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I like the Hogue wines in general. A couple years ago, Hogue made a Riesling (I don't think it produced that many bottles) that was paired with a course during a wine dinner I attended. It was lush and complex, and when I later went to Sam's to get a bottle, I was shocked at the price -- $7.99. It sold out pretty quickly though (shoulda bought a case).

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Local Beet

aschie - I have experience buyer's remorse (or non-buyer's remorse) with wine more times than I can count!

Wanted to share another affordable find - though available only at Sam's Club in our town -

ZEAL Sauvignon Blanc.

It's a very good SavB for $10.77 or so (less if Sam's has it on closeout) if one likes the Marlborough flavor profile.

Davooda

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Life is a garden, Dude - DIG IT!
-- anonymous Colorado snowboarder whizzing past me March 2010

for 10 you can find alot at trader joes, and even a few at dominicks and jewel. in fact i wish someone would write a unbiased review for tj's wines because ive had way better luck there than other places. even better than in iowa where i always spent at least 6 bucks for a bottle. now i go for the 4-8 dollar range for everyday drinking. the only bottles ive got that were not that great were usually an domestic brand . ive always got the >10$ bottles from grocery stores unless it was a special night and i might splurge on a $20+ bottle. someone mentioned spanish wine as a great value and ive had the most consistant luck with temprinillo and malbec. i just tried the trader joes reserve cab and zin they had that was $10 and they both were superb. the bastardo nero d avola was also great for $7. at dominicks/jewel me and the lady always go for the pepperwood grove cab or merlot for 7 bucks. we both have worked in the service industry for several years and have sampled so much wine it is rediculous. usually the only expensive stuff we have had has been at work and at tasting events. a $100 amerone tasted really good but if i blind tasted it against wines that were a fraction of that amount im not sure i would favor the expensive ones.

Both Good Morning America and the Today Show had reports this weekend on Box Wine (3L) and how they compare to bottles. One they mentioned on GMA was from BOHO Vineyards, CA. Has anyone seen this wine in Chicagoland? Also mentioned was Black Box and Bota Box which seem to be widely available here.

I tried this last week also, and was pleased. I'd tried the white variation at one point and remembered not liking it so much, though who knows why, and it put me off of the red. I'll buy it again though.

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LTHForum Kansas City

Aaron -

Glad you were pleased with it! Conversely, I've never tried the white version, but lately, I'm not exactly excited about whites coming from Australia, so my reluctance to try it probably stemmed from that feeling. Now I probably won't.

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Local Beet

Today's (12/27) Wall Street Journal has a list of about a dozen highly rated <$10 wines. The only ones I have tried are Fairvalley and Juno Sauvignon Blancs (S Africa)which I liked (Sam's). Don't no know where the others are sold here.

Terre del Nero d'Avola (Rossetti) 2005 ($9.95). Italy.

Château Au Grand Paris Bordeaux Supérieur 2005 ($10). France.

Valle Reale "Vigne Nuove" Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2005 ($9.95) and Castellana (Cantina Miglianico) Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006 ($5.99). Italy.

Fairvalley (Coastal Region) Sauvignon Blanc 2007 ($8.99), Juno Wine Co. (Robertson) Sauvignon Blanc 2006 ($7.99) and Ken Forrester Vineyards "Petit Chenin" (Stellenbosch) 2007 ($9.95). South Africa.

The Hogue Cellars (Columbia Valley) Pinot Grigio 2007 ($6.99). U.S.

Alamos (Catena) Torrontés (Salta) 2007 ($10) and Pannotia Vineyards Torrontés (Salta) 2006 ($7.99). Argentina.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123033096164636121.html

In fact someone has: Jason's Wine Blog - Best of Trader Joe's Wine

I've never had much luck with TJ's wines, but I know that some have. Hope this is helpful.

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I don't know what you think about dinner, but there must be a relation between the breakfast and the happiness. --Cemal Süreyya

Any comments on the $3 Chuck Nouveau? Does it have to be drunk right away or can it be saved?

It's not even worth the vinegar you can make from it, it's freaking awful.

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is making all his reservations under the name Steve Plotnicki from now on.

I've been enjoying Menage a Trois from Costco lately (they've had it consistently for at least 4-5 months). A Californian triple blend of zinfandel, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon, I find this to be a solid table wine that could be equally good by itself or with just about anything. A great wine for the price.

Folie a Deux 2007 Menage a Trois California Red Wine ($7.99 at Costco, about couple of dollars more at Sam's)

It's a nice pizza wine. I'd suggest you also take a look at some of the straight up dolcettos at sam's as well.

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is making all his reservations under the name Steve Plotnicki from now on.

