Cheap Wine

I no longer buy expensive wines unless it's for some special occasion. The Charles Shaw wine from Trader Joe's is perfectly fine for an everyday table wine to go with your meals, or to serve to a larger group of people when entertaining. If you're concerned about people seeing the label and thinking it's "cheap" wine, then simply empty it into a nice glass decanter and they will be none the wiser. Plus you get it even cheaper if you buy it by the case - I believe they knock off an additional 10% or so.

Boxed wines as well have gotten really good in recent years and there is nothing wrong with buying them either. In fact, every restaurant I've ever worked at always cooked with boxed wines for all their dishes that called for wine. I've been perfectly happy with Franzia boxed wine, which they sell relatively cheap at Marc's. Plus I would rather have wine out of a box which tastes fresher since it keeps the air out, than a bottle which was opened the day before.

 

Even expensive wine isn't always guaranteed to to taste that good, so it can be hit and miss still. If cheap wine does taste really bad, then I mix it with lemonade to help it, or use it for cooking in the end. I stick to ones I know because it is safer and also if you are sharing, you don't want to look too cheap.

Boxes have always looked cheap, but if it's among close friends or a huge party then it's fine, but there is always a stigma about boxed wine. These days it's much better, but is harder to chill.

 

During summer, there is a sale of wine bottles here, all imported because we have no local wines except for novelty wines like strawberry wine and other fruit punch. We have noticed that wines sold during summer are discounted up to 30% less of the regular price. And since wines don't spoil, we usually buy some bottles intended for giveaways to colleagues or even gifts to relatives.

 

Most of the wine we drink regularly is in the $6-10 range. I have had wine that cost a lot of money and I have had wine that cost a lot less. To be honest, I prefer the lesser expensive wines over the more costly ones. Aldi stores have their own brand of wine that they've started selling. The Pinot Noir and red blends are usually $4.99/bottle. They are really good wines.

 

I don't know what it is, but most of the time I find that the more expensive a bottle of wine is, the worse it tastes? Does anybody else feel the same? The cheapest wines tend to be sweeter and more drinkable. My favorite cheap wine is a wine called Lambrusco. It is absolutely beautiful, both the red and white ones. I do lean towards the red though.

 

I heard one good rule for being a wine aficionado which is to just try out lots of brands and find something you like regardless of the price, and it's what I've lived by ever since I heard it. So now, I buy lots of brands and see what works with me, as I've found myself disliking a lot of both cheap and expensive wines so I'd say ultimately it really just boils down to taste, and if the wine you like happens to be cheap then all the better.

 

As this is another area where price doesn't always guarantee quality - especially as there are just as many extremely expensive wines that taste just as mediocre and unpalatable as some of the less expensive ones - I rarely ever buy expensive wines these days either - particularly as there really isn't any need to - when its now many store brand wines - that are the ones winning international acclaim.

In fact I can't even remember the last time that I bought expensive wine - as although I'm fortunate and live in an area of the world where there is an abundance of really good quality but inexpensive wine - I've found that - so long as you stick to buying wines from the wine growing regions where they produce the kind of wine you enjoy drinking - you usually can't go too far wrong - especially as many of the inexpensive/medium priced supermarket or grocery store brands - are now such good quality - that many are equal to - if not better than some of their more expensive counterparts.

 

I do like the Black Box wine. I don't think I have purchased any wine less than $7 in my area. Wine is not sold in my local Walmart. I do get a Sutter Home 2 for $11 every time it is on sale. The big bottles are a good purchase for the money also, I do not have to worry about wanting to drink more just because I have a large bottle on hand.

 

The other nice thing about box wines, particularly if you go through a lot of wine on a regular basis, is that the boxes and the pouches they come packaged in can be easily broken down so they don't take up so much space in your trash. It's rather embarrassing when your recycle bins are filled to the brim with beer, liquor and wine bottles all the time, lol. Or if you live in an apartment, it can be rather noisy dragging trash bags full of glass bottles down the steps past your neighbors apartments.

The other thing with more expensive wines, is that you are never totally sure if you're paying for better quality wine, or if the additional markup is simply due to the fact that they are smaller wineries, or you're paying a premium for their branding and packaging.

Also, the more expensive wines sometimes have very distinct flavor profiles which may not pair well with most foods. They may be meant to drink on their own. One of my friends favorite wines is so perfume-y and it has a really strong strawberry flavor to it, it almost doesn't taste like wine at all - it's like a glass of strawberry juice with a bottle of floral perfume dumped in it. Needless to say I would never serve that with a meal and I really wouldn't pay a premium for it either.

 

I'm not much of a drinker, but I did see a show that gave an interesting tip when it comes to wine. Apparently if you put the wine in a blender and blend for a few seconds it will taste on par with more expensive wines. It's spmething that wouldn't hurt to try if you buy cheap wine.

 

That is interesting indeed. I don’t drink much anymore either, but maybe my friends who still drink could test this out.

Back in the days when I did still drink, I tried both cheap and expensive wines and I actually preferred the cheap stuff myself. And more than that, I preferred stuff like super cheap flavored white zinfandel and such. That was the only alcohol that wouldn’t really have any adverse effects on me. I’d just feel super good. So it’s really the only booze I might consider drinking again.

 

Yeah, they did do a test where they asked random people to taste both the blended wine and an expensive wine. Only one of the people that did the the test could tell which one was the more expensive one.

 

I agree, Costco has great wine selections and they are not too expensive. I enjoyed a nice red wine from Australia I purchased at Costco this summer, I think it was called Nottinghill. Again it wasn't more than $10 a bottle. I think with cheaper wines it can be hit and miss whether you get a wine you like. I don't feel bad about not finishing a cheap bottle if I don't like it since I've only spent $6-10 on it. I'll use it for cooking so it isn't wasted.

 

I love Fetzer wine too. Here in the UK, you can get it for around £5 per bottle (that's around $8.50, I think). You can certainly buy cheaper wine but I do think that Fetzer is a fantastic wine for the price. Cheers!