25 Delicious Summer Wines For Under $25
You can't have a good summer without good wine, but good wine doesn't need to be expensive. Forbes compiled an excellent list of 25 delicious wines that won't leave your wallet feeling light and woozy.
According to Forbes, wine is a needed refuge from the relentless Grocery Shrink Ray. Rather than raise prices or shrink offerings, wineries are managing the tumbling economy and suicidal dollar by tightening their own belts. Here are ten of Forbes' picks:
BORDEAUX-STYLE REDS
Château Haut-Guiraud 2005, Côtes de Bourg | $15
The lesser-known, "satellite" appellations of Bordeaux are chock-full of bargains from the stellar-but-pricey 2005 vintage. A flat-out steal, this Merlot-based wine, with its refined, ripe tannins, has the perfectly tuned balance of a grander Bordeaux with a more immediately accessible charm. (Alain Junguenet Selections)
MEDIUM-RICH REDS
Can Blau 2006, Montsant | $18
I buy this wine every year and feel a bit bereft when my last bottle's empty. From the other side of the mountains from Spain's famed Priorat--and sharing many of the same soils and conditions--this blend of Mazuelo (Carignan), Syrah and Garnacha (Grenache) lofts an intricate aroma something like…let me take a stab at it: spiced wild berries cooked into a pastry with vanilla icing. Ah, heck, just give it a spin. (Jorge Ordoñez Selections)
Villa Maria 2006 Pinot Noir, "Private Bin," Marlborough | $20
It's hard to find truly Pinot-y Pinot at this price, and Villa Maria is a reliable name to keep in mind. A warm '06 harvest in New Zealand goosed up the richness in this soft, easy-drinking red and heightened its aroma of freshly crushed cherries. (Vineyard Brands)
JUICY, FULLER-BODIED REDS
D'Arenberg 2004 Shiraz, "The Footbolt," McLaren Vale | $19
Chester Osborn's labor-intensive, old-school winemaking (foot-stomped grapes, basket press)--plus d'Arenberg's excellent vineyards--yields some of Australia's most succulently layered Shiraz/Syrahs, including this perfumed beauty that evolves surprising depths in the glass. Named for a racehorse whose early-20th-century winning streak was a foundation of the Osborn family fortunes. (Old Bridge Cellars)
ROSES
Château d'Esclans 2006 "Whispering Angel," Côtes de Provence | $22
The new South of France venture of Sacha--son of American wine great Alexis--Lichine produces the world's most expensive (by a long shot) rosés. This pup of the litter, crafted by former Mouton Rothschild winemaker Patrick Leon, is pale pink but surprisingly hearty, with a dry, firm, minerally brightness. The toast of the Côte d'Azur yachting set, I'm told. (Château d'Esclans)
CRISP WHITES
Txomin Etxaniz 2006 Guetaria | $25
These white Txokolina wines (that's "choko-leena") are summertime Basque seafood staples. Pouring from a foot or so height brings up the wine's light fizziness; the lean, clean palate-awakening acidity does the rest. (Tempranillo Imports)
MEDIUM-BODIED WHITES
St. Supery 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley | $21
Fans of this popular wine get another juicy gem from winemaker Michael Beaulac. An un-Chardonnay with true varietal pineapple/grapefruit notes mingled with menthol-y herbs in a concentrated white that cuts a pleasingly lean profile.
FULL-BODIED WHITES
L'Ecole No. 41 2006 Semillon, Columbia Valley | $16
From one of Walla Walla's pioneers and a Washington favorite for many years, the '06 is a custardy, melony mouthful (but dry) that is a roast-chicken-enlivening wine par excellence.
BUBBLES
Mionetto (nonvintage) Prosecco Brut | $13
Like a warm-weather picnic in a bottle. This lightly sparkling Italian wine has a penetrating, intense character, with notes of apple, lemon and anise. Among other things, the perfect base for a mimosa or Bellini. (Mionetto)
OTHER
Warre's (nonvintage) White Porto | $13
Lusciously, palate-coatingly rich and exotic, white port on the rocks is an addictive warm-weather aperitif. Warre's version nails it, wafting a complex spice of licorice, walnut and candied apricots. Spritz at will. (Vineyard Brands)
Check out Forbes' article for all 25 recommendations.
25 Under $25 [Forbes]
RELATED: 10 Tips For Summer Wine Drinking
(Photo: anomalous4)
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Comments:
This list leaves a bit to be desired. All of the following wines are quoting expensive PA state store prices...
Jacob's Creek Merlot - $8.99 - excellent
Fat Bastard Merlot - $11.99 - excellent
Macon-Villages Chardonnay - $12.99 - excellent
and of course, Yellowtail Shiraz-Cabernet blend (the purple bottle) - $11.99 - OK but everyone seems to like it.
Cisco is a fantastic summer wine and it is only like $3 with 17% alcohol. Why is it not listed?
I saw Sideways and am a white male/female age 21-30! I have opinions on wine! I got some of that sophistication!
/sarcasm
Drunk is drunk. Alcohol is alcohol.
I'm a $10 bottle of Merlot guy. But, my wife thanks you for the list. She's more of the wine sno..... I mean she's picky.
I
am
slowly
falling
down
the
economic
ladde
r
i'm in yur wine rack
sippin' yur champagne
My once bright future has become a endless stretch of bland, mundane tasks for survival
Wine lovers on a budget should also check out the recommendations Consumer Reports makes. I've followed their advice on merlots, and two of their picks, Bogle ("very good") and Columbia Crest Grand Estates ("excellent") have been superb choices at under $15...
Best. Picture. Ever.
