What are the good "cheap" wine brands?

kvruns · February 2015

The thread about dear Jessica and her crappy wine selection got me a little scared. For our wedding we can bring in our alcohol and are doing beer and wine. Beer we can do, but wine is a bit of a foreign subject. I occasionally drink wine and know that I like sweeter wines but that is about it. I also know that I'm in the minority for my sweet wine among wine drinkers. Obviously we don't want to break the bank on anything too high end but I also don't want to buy the worst stuff in the world. My thought (hope?) would be under $10 per bottle for a standard size.

What are your favorite less expensive wine brands? Bonus points for any specific types within a brand.

Thanks!

maeday2 · February 2015

I'm a fan of Yellowtail, and that's probably what we will be using.

Yellowtail Pinot Grigio for white and Yellowtail Pinot Noir for the red. I don't anticipate many wine drinkers, so we're just sticking with a red and white choice.

larrygaga · February 2015

I usually go with barefoot for tolerable cheap wine!

Kahlyla · February 2015

I vote for Barefoot or Las Moras.

lovesclimbing · February 2015

I've liked both Barefoot and Yellowtail. Granted, I also like boxed wine ok and have never had expensive wine, so maybe don't take my advice.

ETA: wow, mobile knotting is hard. That post sounded like I was a vendor from china.

novella1186 · February 2015

Yellowtail

Cupcake

Apothic

Vintage Ink

337

Dreaming Tree

Simi Valley

Any cheap Spanish red is usually good (IMO)

flyingfoxes · February 2015

Barefoot has pretty decent wines.

KatieinBkln · February 2015

I wouldn't worry too much--it's mainly an issue of knowing your audience.

Personally I would want to go to a local store and get to know the seller, mention I'll be buying in bulk for a wedding (to see if they can offer a discount/wholesale rate), and then ask for a few suggestions to try. You might be able to afford a slightly "fancier" wine by going this route, but it's really only worth it if you are really concerned that your guests will not enjoy a Yellowtail or a Barefoot.

Another option for decent, inexpensive liquor is Costco--they're less likely to have tastings in-store, but everything is cheaper.

I find I'm often happiest in the $10-15 per bottle range--once you go under $10, things can get dicey (although not always!).

I don't drink enough wine to have a complete favorite brand (I have favorites within types, if that makes sense--for rioja you can't get a better bang for your buck than Marques de Riscal, with the gold netting). But hopefully this helps a bit!

littlepep · February 2015

Do you have a Trader Joes nearby? They have some great, inexpensive wine. (Not $2 chuck. It gives me SUCH a hangover.) I haven't had anything else there though that was bad. My favorite there is Dark Horse Cab.

Agree with PPs on Apothic Red, Dreaming Tree and Yellow Tail as good options. Rex Goliath isn't bad either. I also really like The Naked Grape. Their pinot and malbec is good.

badbnagdway · February 2015

I asked a similar question - but specifically about red wine - on the Reception Ideas board and got some good answers if you want to check over there too. FI and I do not drink red wine at all because we both get a headache from it, so that is a difficult item for us to pick out. For white, no joke, my favorite wine is Barefoot Pinot Grigio.

It's very easy to get a drinkable white wine for cheap, but red is harder. All the booze calculators tell me we need like 60 bottles worth of wine so ideally I don't want to spend more than $10 a bottle on average.

peachy13 · February 2015

Trader Joe's Charles Shaw brand is good, and Whole Foods' Three Wishes brand is also good. And super cheap.

SmileDamnit · February 2015

The Crusher is actually quite good at $13/bottle (all varieties). You can probably get it down a couple of bucks if buying in case(s).

cupcait927 · February 2015

SmileDamnit said:

The Crusher is actually quite good at $13/bottle (all varieties). You can probably get it down a couple of bucks if buying in case(s).