Hubby and I spent a couple of days taking the kids to Devils Head just after Christmas. We side tripped to Wollersheim winery in Prairie du Sac. We had a nice tour of a great old building and looked at the vineyards from the relative shelter of a porch. In good weather the tour visits the vineyards and an aging cave. The tour ended with tastings of about a 1/2 dozen wines. Many price at near $10 a bottle. We were quite impressed with several varieties and then in today's Tribune, three of their wines were mentioned as good bargains. I was quite impressed with the Chardonnay and the estate grown Domaine Reserve.

They can mail order to Illinois and their wines are distributed in a few Illinois towns.

On New Year's Eve we made white Sangria with the Prairie Fume, a semi-dry white wine. I don't care for semi-dry wines to drink straight but it made a lovely sangria.

Wollersheim Winery

Who knew there was a winery in the Midwest that dates to the 1840s?

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"The only thing I have to eat is Yoo-hoo and Cocoa puffs so if you want anything else, you have to bring it with you."

Davooda, thanks for the Zeal tip. For some reason I have gotten away from New Zealand SB's, I think maybe too many Monkey Bays, and started on the Cono Sur SB (Chile) $8.99. I kind of go back and forth with the Villa Maria SB, and Cono Sur, but will add the Zeal to the rotation.

Tried a Reserve de Velours Bordeaux in a 3L box from Sam's for $22. Noticeably better than our usual cheap wine (bottles or boxes). Definite hints of grape. Too bad TJs doesn't sell box wine.

I was at the Wine Discount Center in FoPa (7714 W Madison St) scoping out some wines for our club's winter party. I was given a budget of $10.00/bottle or less and found the following candidates. I bought and tasted these wines and was really pleased to find some really good wines at this price point.

Let's start with the reds:

Santa Rita Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $8.99/bottle (Chile) Full-bodied, dark fruit (currant, blackberry, blueberry), long pleasant finish. Not like a Chilean cab, more like California. I've seen this wine at other stores for $11.99

Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $7.49/bottle (California) Smooth, cassis, cedar, oaky vanilla: a classic California cab

Cellar El Masroig "Sola Fred" 2007 $7.99/bottle (Spain) 90% Carinena 10% Garanacha. Dark in color, great balance, tastes of plum, violet and dark cherry, fabulous long finish. 90 points from Robert Parker (if you're into the points thing, if not it's just plain good!)

And the whites:

Bodegas Nekeas Vega Sindoa Viura Chardonnay 2007 $6.99/bottle (Spain) Really lovely blend of two grapes that meld together wonderfully. Apple, citrus and pear on the nose with a pleasant minerality and a touch of oak. 75% Viura, 25% Chard

Santa Julia Organica Chardonnay 2007 $7.99/bottle (Argentina) A "California-style" chard with a pleasant balance of citrus, honey and tropical fruit upfront. Nice full finish.

DeBortoli Willowglen Chardonnay 2007 $4.99/bottle (Australia) One of our "house" wines, we buy this by the case. Lemon zest, green apple with a nice touch of oak. I've seen this wine at other stores for $7.99.

La Cave Costieres de Pomerols Picpoul de Pinet 2007 $7.99/bottle (France) One of the most popular wines on the French Mediterranean coast, its varietal grape (Picpoul de Pinet) is comparatively rare here in the states and that's a shame. The aroma of lime and tropical fruit jump out and deliver a crisp, round finish. Great with grilled fish or chicken and especially shellfish.

Marc

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"Barbecue sauce is like a beautiful woman. If it’s too sweet, it’s bound to be hiding something."
— Lyle Lovett

"How do you say 'Yum-o' in Swedish? Or is it Swiss? What do they speak in Switzerland?"- Rachel Ray

WineStyles in Evanston has a whole selection of wines that you can buy 6 for $60. Tell them what you like and they can recommend something for you!

I love the in fine spirits wine store in andersonville. They also have an under $12 table with a few choices under $10. Good amount of selections as well as an online catalog as well. Here's the under $12 link
http://shop.infinespirits.com/incredibl ... er_12.aspx

Pizza from Great Lake, beer or wine from In Fine Spirits, and a quick stop next door at Pasticceria Natalina's for dessert and you have a heck of an evening on your hands.


In Fine Spirits - Store
5418 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: (773) 506-9463

Great Lake
1477 W Balmoral Ave
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 334-9270

Pasticceria Natalina
http://www.pasticcerianatalina.com
5406 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 989-0662

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He was night putting, Danny. Just putting at night

Boho Vineyards Chardonnay in the $20, 3L box from Sam's gets our acceptable drinkability rating. This was recommended on Good Morning America a couple of weeks ago, although I think they recommended it because of Boho's "Green" marketing line that dominates the box. Problem with the box is you tend to drink a little more.

Happy to report that the Boho Vineyards Cabernet is also quite acceptable. Thanks to Sam's for having such a wide variety of box wine, including French.

Aldi sells a really good Tempranillo. Spicy finish and not overly fruity.