For cheap-but-good, I'm into Little Penguin, Yellowtail, Barefoot, and Lindemans. Can get them all at the supermarket, and on sale for $5.99 or $6.99. And Rosemont, but that's gone up in price.
Also, tons of those Ozzie and Kiwi wines are screwcap now, which I resisted at first but now I think TOTALLY RULES. I really like me some Ozzie reds.
What's the word? Thunderbird.
There are a whole pile of good washington wines. Gordon Brothers (I like the riesling, but I'm a white fan), kestrel platinum, and on and on. Ironically, most of the ones you will find in places outside of the area (Hogue, for instance) are really not very good.
There are ton of great wines under $10. Bogle Merlot is a personal favorite. (~$8.00/bottle)
It's a travesty to leave off Ripple, as Fred Sanford once described -- "The National Wine of Watts."
@Concerned_Citizen: No Two Buck Chuck in in VA. Last time I bought some it was around $3+. That was about a year ago. I am sure it's gone up since. But it is pretty good. I brought a mixed case of it with me on vacation in Martha's Vineyard and people loved it. Shaw's whites are better than reds, in my opinion.
A cheap wine I like to drink during the summer (or anytime) is Mateus Rose. It is a sparkling wine that is quite refreshing and on the sweet side which I like.
Justin buys some vinho verde.
@ImCrying: "Drunk is drunk. Alcohol is alcohol."
Well, I guess that makes anyone who enjoys the taste of a good wine, knows the difference between a pinot noir and a malbec, and isn't always drinking to get drunk some sort of poseur or idiot? I suppose there's no reason to have a filet mignon when one can have a sloppy joe, right? After all, full is full, food is food. Thanks for sharing your insightful opinion.
Mad Dog 20/20
From Wikipedia: "It is known for its pleasant high and painful aftereffects..."
/Classy drinker
I'm not a wine snob, but I'm glad eastern WA has so many wineries. I can drive down to the walla walla area in a couple hours, but better yet there are 2 (3 if I'm feeling adventurous) wineries easily within bicycle distance of the house. Mmmm free summer tastings here I come...
@Lambasted: I visited my friend in Crystal Lake, IL a month ago and it was the first time I had been to a Trader Joe's. So I was able to finally try their award winning wine. It was actually 3 dollars and a sign hanging up that looked hand written said it was 2 buck chuck west of the rockies and 3 buck chuck east of the rockies. So it would seem that in these trying times they only had to add one dollar to price to offset cross country shipping. Definitely amazing wine for 3 dollars. It was better than any 10 dollar wine I have tried. Although I am not that big of a wine drinker. But you just can't complain about a good tasting 3 dollar bottle. Trader Joe's is definitely an awesome store.
Yeah, Trader Joe's is excellent for both offering wines at the lowest possible cost and maintaining decent quality control. This directly benefits a thrifty lady who likes to prolong her life with the healing properties of red wine.
Also, anything from Portugal is likely to be great for less money. They have the same quality grapes as other countries in the region but their exports are not as well known.
Yeah, it's $3 Chuck for us here in WA state, but it's good stuff man. The chardonnay is actually pretty dang tasty and the merlot makes a nice sangria.
Handy article, and that picture is adorable. Thanks!
In the midwest (Missouri and surrounding area) you can get Les Bourguieos River Boat Red, a tasty red wine that has won awards against some of the "finer" Napa Valley stuff and in European wine "competitions." It's a sweet, red wine, very fruity, and is very affordable. You can get it in most of the KC area grocery stores for around $6 to $7. Gets my vote every time!
I love that picture! A good wine is blackberry wine made by oliver winery in Indiana. A few neighbors and I go down there and pick up a few bottles every year (it makes wonderful gifts). The only alcohol I consume, runs about 13 per bottle. oliverwinery.com
ill drink almost anything red. can't stand white or pink, though.
my fave cheapie is rawson's retreat shiraz-cab. 70% shiraz, 30% cab. the cab makes it not so sweet, and it's only about $7/bottle. yum.
@sleze69 - Yellow Tail is usually on sale at grocery stores in Oregon for $6/750 ml.
@ngoandy - PA liquor stores make Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Circuit City look like the most helpful, efficient place in the world. PA LCB rules make wineries in Erie ship their wines to a Pittsburgh warehouse, then back to Erie for sale. They also store wine in un-air-conditioned warehouses, causing cooked wine all over the place.
Paralelle 45 Cotes du Rhone, Broadbent Vinho Verde, and Vestini are our favorites...
@Concerned_Citizen: Yeah, shame everything has to increase eventually. I just hope it remains fairly cheap over time because that's the beauty of it: good tasting and cheap.
Trader Joe's is a fantastic store, isn't it. Yummy frozen food selection.
@Tallanvor: Stop being an ass. You know what they meant.
Besides - you should never pay over $25 for a wine. The increase in price is almost never proportionate to the increase in flavor by that point.
I rarely pay over $20 for even top-shelf Chilean and Argentinian malbecs. Some of the most interesting are the ones from the Chilean mountains. Of course, I am partial to malbec.
@darkryd: I have had some extremely good Pacific Northwest pinots that are in the $30 to $40 range, and they are definitely worth the premium price.
@AtomicPlayboy: THE difference between Pinot Noir and Malbec??? As if there's only one?!
@darkryd: You certainly have more risk exposure as you go past $25, but I assure you wine does some amazing things up into the triple digits, though I've never tasted anything over $350.
2nd on the Rawson's Shiraz/Cab
Also, pretty much anything Jacob's Creek - esp. the Shiraz/Cab. Epic.
I'm a sucker for a good Shiraz/Cab.
"You can't have a good summer without good wine"
Alcoholic much?