BARTENDER'S WINE EXPERT:  JOSEPH DELISSIO

 
Great wine is too expensive. You cannot find quality red wine under twenty dollars. Good red wines are not in my budget. How can this wine be any good; it only costs ten dollars. The higher the cost the better the wine.

There are many misconceptions about the cost/quality ratio pertaining to red wine. The above statements are among the most common on the subject.

Yet, not only are there good, reasonably priced wines available, there are many excellent ones to be found. Priced between ten and fifteen dollars per bottle retail, great value wines can even be found for less than 10 dollars.

The trick is, you have to know where to look. Let BARTENDER Magazine show you the way.

CALIFORNIA

There are great value red wines coming out of California. For Cabernet Sauvignon lovers, try Beaulieu Vineyard’s consistently good Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon, or for a few dollars more Geyser Peak Winery of Sonoma offers a very tasty offering. Should you prefer Merlot, give Sterling Vineyards Vintners Collection or Blackstone Vineyards from Napa Valley a try. Zinfandel fans are not neglected with a hard to beat Ravenswood’s Vintners blend Zinfandel for about $12.50 per bottle.

Feeling a bit more adventurous? Seek out Napa Valley’s Silverado Vineyards wonderful Sangiovese (the grape used in making Italy’s famous Chianti Wines) wine from the vintage of 1999.

If Pinot Noir is your fancy, Camelot Winery produces a pretty good one for under nine dollars, and Carneros Creek Winery makes some good valued versions of this noble grape as well.

SPAIN

Some of the world’s best red wine values come from the land of siesta. Torres Winery from Penedes makes a very affordable Gran Sangre de Toro from a blend of Grenache and Carinena. If you like Rioja (and you should) try the Tempranillo based Riojas like Marques de Caseres Crienza or wines from respected bodegas like Muga, Cune, and Conde de Valdemar. From the rediscovered red wine region of Priorat look for a deep colored red wine called Onix. Ribera del Duero is full of value wines such as Vina Mayor’s 1999 Crienza or Bodega Abadia Retuerta.