Good inexpensive wines?

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by K20C

I’ve asked for a $20 wine that doesn’t taste like crap.

My recommendation then would be:
Any wine from Bogle Vineyards. (Clarksburg, CA). They all cost under $20. and are a great value. Better than many wines that cost at least twice that much and more.
Many Decoy wines are retail priced under $20. They were the lesser priced wines introduced, produced and owned by Duckhorn Vineyards, also out of CA. Duckhorn was bought some years ago, and the new owner has a few other brands they also offer, incl. Decoy.
Imo, it's hard to beat the quality and taste of those two brands in the under $20. category.

[rule18]

In addition to Nakedwines you could also check Vivino.

[marty bradbury]

Originally Posted by Wardo

Do they still make Thunderbird?

God I hope so!

[RP]

I live in Albemarle County, VA where there are 40+ vineyards https://www.visitcharlottesville.org/wineries/. Everyone from Dave Matthews to Donald Trump has a vineyard in Albemarle County. That's lost on me because I don't drink wine, but I was thinking that if I had the question posed by the OP, I'd spend a weekend (or more) visiting an area like mine and do a whole bunch of wine tastings...

[radiokid]

Menage au Trois

$9

I heard from Mr Wonderful that the overwhelming sales of wines are under $14 a bottle.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by radiokid

Ménage à Trois

$9
I heard from Mr Wonderful that the overwhelming sales of wines are under $14 a bottle.

Buyer beware.
That was one of the wines mentioned in the lawsuit. They found high levels of arsenic in at least 7 of the varieties they offer.
The really cheap wine manufacturers operate much like the manufacturers of ultra-processed foods. Their goal has nothing to do with the product or industry itself. It's all about producing something in the cheapest of ways in order to maximize profits.
Just be really mindful of what you drink and eat. Read the labels. Be wary of ingredients that are hard to pronounce, and "additives".
The FDA can only do so much, but they do their best to protect us.

[guitargabor]

Originally Posted by xaxinojo

Lesser known French wine regions:
Basque
Languedoc
Rhône
Roussillon
Cahors
Jura

Lesser known Italian region:
Puglia

Definitely!

We toured southern France for two weeks and are familiar with those regions.

The problem is that they are very hard to find in the USA.The California wines which are overrated IMO, dominate the market.

Costco has on occasion an excellent red" "Cotes du Rhone Villages" for about $7.Sells out almost immediately.
That wine is better than most $25 California/WA/Oregon wines I have tasted.

[leew3]

Originally Posted by Wardo

Do they still make Thunderbird?

or Night Train-always a reliable option at well under $20!

[TomB'sox]

Originally Posted by guitargabor

Definitely!

We toured southern France for two weeks and are familiar with those regions.

The problem is that they are very hard to find in the USA.The California wines which are overrated IMO, dominate the market.

Costco has on occasion an excellent red" "Cotes du Rhone Villages" for about $7.Sells out almost immediately.
That wine is better than most $25 California/WA/Oregon wines I have tasted.

We just came back from France, there for 2 weeks. Could not believe how inexpensive and excellent the wine was. We would go into the local Monoprix (cross between Walmart and Aldi) and pick out nice local wines and never paid more than 7 or 8 euros, some as cheap as 5 as we were playing a little game with that. These grocery stores even had sommeliers there to help with selection. We never had a bottle that was not very good or better.

I disagree with the premise of this thread, I do not believe you need to break the bank to find good wines here either.

[K20C]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

I disagree with the premise of this thread, I do not believe you need to break the bank to find good wines here either.

My premise isn’t that there aren’t good wines without breaking the bank. My premise is I don’t know of any. That’s why I started the thread, hoping to get some good recommendations.

[TomB'sox]

Originally Posted by K20C

My premise isn’t that there aren’t good wines without breaking the bank. My premise is I don’t know of any. That’s why I started the thread, hoping to get some good recommendations.

Got you, just the dollar amounts you were discussing were mind blowing to me as well as this statement "Any red wine less than $20 tastes like grain alcohol and sour grape juice."
It was this quoted statement that I personally disagree with 100%.

We play a game of trying to find the best wine for the least amount. Many of our finds have been listed already, but there have been some really cheap bottles that were pretty danged good. We have also had some very nice expensive wines (for us expensive is 50 bucks or more I would say).

[K20C]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Got you, just the dollar amounts you were discussing were mind blowing to me as well as this statement "Any red wine less than $20 tastes like grain alcohol and sour grape juice."
It was this quoted statement that I personally disagree with 100%.

We play a game of trying to find the best wine for the least amount. Many of our finds have been listed already, but there have been some really cheap bottles that were pretty danged good. We have also had some very nice expensive wines (for us expensive is 50 bucks or more I would say).

I guess I could have phrased it, “Any red wine less than $20 that I’ve personally tasted, particularly in the past several years, tastes, to me, like grain alcohol and sour grape juice.” But, in my defense, I really didn’t think anyone would interpret my original statement as meaning, “every wine in the entire world less than $20 tastes like grain alcohol and sour grape juice”.

