Tag Archives: cheap wine

2024 $10 Hall of Fame

woman drinking wine at dinner
“Thank you, WC, for another terrific $10 Hall of Fame.”

10 wines entered the Hall of Fame this year, while 5 dropped out

The blog’s final $10 Hall of Fame reflects all of wine’s troubles and travails over the past several years — supply chain woes, even more availability conundrums than usual, and the scourge that is premiumization.

Yes, 10 wines entered the hall, the most since 13 joined the Hall in 2018. But five dropped out, mostly for availability, and only a dozen or so merited consideration. That was down from the 18 I considered last year, and it’s only a third of the three dozen or so that were usually good enough to be considered in the blog’s pre-pandemic days.

The reason for the latter is simple: There are fewer and fewer quality wines that cost less than $15, as the wine business continues to ignore everyone who doesn’t consider $30 or $40 affordable and just the thing for a week night dinner. Nothing illustrates this more than the lack of decent rose for $15 or less — and that is actually available. That only one rose made the Hall this year is an affront to wine drinkers everywhere.

Nevertheless, the Hall is going out in style. The wines that earned selection demonstrate that it’s possible to make quality wine costing $10 or $12 — and that there is a market for such wines.

The 2024 inductees include:

• Six whites: Three French wines, including two picpouls — the Jadix and the La Chapelle du Bastion — and the Domaine Bel Air Muscadet; two Spanish whites, the Protocolo Blanco and the Marques Cacera verdejo; and South Africa’s Wolftrap white blend.

• Two reds: California’s Shannon Ridge Vineyard Wrangler Red and Wolftrap’s red blend.

• A sparkling: The Italian Jeio Bisol Prosecco Brut, a Prosecco.

• A rose: France’s Paul Mas Cote Mas Aurore — and in a 1-liter bottle, no less.

The dropouts: The French Le Petit Gueissard and the Chilean Tres Palacios roses, both for availability. The 1-liter Azul y Garanza tempranillo from Navarre in Spain and the French Little James Basket Press white blend for quality, prices increases, and because they’re  more difficult to find. The French Mont Gravet carignan is, apparently, no longer made.

The complete 2024 $10 Wine Hall of Fame is here. The Hall’s selection process and eligibility rules are here. Know that I considered wines that cost as much as $13 to $15 to take into account price creep and regional pricing differences.

Photo: “Kyla at dinner tonight at Cobre eating tacos and drinking Rose (not cougar juice)” by Chris Breikss is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

 

Wine of the week: Stemmari Grillo 2022

Stemmari grillo bottle
Stemmari Grillo 2022/$8-$15

This Italian white is a great cheap wine from a great cheap wine producer

Those of you paying attention will remember this Italian white made the shortlist for the 2024 Turner award for cheap wine of the year, which will be announced next week.

Which is why I’m using it as this wine of the week. It’s that good.

Sicilian wines have long been a staple of the blog, even after premiumization took terrific $8 and $10 wines and boosted their prices to $12 and $15 without increasing quality (and, yes, I’m looking at you).

But Stemmari, along with a couple of other producers, continued to fight the good fight. The Grillo ($8, purchased, 13%) shows its commitment to the quality wines that most of us can afford to drink. Even Wine-searcher, despite its focus on the most expensive wines in the world, says nice things about grillo like this: “It has become a viable contender for the quintessential Italian table white: light, easy-drinking and often associated with very good value.”

In this, the Stemmari is classic: Nutty. Spicy. Green apple and stone fruit. Fresh. Clean. Which is why, when I go to Jimmy’s in Dallas (which has a Stemmari display), I buy a couple or three bottles. You should, too, when you get a chance.

Imported by Prestige Wine Imports

Turner Cheap Wine of the Year 2024 shortlist

women at Zoom wine tasting
“We need to look for the wines on the Turner shortlist, yes?”

One of these six wines will be named the Mack Turner 2024 Cheap Wine of the Year

The 2024 Turner Cheap Wine of the Year shortlist only has one red wine, but that’s probably not surprising. It has always been more difficult to make quality red wine for less than $15, and — given wine’s trends — it seems there is less reason to do so.

The award’s selection process and eligibility rules are here. I considered wines that cost as much as $15 to take into account price creep and regional pricing differences. The award is named for the late Mack Turner, to honor one of the WC’s dearest friends and a terrific cheap wine advocate. Mack (known on the blog as The Big Guy) died at the end of 2022, and he has been much missed.

Three South African wines are on the list, but it’s in no particular order; the winner will be announced Jan. 11:

Stemmari Grillo 2022 ($8, purchased, 13%): My tasting note is simple: “Damn.” I haven’t had a grillo, the Sicilian white grape, that tasted this good in years.

The Wolftrap White 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%): How can this Rhone-ish white blend from South Africa be so layered and fresh and yet cost only $10?

Moulin de Gassac Guilhem Blanc 2022 ($11, purchased, 12.5%): This vintage of the French white blend is even better than usual, and it’s always top notch.

Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 ($9, purchased, 14%): Another South African gem — $10 cabernet that tastes like cabernet, and how often do we see that?

La Vieille Ferme Blanc 2022 ($9, purchased, 13%): This French white blend from one of my favorite producers elicited this tasting note: “Oh, baby!”

