2017 $10 Wine Hall of Fame

2017 $10 Hall of FameNine wines entered the 2017 $10 Hall of Fame – nuts to premiumization

The biggest surprise in the 2017 $10 Wine Hall of Fame? That nine wines entered the hall, and it could have been as many as 15. Or that four dozen wines got serious consideration, the most since the beginning of the recession and three times as many as least year.

This, after the horrors of the past couple of years, was shocking. I had expected, as late as November, to find few wines to consider and even fewer to add. But as I went through my notes and the suggestions from blog visitors, the quality and quality became apparent.

We’re not quite re-living $10 wine’s pre-recession glory days, but it’s possible to find lots of great cheap wine – just look outside the U.S. and look for something other than cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and pinot noir.

The new members of the 2017 $10 Wine Hall of Fame include two Italian Tuscan red blends, including one from Big Wine; the Angeline California sauvignon blanc; a French rose, Villa des Anges; two French reds; the Naia Spanish white; a French white, Moulin de Gassac Guilhem; and a Hungarian white, the Chateau Pajzos Furmint.

Five labels dropped out, most for availability: The Chilean Cono Sur wines; Tractor Shed Red, a California field blend; the Little James Basket Press red and white blends, availability and quality; the $5 Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red, quality; and the Hey Mambo red blend.

The $10 Wine Hall of Fame 2017, and my annual assessment on the state of cheap wine, is here. You can also find it at the Hall of Fame link at the top of the page. The Hall’s selection process and eligibility rules are here. This year, I considered wines that cost as much as $12 or $13 to take into account price creep and regional pricing differences.

Again this year, you’ll be able to print the hall as either a text file or a PDF. Look for the icon on the bottom right hand corner of the post.