My budget usually includes wines that are around $15 -$20. On special occasions I stretch (I don't spend on clothes, I spend on wine!). But as I've said about a million times on the blog and in the podcast, I love a bargain. Who doesn't? No one I know. I get the question all the time: "I'm on a tight budget. Are there any good wines for $10 or less?" Since I don't always shop for wines at $10 and under, the answer I would usually give was "not many" and list a few I knew. Well, that's not good enough. I decided to go to my favorite wine shop that has a big international selection (some of the best deals are from abroad) and get a case of wines in that price point.
I'm working my way through it and will post at least weekly with a quick review of each of these gems and duds. I want to give us both an arsenal of inexpensive wines that we can stand behind! Some are around $10, some less than $10 and some a bit more. No matter what, they can fit into a tight budget well.
We start out the project with a total win! Yay!
The Wine: 2011 Zolo Malbec
Quick note on the producer: Zolo makes great value wines. The winery likes to point out on the bottle that their wines are made from sustainably farmed land. If you're a regular reader/podcast listener, you know I think this is complete crap but I do think if they are this dedicated to the marketing strategy promoting good environmental/social stewardship that they may eventually pursue organic farming, which could make the wine even better. I'll be on the lookout for any changes and keep you posted. And now to the wine:
It is from: Mendoza, ArgentinaPrice: $9.99
Alcohol: 13.8% (on the high side)
Color: Lighter than many Malbecs I've had, this was more a raspberry, cherry color. Just by looks I expected a lighter style wine, but color is such a poor indicator of flavor, I couldn't make a judgement.
Smell: For $10, this packed a HUGE punch. The wine had so much going on. I had to check the receipt to make sure it was actually $10. It was spicy as hell. Cloves, nutmeg, baked plums, baked cherry, baked raspberry, baked blueberry -- it was like a berry crumble. A second sniff and I got a good hit of vanilla, licorice, a little wet earth, and cumin (think Indian food or Mediterranean style lentils).
Taste: A very well made wine. It tasted like it smelled -- like a baked berry pie with cloves. It had a strong hit of black licorice, and was a little spearminty. And the fruit was juicy -- there was lots of bursting flavor but it wasn't over the top. The wine had a medium level of mouth-drying tannin, noticeable acidity, and although it was on the high side, the alcohol was in check -- a fabulous balance with everything there, but no one component dominated. This may be the first Malbec I've had for this price that tasted very obviously like it was from a mountain vineyard (link is to a video I made explaining) -- a perfect blend of fruit, tannin, and acid with nothing competing. I usually find inexpensive Malbecs to be over-the-top fruity and hot from the high alcohol. Not so with Zolo.
Drink or sink?: We're starting this project off right! This is a new standby. It was spicy, complex and better than some $20 Malbecs out there. I highly recommend this, will be buying it regularly, and will bring it to people's houses as a crowd-pleaser. A great wine for the money.
For more about the grape, listen to the podcast on Malbec. We go into detail on the grape and on Argentina.
Definitely going to follow this! I'm a cheap wine drinker -- rarely spending more than $10 for a bottle. I've gotten into a rut with always picking up the Barefoot, so looking forward to having a few more to add to my "pick up" list!
ReplyDeleteWendy!
ReplyDeleteThis is great news. I have so many good discoveries for you. My goal is to make you RARELY pick up Barefoot again (it's from a big hulking winery that MASS produces!). I think we'll get you into a TON of new ideas.
I just listed a bunch of cheapies from Trader Joe's on the Facebook page too, if you have a TJs near you and want to branch out!
Thanks for writing,
Elizabeth
No Trader Joe's :( And I'm in Montana, so no wine shipping. But I have a great local wine store that takes suggestions!
ReplyDeleteThat's tough but you're lucky in a few regards! First, I love the outdoors and I've heard Montana is gorgeous, so you are so lucky to have access to nature in all its glory. Second, if you have a great wine shop that's open to taking your suggestions and helping you get the wines that you want to try, it's even better than having a store that's just pre-stocked with stuff.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great opportunity to work with the wine pros near you -- you may even be able to teach THEM a thing or two when you order some of the things I'm going to recommend : )
Take care and thanks so much for reading! Keep me posted on what you're able to get from the list!
Elizabeth
Are your recommendations for wines good for more than one vintage, or just the specific year? It would seem that it would be only good for that year. Could you talk a little about the differences between vintages and how to know what a good year is/was?
ReplyDeleteThanks. I've just recently found the podcast and have listened to the first 6 or 7 episodes in catching up and have really enjoyed it so far. Very informative and interesting.
Jeff.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteAlthough all the reviews are vintage specific, I think you can be safe getting wines from other years in MOST cases. Generally speaking, produers have styles that they try to adhere to. If they make quality one year, although vintage variation will definitely change the flavor and nuance in the wine, the general idea will be the same. They're going to strive to make a wine that is consistent with what they've put out before. Will it be the same? No! Could it be better? Yes! But within reason, it should be what you expect.
The exceptions come in two forms, IMO:
1. If the winery gets taken over by a big hulking winery. I try to keep the list updated, but if you haven't seen this, you should take a look. When a large winery acquires a smaller one, money becomes the mighty god and quality takes a back seat, generally. http://winefornormalpeople.blogspot.com/2012/06/brands-owned-by-big-corporate-wineries.html
2. If there is HUGE weather variation, like we regularly see in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Rhône. I've had wines two years in a row from the same producer that are unrecognizable from these areas. It happens in other places, but in my experience the swings in France can kill or make a vintage more than anywhere else...perhaps because the winemakers rely so much on the vineyard and so little on fixing things in the winery. You get what mother nature gives.
A few other resources on vintage from me and then I'll shut up:
I talked about it on the Weather Channel: http://winefornormalpeople.blogspot.com/2012/10/wine-for-normal-people-on-weather_11.html
And in this article: http://winefornormalpeople.blogspot.com/2011/04/word-on-vintage-or-what-vintage-and-al.html
Thanks for your comments and for listening,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI live in Atlanta and have a TJ's near me, but don't have a Facebook account. What are your favorite Trader Joes wines?
Hi Wise Guy,
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of most of the TJ's wines but here's my hit list:
1. The Italian Epicuro reds -- Nero d'Avola, Aglianico. Great value for $7!
2. Le Cheteau Vouvray is good.
3. Grifone Chianti, ok.
4. La Granja (I think that's what it's called) Tempranillo/Garnacha
5. When they have it (not always) Espiral Vinho Verde
6. They have a decent price on Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel
For me, that's pretty much all I buy there. I've tried so much of their stuff and most has been a real let down but these are good bets. Hope that helps!
Thanks for listening/writing!
Elizabeth