[AX17609]

Originally Posted by K20C

...hoping to get some good recommendations.

Ok, I'll bite. You want names? I got names. All of the following are below $20; some are substantially below $20.

Chateau Trintaudon, Bordeaux. I always thought a Bordeaux at this price point was impossible, but this wine proves me wrong. It has no business being this good. Best if it's got a few years in the bottle. I'm currently drinking the '16s.

Chateau Lorien, Bordeaux. Another Monsieur Touton selection that has no business being this good. I don’t understand why it exists. Remarkable, really.

Joseph Drouhin “La Foret” Bourgogne Pinot Noir. Pretty close to the lowest level of Burgundy you can buy (and actually be from Burgundy) but more than totally acceptable.

Dom. Brunet Pinot Noir. Languedoc. You'll often see this on restaurant menus at jacked up prices.

Louie Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne. I think this is the king of this category, and I could drink a case. It nicely occupies the space between the $12 generic burgundies and the much pricier village-grade versions. The difference is just a little tannic edge that complements roasted fowl and seared salmon perfectly.

Louis Jadot Beaujolais Village. Exactly what it’s supposed to be-- a full-bodied, fruity wine. Goes well with a “French night” dinner of deli meats and cheeses and anything from a Jacques Pepin cookbook.

E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone. Everything the reviewers say it is. Solid and smooth with a strong blackberry undercurrent. Good steak wine. Probably the king of the Cotes du Rhones, but there are a lot of choices in this category.

Charles Brotte Grand Vallon. Makes me wonder why I ever spend money on fancy wines. This one is a 100% Syrah and is clear, light and refined.

Louis Jadot Macon-Villages Chardonnay. Anything from Louis Jabot is good but usually costs a couple extra bucks. The creamy body of this wine goes will with soft cheese and cream sauces. At a third of the price of Pouilly-Fuisse, this has become our house white.

Chateau Les Ruilles, Sauvignon Blanc. Bordeaux sauvignon blancs are remarkably good. This one is best a little cold. Very good with seafood in butter sauce.

Barton & Guestier Vouvray. Off-dry or semi-sweet depending on your point of view, but not as sweet as Gewurtztraminer. Goes well with spicy Indian food.

Willm Pinot Blanc. The best of the Willms. Off dry and perfect with Indian food.

Picpoul De Pinet. Another screw-top Languedoc winner. More complex than sauvignon blanc. Perfectly good with soups and white cheeses.

Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. The only Italian wine I buy. It's the smoothest of the Montepulcianos that we’ve tried. Fine at room temperature in a small tumbler.

Willm Cremant DÂ’Alsace Rose. All the cremants are good. No complaints. I'd drink this for breakfast.


A couple of general points:

Anything imported by Monsieur Touton is good. This guy is the king of bargain French wine.

French wines are best with food.

I don't know why, but glasses make a difference, particularly with refined reds. A good one is worth the money.

Don't throw money at pricey Bordeaux or Burgundy. Prices got run up brokers. The ones I suggested are great bargains.

Drink cremant rather than champagne. You can't buy a good version of the latter for less than $65, but cremants can be had for as little as $15.

A decent Chianti can't be had for less than $20. I stick with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

A good quaffing wine is cheap chardonnay mixed with creme de cassis, which costs nothing. The resulting drink is call a Kir and is all over the south of France in hot weather.

[K20C]

Originally Posted by AX17609

Ok, I'll bite. You want names? I got names. All of the following are below $20; some are substantially below $20.

Chateau Trintaudon, Bordeaux. I always thought a Bordeaux at this price point was impossible, but this wine proves me wrong. It has no business being this good. Best if it's got a few years in the bottle. I'm currently drinking the '16s.

Chateau Lorien, Bordeaux. Another Monsieur Touton selection that has no business being this good. I don’t understand why it exists. Remarkable, really.

Joseph Drouhin “La Foret” Bourgogne Pinot Noir. Pretty close to the lowest level of Burgundy you can buy (and actually be from Burgundy) but more than totally acceptable.

Dom. Brunet Pinot Noir. Languedoc. You'll often see this on restaurant menus at jacked up prices.

Louie Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne. I think this is the king of this category, and I could drink a case. It nicely occupies the space between the $12 generic burgundies and the much pricier village-grade versions. The difference is just a little tannic edge that complements roasted fowl and seared salmon perfectly.

Louis Jadot Beaujolais Village. Exactly what it’s supposed to be-- a full-bodied, fruity wine. Goes well with a “French night” dinner of deli meats and cheeses and anything from a Jacques Pepin cookbook.

E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone. Everything the reviewers say it is. Solid and smooth with a strong blackberry undercurrent. Good steak wine. Probably the king of the Cotes du Rhones, but there are a lot of choices in this category.

Charles Brotte Grand Vallon. Makes me wonder why I ever spend money on fancy wines. This one is a 100% Syrah and is clear, light and refined.

Louis Jadot Macon-Villages Chardonnay. Anything from Louis Jabot is good but usually costs a couple extra bucks. The creamy body of this wine goes will with soft cheese and cream sauces. At a third of the price of Pouilly-Fuisse, this has become our house white.

