! While I don't have the best palate in the world I can smell & taste this in really cheap wines.

From Wiki;

There has been some discussion in the industry regarding the use of additives such as Mega Purple to bolster or enhance sensory attributes such as color, taste and mouth feel. It is reported that as much as 20% of the total production of such additives is related to wines. According to journal reports, Mega purple is used by almost every low to moderate value wine producer (below $20US/750-ml bottle) to help standardize the bottled product ensuring a more uniform product.[1]

It is produced by concentrating the teinturier grape Rubired, a cross between Alicante Ganzin and Tinta Cão, has 68% sugar and sells for approximately $135 a gallon.[1]

Mega purple has raised some controversy within the wine consuming community as its use is considered to be akin to adulterating a wine.[2][3] Others, such as John Williams, winemaker for Frog's Leap Winery, has stated that the need for its use is evidence of poor viticulture and or winemaking.[4]

 

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