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"Skin that smoke wagon and see what happens..."
- Wyatt Earp, Tombstone

Tried the Chiusa Grande Tommolo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from TJs ($6). This was recommended on Jason'sWineBlog ( http://jasonswineblog.com/2008/10/21/20 ... d-abruzzo/ ). Well worth it, but as a cheap wine drinker, I can't describe it other than it doesn't have the awful metallic finish that cheap wines have. I'd buy it again even at twice the price of $3 buck Chuck.

Joe Caputo's has an Arancio 2005 Syrah from Sicily (Sicilia) that surprised me in a good way. I bought a bottle today while shopping there, as it is on sale for $6.44 per their flyer. I was expecting a Chianti in a Syrah bottle, but it has that big red taste of Syrah without the massive tannins that I was expecting from a Sicilian wine (most likely a bias from the house Chianti when dining out). This is a nice, easy to drink wine. I was also expecting a hit of alcohol because I let it decant for about 5 seconds, but nope, very easy going from the start. This wine is available only at the Palatine and Algonquin locations (per their flyer). I don't usually buy wines at Caputos unless they are on sale as I can find better deals elsewhere, but this one is worth picking up if you are in the area.

For $9, you can get a Bordeaux blend from the relatively obscure Daniel Olivier label. It's mostly merlot with a splash of cab franc, no cab sauv at all. While not the best Bordeaux you'll ever taste, I think it's pretty good for the price. I've seen it at In Fine Spirits, Lush, and Treasure Island.

This is a store that I go to when I want to stock up on wine and such...you can get a bottle of Freixenet’s Carta Nevada Semi Dry for $4.99. I have walked out of there with 12 bottles of various wines for under $60. A bottle of Barefoot Contessa Chardonnay goes for $3.99.

Kenwood Liquors
Chicago, IL
8810 S. Stony Island Ave.
Chicago, IL 60617
Phone: 773-374-0512

Hours:
Sunday: 11 am - 8 pm
Monday - Thursday: 9 am -10 pm
Friday & Saturday: 9 am -11 pm

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"There comes a time in every woman's life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne."
Bette Davis in Old Acquaintance

I have 2 wines that I've recently had that exceeded my expectations and were $10.

Pillar Box Red - a red blend from Australia - Shiraz, Cab, Merlot. It's got more finesse than what I was expecting. A great everyday wine for sure. It's a bit high in alcohol content but it didn't taste like it. $9.99 at Binny's.

Les Jamelles Pinot Noir - from France. I'm a bit skeptical when it comes to cheap Pinot Noirs but they had a stack of these at the Whole Foods on Peterson for $9.99/bottle and I couldn't resist. It was really enjoyable!

Maybe I was expecting very little from both of these and they exceeded expectations, but I plan on picking up more of both. They are exactly the kind of bottles that are great to have around and open up on a tuesday evening.

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@TheTonyHam
tony's kitchen

Agreed. We chose PBR for our wedding. It a good, fruity wine that's great with food (meat, pasta, etc.) - - and, for the price, nice to have on hand if you're hosting a big dinner party.

We drank quite a bit of it until we starting finding wines we preferred for a bit more cash.

Ronna

In general I find that Spain, South America (Malbec), and some Aussie and NZ wines can be good sources for baragains.
Chile: Montes, Los Vascos.
Argentina: Altos las Hormigas, Norton.

Back in the day it was Cotes du Rhone (now often easily topping $20), Dolceto and Barbera (many $30 versions nowadays), and many Chiantis and Riojas that were bargains. Ha!

As I recall, the Les Jamelles mentioned up-thread is/was a frequent guest on restaurant lists and I used to like it well enough.
The Spanish "Protocolo" is under $10 and very drinkable. Haven't had the white version. Also "Luzon" is usually under $10 and very nice.
A CA rhone-style blend called Pastiche was under $10, at least a couple of years ago, and I liked that as well.
I have generally not been thrilled with the price-points for "brand" wines at either TJs or Costco. They're not awful, just not a real bargain.
I thought that Gallo's "Sonoma" line was very good value. Used to be around $10. Now around $12 but frequently on sale.

I believe that various historically undistinguished regions of France have gotten the quality religion and are producing good reliable everyday wines, but I'm not familiar enough to recommend.

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"Strange how potent cheap music is."

Went to Sam's this morning...original plan was to buy 2 or 3 bottles for a trip to Schwa this evening. However, the entire entrance area was full of Under-$10 wines (domestic & foreign), many with really nice descriptions & 90+ ratings (from either Wine Spectator & Sam's own wine tasters, often both). Instead of the 2-3 bottles I'd originally planned, I ended up having to carry my haul out of there in a box.

2006 Ercavio Tempranillo Roble (about $10 at Binny's).

100% tempranillo. Robust and lush, tastes way more expensive than the $10 price tag.

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Local Beet