The Best Inexpensive Wines Available Now

I recently discovered a great cheap wine: Rex Goliath (label features a picture of a 47 lb. rooster). This California Central Coast wine comes in cabernet sauv. or merlot. Both are quite good, but I think I prefer the merlot. Cost: only $5.75/bottle or so - less if one buys a case.

Yellow Tail Merlot. Australian $7.

Nilthepill,
The Smoking Loon Merlots and Cabs (2002) are currently going for a steal at 7.01/bottle. Buy as many as you can at this price as they cellar well too. Woo wooo wooo COUGH woo woo...

The other night, I had a glass of something called Three Thieves Zinfandel at a restaurant in Chicago. I loved it. Anybody had this stuff?

Three Thieves Zinfandel '03 (1 LTR)
Price: $9.99

87 PTS WILFRED WONG. Too cute a package? Not, if the wine is this good; the '03 Three Thieves offers zesty, fresh raspberry flavors and a soft palate; perfect with grilled hamburgers and guacamole.

NICE PICK FOR $10! Surely not restaurant pricing!?

Dan

No, $7 a glass, and I think something like $40 for the litre.

I would describe it as majorly quaffable. :-)

Anything by Newton. Their 2000 unfiltered "Claret" is a fabulous deal!

Estancia Paso Robles Cab. - NEEDS to breath for a couple hours

Villa Mt. Eden - Tall Trees Cab. - Same as above

Columbia Crest Shiraz - Great upon opening

Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay - Yum

Yikes I opened J. Lohr 2003 by accident - great wine but would you consider 12.99 (costco) to 29.95 (wine.com) expensive.

Get a big 1.5 little bottle of Woodbridge for 8.95 (costco) and pretend... Blindfolded most people cant tell.

Hmmm...sorry, but Woodbridge gives me heartburn. For under $12 or so, I'd go for Greg Norman Shiraz/Cab ($10-11) or the 2003 Las Rocas old vine for $12 (their regular bottling is a mere $7 or so!).

By far, the best under $10 wine I've had is now the 2003 Bodegas Nieto Senetiner Don Nicanor from Argentina.

The "Don Nicanor" is a blend 0f 34% Cab, 33% Merlot, and 33% Malbec. It is a rich, jammy, lush wine with moderate oak highlights. To this palate it is superior to many wines costing $30.

Wine Spectator a few months back ranked it a "Best Buy" with an 89 rating.

It's hard to find. According to WS only 2000 cases mades it to the USA but fortunately for me Gary's Wines in New Jersey has it. If you see it, snap it up. It won't last long!

One of the best reds I've ever had:
http://lecole.com/pdf/Apogee.pdf

At $44 a bottle, it's not inexpensive (apologies to jcbach), but I figured why not mention it, since every person I know who has tried it has subsequently ordered a case. Besides, aren't you the same folks who spend thousands on that hi-fi junk?

Also, try their Semillon. It always gets the same response: "I don't even like whites, but this is phenomenal."

Sorry, should have specified: Fries Semillon

Copala and Rabbit Ridge

Here are several wines you can find right now, and you'll want to find them again the next you purchase wine (if possible) ... 2003 White Oak Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley), 2003 Foxy Calif red table wine and 2004 Foxy Calif white table wine, 2002 Avery Lane Merlot, AND 2005 Yellow Tail Chardonnay (huge, rich flavor). Lots of great wines, but ALWAYS try to buy USA wines ... first! Failed to do so with the Yellow Tail, but it's a great wine for so little money.

Lately some of my favorites- Bogle Petite Sirah about $10.00, Cline Ancient Vine Mourverde $15.00 Bogle Phantom $17.00

I'll second the Bogle Petite Sirah (long time favorite of mine) as well as the Cline Ancient Vines Mourvedre. I've found a couple decent inexpensive Pinot Noirs - Gloria Ferrer (I've found on sale at my local grocery store for $16 plus the 10% six pack discount + $10 off coupon for every $100 I spend there) and Edna Valley ($14 on sale plus the discounts).

I have several 2005 Beaujolais Nouveau's tha were quite tasty, although I was actually unimpressed with the Georges Debouef.

Also recently had a Whitehall Lane Merlot that was only $20 at Costco that I'd recommend as well.

I'm putting my hard earned $3 into two-buck-chuck. For a little more, try Coppola's Claret at about $14. And for a little more than that, try Duckhorn's cab!!!

Don't know if anyone's mentioned Rabid Red? $13.99 and darned good if properly decanted.

I am very new to drinking wine, but my favorite so far is Zaca Mesa 2002 Z Cuvée. It has more complexity than most wines the <20 price range and avoids the sweet and fruity taste that I do not prefer.

The following wines were served as "house wines" at one of the finest restaurants in NYC. Le Bonheur Sauvignon Blanc 2004 (South Africa) and Domaine La Condamine L'Eveque (vin de pays D'oc) 2000,(French)for a red table wine. I've tried both and they are excellent-- especially at $8.99-$12/bottle.

Don't let the screw-cap fool you (it's also found with corks), but the 2003 Porcupine Ridge Syrah from South Africa is the real deal. Earthy (very Northern Rhone-like) and complex and only $10.00. Porcupine Ridge is the negotiant label for Boekenhoutskloof, whose $40+ estate-grown Cabernet is as good as many top-rated wines from California or Bordeaux. Anyway, back to budget and everyday drinking, I found the 2003 Porcupine Ridge Syrah as far afield as California, where I live, and Nova Scotia, where we vacationed this past summer.

Thanks for the pointers, 55dok and Zinfan2. I'll be on the lookout for those rec's.

Zinfan: i'm getting over my screwcap bias. With Penfolds now releasing half their bottlings in screwcap (including their Grange!!) and many kiwi wines now coming that way, I'm having to "get over it!"