The Curator White 2021 ($12, purchased, 13): White South African blend (mostly chenin blanc and chardonnnay) that is both oily, fruity (stone fruit), and fresh.

More Turner Cheap Wine of the Year:
2023 Turner Cheap Wine of the Year: Matchbook Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
2022 Turner Cheap Wine of the Year: Scaia Rosato 2020
2021 Turner Cheap Wine of the Year: MAN Chenin Blanc 2019

Photo: Nataliya Vaitkevich via Pexels

Wine of the week: Mionetto Prosecco NV

Mionetto Prosecco bottle
Mionetto Prosecco NV/$8-$15

This Italian sparkler shows why Prosecco has become so popular in the U.S.

One of the most fascinating things that has happened in wine over the blog’s history has been the rehabilitation of Prosecco, the Italian sparkling wine. Some 20 years ago, it wasn’t that important in the U.S. — or especially well made, either.

Then, one rather large producer in northern California changed all that. It brought La Marca to the U.S., and — as if by magic — the quality of most Proseccos improved and they started offering value around $10. In fact, by most measures, Prosecco is the best selling style of sparkling wine in the country.

The Mionetto ($8, purchased, 11%) illustrates this change perfectly. Is it taut and sharp? Nope. Is it layered and complicated? Nope. Those are Champagne qualities, and Prosecco never aspired to that. Rather, it wanted to be an everyday sparkler, which means soft, sweetish, and easy to drink — Sunday brunch and Mimosas, anyone?

The Mionetto is softer than I prefer, but it has decent enough bubbles for a Prosecco, since the bubbles aren’t supposed to be too bubbly. But it’s not too sweet, there’s some decent lemony fruit, and even a touch of yeast. In all, there is much more going on than one would expect, and especially for the price.

Drink this for a holiday dinner, to toast the New Year. or just because you want something different to drink with Asian takeout.

Imported by FXM USA

Wine of the week: Monte Antico Toscana 2019

monte_antico_bottle
Monte Antico Toscana 2019/$9-$16

This Italian red blend offers quality and value for just $10

This Italian red wine used to show up around Dallas for as little as $5 a bottle, and though it’s not that cheap anymore, it’s still $10 in much of the country.

In other words, just kind of quality cheap wine we have celebrated for almost 17 years on the blog,

This vintage of the Monte Antico Toscana ($10, purchased, 13%) remains an example of the classic, everyday bottle of Italian red wine. About the only thing missing from this sangiovese blend (for those of us of a certain age, of course) is the wicker basket.

Look for sour cherry fruit, but it’s also a bright, almost fresh wine, despite its age, and the tannins are pushed way, way back. This vintage, which is the current one, seems to have a bit more depth than the last one I tasted, which was likely the 2016. There was also a 2018, though I didn’t see it in Dallas.

Highly recommended, and just the thing for takeout pizza when the holiday crush gets overwhelming.

Imported by Empson USA

 

Wine of the week: Marqués de Cáceres Verdejo 2022

Marqués de Cáceres Verdejo bottle
Marques de Caceres Verdejo 2022/$7-$15

Spanish white is cheap, available, and enjoyable — what more do we need?

The Marques de Caceres verdejo is a long-time blog favorite; three times a wine of the week before this, and always consistent, well-made and a value. Yes, it’s a supermarket wine, but that describes its availability and is not meant as a slight to its quality.

The 2022 ($10, purchased, $13.5%) isn’t quite as impressive as previous vintages, but that there are vintage differences in a $10 wine sold at supermarkets says a lot about the wine, the producer, and the importer (another WC favorite, Vineyard Brands). It means everyone involved understands cheap wine is about more than just being cheap.

This vintage is clean, simple, and enjoyable. There isn’t much going on but tart lemon fruit from the veredejo grape, but there really doesn’t need to be. This is wine for dinner in the middle of the week, whether with takeout chicken or if you want to use up the can of tuna in the pantry with some leftover couscous. Or, even, if you just want a glass during all of the holiday bustle.

No muss, no fuss — because that’s what we really want from wine, don’t we?

Imported by Vineyard Brands

Wine of the week: Mezzacorona Delisa Rosato 2021

Mezzacorona Delisa Rosato bottle
Mezzacorona Delisa Rosato 2021/$9-$15

No, I don’t know why this Italian rose is so delicious — but it is

Big Wine comes in for a lot of grief on the blog, but I am always ready to give it credit when credit is due. And, boy, does Big Wine get credit for this one.

Mezzacorona is one of Italy’s biggest producers, and it makes lots and lots of cheap wine — including too much bland pinot grigio. So when I saw that this rose was made with pinot grigio, I bought it mostly for the novelty.

And I am glad I did. The Mezzacorona Delisa Rosato 2021 ($10, purchased, 12.5%) is just the kind of wine to help us celebrate the blog’s 16th annual Birthday Week. It’s well-made, it’s interesting, and it doesn’t taste like it was designed by a committee.

In other words, a stunning wine, somehow tasting like classic Italian rose (red fruit, savory, and herbal) without any of the baggage that goes with Big Wine.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the Hall of Fame next year. Chill this and drink it on its own, with holiday guests, or at Thanksgiving.

Imported by Prestige Wine Imports