Chateau Les Ruilles, Sauvignon Blanc. Bordeaux sauvignon blancs are remarkably good. This one is best a little cold. Very good with seafood in butter sauce.

Barton & Guestier Vouvray. Off-dry or semi-sweet depending on your point of view, but not as sweet as Gewurtztraminer. Goes well with spicy Indian food.

Willm Pinot Blanc. The best of the Willms. Off dry and perfect with Indian food.

Picpoul De Pinet. Another screw-top Languedoc winner. More complex than sauvignon blanc. Perfectly good with soups and white cheeses.

Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. The only Italian wine I buy. It's the smoothest of the Montepulcianos that we’ve tried. Fine at room temperature in a small tumbler.

Willm Cremant DÂ’Alsace Rose. All the cremants are good. No complaints. I'd drink this for breakfast.


A couple of general points:

Anything imported by Monsieur Touton is good. This guy is the king of bargain French wine.

French wines are best with food.

I don't know why, but glasses make a difference, particularly with refined reds. A good one is worth the money.

Don't throw money at pricey Bordeaux or Burgundy. Prices got run up brokers. The ones I suggested are great bargains.

Drink cremant rather than champagne. You can't buy a good version of the latter for less than $65, but cremants can be had for as little as $15.

A decent Chianti can't be had for less than $20. I stick with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

A good quaffing wine is cheap chardonnay mixed with creme de cassis, which costs nothing. The resulting drink is call a Kir and is all over the south of France in hot weather.

I am printing your list and headed to the wine shop (or online). Thank you!!

[guitargabor]

Originally Posted by AX17609

Ok, I'll bite. You want names? I got names. All of the following are below $20; some are substantially below $20.

Chateau Trintaudon, Bordeaux. I always thought a Bordeaux at this price point was impossible, but this wine proves me wrong. It has no business being this good. Best if it's got a few years in the bottle. I'm currently drinking the '16s.

Chateau Lorien, Bordeaux. Another Monsieur Touton selection that has no business being this good. I don’t understand why it exists. Remarkable, really.

Joseph Drouhin “La Foret” Bourgogne Pinot Noir. Pretty close to the lowest level of Burgundy you can buy (and actually be from Burgundy) but more than totally acceptable.

Dom. Brunet Pinot Noir. Languedoc. You'll often see this on restaurant menus at jacked up prices.

Louie Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne. I think this is the king of this category, and I could drink a case. It nicely occupies the space between the $12 generic burgundies and the much pricier village-grade versions. The difference is just a little tannic edge that complements roasted fowl and seared salmon perfectly.

Louis Jadot Beaujolais Village. Exactly what it’s supposed to be-- a full-bodied, fruity wine. Goes well with a “French night” dinner of deli meats and cheeses and anything from a Jacques Pepin cookbook.

E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone. Everything the reviewers say it is. Solid and smooth with a strong blackberry undercurrent. Good steak wine. Probably the king of the Cotes du Rhones, but there are a lot of choices in this category.

Charles Brotte Grand Vallon. Makes me wonder why I ever spend money on fancy wines. This one is a 100% Syrah and is clear, light and refined.

Louis Jadot Macon-Villages Chardonnay. Anything from Louis Jabot is good but usually costs a couple extra bucks. The creamy body of this wine goes will with soft cheese and cream sauces. At a third of the price of Pouilly-Fuisse, this has become our house white.

Chateau Les Ruilles, Sauvignon Blanc. Bordeaux sauvignon blancs are remarkably good. This one is best a little cold. Very good with seafood in butter sauce.

Barton & Guestier Vouvray. Off-dry or semi-sweet depending on your point of view, but not as sweet as Gewurtztraminer. Goes well with spicy Indian food.

Willm Pinot Blanc. The best of the Willms. Off dry and perfect with Indian food.

Picpoul De Pinet. Another screw-top Languedoc winner. More complex than sauvignon blanc. Perfectly good with soups and white cheeses.

Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. The only Italian wine I buy. It's the smoothest of the Montepulcianos that we’ve tried. Fine at room temperature in a small tumbler.

Willm Cremant DÂ’Alsace Rose. All the cremants are good. No complaints. I'd drink this for breakfast.


A couple of general points:

Anything imported by Monsieur Touton is good. This guy is the king of bargain French wine.

French wines are best with food.

I don't know why, but glasses make a difference, particularly with refined reds. A good one is worth the money.

Don't throw money at pricey Bordeaux or Burgundy. Prices got run up brokers. The ones I suggested are great bargains.

Drink cremant rather than champagne. You can't buy a good version of the latter for less than $65, but cremants can be had for as little as $15.

A decent Chianti can't be had for less than $20. I stick with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

A good quaffing wine is cheap chardonnay mixed with creme de cassis, which costs nothing. The resulting drink is call a Kir and is all over the south of France in hot weather.

Excellent List!

I have tasted and bought many on your list.

It is further proof of my point that most of the California ,Oregon, B.C. wines can't compete with those European wines in that price range.