Inexpensive wines and champagne

[SluttyWife]

I must confess I have a thing for Cella Lambrusco... my parents used to drink it in the 70's when I was a kid...ditto with
Freixenet and Francis Coppola Russo...

What are some of your faves?

What would you bring to a party if the invitation stated
"under $20"


Love and licks ;-*

Slutty Wife

[biblonde]

Husch Vineyards 1999 Pinot Noir

This is an exquisite wine from California's Anderson Valley. Priced around $17.00

Enjoy

[RedRobin]

I'm so happy to see someone else mention Lambrusco! I admit to not being a connoisseur of fine wines, but honestly, there have been times when I was embarrassed to order my favorite cheap, screw-top Lambrusco. Some places don't even carry it. Imagine!

I hate to admit this, but my choice of wines is often more dependent upon the color and shape of the bottle rather than the bottle's contents. Sad but true. I can't even begin to imagine the numbers of bottles of wine I've poured down the sink after tasting, but I do have a nice collection of pretty bottles!

Of course, with Lambrusco, in it's non-descript bottle, one might be tempted to scrape off the label before taking a bottle anywhere. LOL

Be Happy!
RedRobin

[mrbandsatl]

We like to buy cheap wines with funny names but must admit that our taste for wines have become somewhat expensive.

One night, just for grins, we bought an inexpensive red table wine called "Menage a Tois." Long story short, we were blown away. This is by far the best $9 bottle of wine we have ever had. In fact, it would be a deal at $18.

BTW, the name stems from the fact it is a trio blend - cabernet, Merlot and something else - LOL.

Other favorite names we have found are Fat Bastard, Master Libation and Eat Me!

Bob and Sandy

[Brit_Pair]

RR, don't be worried about wine snobs and their anti-screw top views. The days of the cork may well be numbered:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodm...145631,00.html

[J&T Indiana]

Ok, if you want really cheap... try:

Cold Duck (really it's good!)

And any of the Arbor Mist ones


Of course as with all fine $3.99 wines, best served VERY cold.

[SluttyWife]

All this talk of cheap wine.. What fun!

Some of the inexpensive wines are actually some of the best.
having already experienced Doms, Bollinger and Perrier Joet (sprayed on me..what a waste!!! in my groupie days.)



Ya know when I was with Slutty Husband #1 a favourite of ours was Francis Coppolla Rosa Russo...guess cos he loved the Godfather films so much.

I can't count the number of evenings we had this with
Boca burgers (I'm a veggie) and streak fries...or something
ordered in from Pizza Hut.

I get rather seduced by the shape of a bottle, too
RedRobin! You might want to try salvaging the ones you
can't bear to throw out. Wash them, fill 'em with dish soap
soapbox and cork 'em. Pretty by the kitchen sink we think!

We can hardly wait to explore the Washington
vineyards and Mike is taking me to see the RSA ones when we get to Capetown next year.

Neat-O.

;-*

Slutty Wife

[Mich149]

I don't drink ine as a general rule, soI don't know if this counts, but I'm currently hooked on Boone's Farm's Hard Raspberry. lol

[meckbatty]

the is an Austrailian Shiraz out there made by "Yellow Tail". the cost... if you can get it at Cost Plus World Market...5.99. You will swear it is a 18-20 dollar bottle!

[BradAndJanet]

Last night we opened a bottle of Beringer white merlot and I was quite impressed with it, for a $10 bottle of wine. It's very smooth, and not at all dry, but it's not a sweet wine either. Plus, it has a most delightful color.

-B

[JustAskJulie]

I really know nothing about wines. I don't care for champagnes and until recently I would have said the same about wine... but my bf has changed that. He has a clue, so he picks the wine.


He told me about a phone line that you can evidently call and tell them what you are cooking and what your price range is and they will tell you the best wine to get. Anyone know anything about that?

[TxCoupleUs]

One of my favorite Chardonnay wines is Kendal Jackson Vintner's Reserve- about $12 a bottle. The most delicious wine I've ever had is called Cakebread Cellars- I think that's it. Someone at our table (on hubby's business trip) ordered it and I fell in love with it. More expensive though- $35 a bottle, but would perfect for special occasions. I haven't ventured into red wines yet- the room temp thing takes some getting used to for me. Anyone have any suggestions for a yummy red? facelick

[SluttyWife]

Ya know my Knight and I popped into Trader Joe's yesterday. They had these red gladiolas outside with all the Easter flowers spilling out onto the sidewalk. And wowie zowie...we got this beautiful bunch of flowers with two foot stems for just $3.99!

We picked up a few other things, big bags of tortilla chips, cheeses, nuts, salad kits and all the usual enticing crap for the weekend when low and behold there was an entire aisle full of really kewl looking bottles of cheap wine. I'm talking $1.99 and $2.99 a bottle, here.

They weren't the usual grocery store brands either. Some had names like Tattoo Red which reminded me alot of all the "boutique" salsas and hot sauces out there. More interesting find was Trader Joe's own label, Charles Shaw which was extensive enough for every day with that crazy $1.99 price. We were told by a few couples loading up their shopping carts that it's actually quite tasty stuff. It's not Riunite tasting at all. Hmmmm.....

Apparently these "table wines" come from New Zealand and
Chile...hence the low price.

Something to check out me thinks.

I'm posting a link here for those of you who don't know of this store and want to check it out:

http://www.traderjoes.com/

And a page about the wine so so cheap you'll probably buy it:

http://www.traderjoes.com/new/chuckshaw.asp

Have a great weekend everyone!

;-*

[turnuptheheat]

Arrggg!!
I am not a wine snob, but......
Well Shoot, I guess I am!
I know of many under 20 dollars and rarely spend that on a bottle.
There are tons of VG wines in all categories under 20 dollars.
I recommend anything from Columbia Crest (although they have been discovered and the price is creeping up), most Aussie reds, like Black Opal Shiraz. I just got a dyanmite Shiraz from Austrailia named Bulletin Place for 5.99! I also got a VG Calif Merlot called Smoking Loon for the wierd name crowd that likes wine.
Woodbridge has an excellent cabernet sauvignon (Calif, 8.99)
For a lighter wine, Johanisberg Reisling is a nice white and at 8-9 per bottle you can get a nice one from Bereich (German)
Even lighter is the Fontana Candida Pinot Grigio or Frascati. These are so mild as to be a perfest after dinner wine that is almost like drinking mild fruit juice. Very nice.
I strongly recommend that you stay away from NYS reds, but the whites are passable. As much as I would like to support our local vineyards, the reds need to be taken young, they die fast in the bottle.
For the cold duck lovers, in my experience, once you try a few nicer wines, you will wonder how you ever drank the other stuff.
Hmm, all this wine makes me hanker for a glass of Pinot Noir on the deck as the birds sing songs of spiring............

[RW1F]

I'm no wine connousier but I don't usually like a 2 dollar bottle of wine. Charles Shaw from Trader Joes is a very good "2 buck chuck". I've had the Merlot and The Cabernet on several occasions.