Cheap But Good Wine

[Gillman]

On a lark I bought a liter of French red, Merlot grape, for under $10.00. Not expecting much, I was surprised at the quality. Here is the LCBO listing and an (accurate) taste note.

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/pr...mNumber=171314

Why spend $30 or $50 if you can get quality at such a price?

Gary

[JamesW]

On a lark I bought a liter of French red, Merlot grape, for under $10.00. Not expecting much, I was surprised at the quality. Here is the LCBO listing and an (accurate) taste note.

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/pr...mNumber=171314

Why spend $30 or $50 if you can get quality at such a price?

Gary

Are you comparing it to a $30 or $50 bottle in quality? or are you just saying that its an adequate pour so why go that extra mile in quality for so much more?

Just curious because I'll go get one!

[Gillman]

I am saying it is as good as many wines I've had at $30.00 a bottle or more. IMHO.

Gary

[camduncan]

That makes perfect sense to us Aussies Gary! Our wine industry has been in a glut for the last couple of years, and this has produced a new range of wines called 'clearskins'. They're generic no-brand bottles of wine that retail for $3-$6, but are often the same content that goes into 'labeled' bottles worth up to 10 times the price.

[DanG]

On a lark I bought a liter of French red, Merlot grape, for under $10.00. Not expecting much, I was surprised at the quality. Here is the LCBO listing and an (accurate) taste note.

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/pr...mNumber=171314

Why spend $30 or $50 if you can get quality at such a price?

Gary

I had a quick look and it's from Alsace, the region of France right next to here. Alsace is not known for their red wines even though many are very good. And Merlot is not their grape -- almost exclusively, their reds are made from Pinot Noir. All these factors make this wine a prime candidate to be the kind of excellent value table wine you can get from France. Not a wine that will blow you away, but one that you can drink well with normal food and enjoy.

As for more-expensive wines... wine-making can be very expensive even when it doesn't produce great results. Purchasing expensive equipment, hiring outside consultants, reducing yields, advertising, etc. all raise the price but don't guarantee that you'll have the right amount of rain at the right times, and the right amount of sun, etc. Not to mention that certain regions command certain prices that, while often highly warranted, are unfortunately often not. For example, I walked into my favorite wine store here in town the other day with a coworker and the nice owner forced a taste of St. Émilion down our throats. A great deal, at only 40€ for a magnum. To be honest, I found it crap at any price above 15€. But it's St. Émilion, so it's generally expensive.

Still, many of those expensive wines are expensive not just because of the name, but because they're truly great. It's worth it to try them out! If you're looking for some regions where the wines are almost always great, I'd suggest a crianza from Ribera del Duero in Spain.

[Gillman]

I noticed the Alsace connection, but I think it's a southern wine because the label states Vin de Pays d'Oc Grand Sud Merlot 2009. I think probably it's brought to and bottled in Alsace by the owner of the brand.

Interesting about 'clearskins', I hadn't heard that term.

I think winemakers around the world are getting very good at what they do and better values abound than ever.

Gary

[DanG]

Ah, okay -- that makes more sense.

[imbibehour]

I really love good cheap wine...

[squire]

Why indeed, it pays to shop around.

[Jono]

I am enjoying "2008 Ménage à Trois Red" right now....very nice blend of Californian zin, merlot and cab....anywhere from $7-12

http://www.folieadeux.com/mat/red.html

A nice, smooth, berry bomb of a wine. It was given as a gift so I will be looking to restock this one as a regular house wine.