10 wines for under $10!
This is a guest post by Jon Thorsen of ReverseWineSnob.com.
Do you like wine but don’t drink it much because you think you need to spend at least $20 to get a good bottle? The fact is the price of a wine has very little to do with it’s quality.
There is plenty of good wine available for less than $10. It will take a little work to find those gems; however we at The Reverse Wine Snob are all about finding good wine on the cheap. Here are 10 of my favorite wine gems under $10.
Red Wines:
2009 Altovinum Evodia. Available for $6.99 at Costco. Believe it or not, Spain has more vineyard land than any other country, and the Calatayud region of Spain is a great one for finding bargain wines. Costco, as the largest wine retailer in the U.S., simply takes a lower margin than any other retailer out there. They don’t have a huge selection, but you can be sure you’re getting a good deal when you buy from them.
2010 Caligiore Staccato Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon Blend. Available for $9.99. Why not try a blend with everyone’s favorite wine of the moment, Malbec, plus the traditional favorite Cabernet Sauvignon? This one has lots of delicious fruit flavors like blackberry and black cherry plus smooth tannins on the finish that give it some nice depth and complexity. On top of all that, this wine is even organic! Pretty amazing for less than $10.
2010 FlipFlop Wines Pinot Noir. Ahh, Pinot Noir, the wine made even more popular by the movie Sideways. Everyone loves a good Pinot Noir, and Oregon is the hotspot for this grape, but have you checked prices of Oregon Pinot Noir lately? Good luck finding much of anything under $20. That’s why this wine is so amazing…a tasty Pinot Noir for only $6!
2009 d’Arenberg The Stump Jump Red. A delicious blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvédre from Australia. This wine has gotten pretty wide acclaim and it deserves it. Available for $9.99.
2009 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage. This is basically a French Bordeaux style blend from California. Since it’s from California it can’t be called a Bordeaux, so the Californian winemakers got together and came up with a new name, a Meritage (pronounced like heritage). No matter, the important thing to know is that this wine is very good and available for as low as $7.99.
2008 Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah. Petite Sirah is a grape you don’t hear a lot about today, but it is making a comeback. It’s popularity actually peaked during Prohibition, thanks to a rule that allowed families to make up to 200 gallons a year of wine. The reason Petite Sirah was so popular was because it was one of the few grapes that could survive a train ride across the country. This one has blackberry and mocha flavors for $9.99.
White Wines:
2010 Douglas Green The Beach House. $8.99. A really delicious blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. If you don’t have a beach house don’t worry as this one is also perfect for the patio, the deck, the backyard, or even the garage. Just a great warm weather wine.
2010 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc. $7.99. Chile is producing some really exciting wines and some of them, like this one, are a very good value. Tropical fruit, peach, orange zest and pineapple flavors combine to make a really nice, easy to drink wine.
2009 Hess Select Chardonnay. $9.99. This quite simply is a crowd pleaser – it’s hard to imagine someone not liking this wine. Mango, green apple, and a bit of pepper combine to create a really solid wine to break out at a party. Aged in oak barrels so it does have some of the buttery notes common to oaked Chardonnay, but they are definitely not overpowering. For an unoaked Chard, see the next wine.
2010 Big House Naked Unchained Chardonnay. A wine for those who like to buy in quantity. This one has a suggested retail price of $9.99 but real world prices are as low as $5 per 750ml (size of a typical bottle) if you buy the 3.0L box available for around $20. A smooth wine with light citrus flavors and a dry finish.
So there you have it…10 delicious wines for under $10. Break them out at your next dinner party and let the compliments come rolling in!
September 23rd, 2011 at 9:58 am
As a former oenophile, I appreciate having access to the list, as well as it being crafted by an unpretentious wine lover.
September 23rd, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. My new favorite place to buy wine (other than from my cousin in Healdsburg, CA) is Total Wine & More, a relatively new (to me) chain featuring wines and beers from all over the world, as well as having better prices than I’ve seen anywhere else. The staff members are quite knowledgeable, and extremely helpful. I’d definitely recommend this source to everyone. And I agree that it’s not necessary to buy expensive wines to find one to enjoy! I generally limit the top price range to $12-$15.
September 25th, 2011 at 5:10 am
Great list of affordable wines – thank you! If you are in the Armonk, NY area, stop at WINE GEEKS, a small wine shop with friendly, knowledgeable owners. You’ll be glad you did!