H just brought home Crusher Cab Sauv last week! So good. And our liquor store had it on sale for $9.99 a bottle. Definitely recommend it.

labro · February 2015

I second Apothic. Another cheap, but consistently tasty brand for me is Cupcake. I really like their Red Velvet blend, although their white blend is ridiculously sweet so stay away from it unless that's what you're looking for. I definitely agree with talking to a local liquor store or a Total Wine if you have one. Costco is good too but I've found they don't offer much of a discount from what you can find in a regular grocery store (around here anyway).

photokitty · February 2015

My favorite under $10 is Mezza Corona Pinot Noir. I get it at World Market, but have seen the Pinot Grigio at several grocery stores.

Sledgehammer Zin has been $10 lately and is really, really freaking good.

tpwkalyn · February 2015

I don't know a lot about wine, but I second PP's suggestions on the Apothic & Cupcake. Apothic is the only red I like!

Some of our closest friends had wine from Trader Joe's at their wedding and it was absolutely the worst wine I've ever had. Although, everyone's tastes are different!

katiekessler123 · February 2015

Not sure how cheap you want to go, but I agree that Yellowtail is a well liked brand that is not expensive. As for Trader Joe's wines, the whites are awful (in my opinion), but some of the reds are rather tasty! Fish Eye (which hasn't been mentioned) is another brand that is very inexpensive and overall well liked. None of those are wines that my husband and I drink on the regular, but I think for a wedding the key is to get an overall well liked brand that most people would enjoy. My personal favorite wine is called "Ball Buster" (haha), but it's about $20 a bottle.

thisismynickname2 · February 2015

Do you have a Binny's in your area? The people who work there are knowledgeable and if you tell them you need crowd-pleasers for under $10 a bottle, I'm sure they'll know.

For the record, my favorite inexpensive red is the Coppola Rosso- it's a red blend and $8.

I think overall Coppola is a good brand and you probably can't go wrong with it.

chibiyui · February 2015

I drink mostly Riesling and Moscato, and I usually pick up Sutter Home, Snoqualmie (I think they're in New York State) annnnd I can't remember the others. Damn.

levioosa · February 2015

I like the Apothic Red for a cheaper red blend. Yellow Tail can have good wines, but not all of them are equal. You should be able to find some blogs steering you to the right ones. Dreaming Tree Crush is also a good red. I've heard decent things about Gnarly Head, but I've never tried it personally.

I second checking out Costco first. They have La Crema's Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (so delicious) there right now for $16.99 and it's normally around $30.

amelisha · February 2015

I'd recommend just about any of the Barefoots over Apothic or Cupcake. They both have a lot of residual sweetness that a lot of people who like wine won't be crazy about. I am always really sad when I go to an event and it's freaking Apothic again.

Lots of the Barefoot varietals are award-winning from Wine Spectator and similar. I wouldn't necessarily want to serve them at a dinner party because I'm a bit wine-snobby, but for a large group on a budget? Definitely. I cook with the Barefoot PG all the time too.

Lots of the Robert Mondavi wines are very inexpensive too and tend to be crowd-pleasing. They're not the most, like...interesting wines, I guess, but they're definitely drinkable on a budget.

If you don't want to go the Barefoot route, I'd also say that varietal is going to play into this too. For example, it's a lot harder to get a decent Cab Sauv, anything from Bordeaux, or Pinot Noir for cheap than it is to get a nice Malbec or Pinotage or even something from Chianti. Generally speaking, stuff from South America or South Africa is probably going to be a better bang for your buck than a Californian or French wine, for example. That's not a hard and fast rule but a $10 Argentinean Malbec is often going to be a nicer wine than a $10 Californian Pinot Noir.

Cookie Pusher · February 2015

We served Yellowtail at our wedding and went through like 11L - and we didn't have many wine drinkers. I usually get Cupcake for home and Barefoot for work parties (we don't get reimbursed for alcohol, but we like to have it so we take turns buying).

artbyallie · February 2015

I would recommend going to a local wine store or a winery and asking for some recommendations based on your price. If you can purchase by the case (which you probably can unless it's a tiny wedding) that will let you get a nicer wine for your dollar too.

Generally speaking, you probably want to provide at least two varietals per color, one on the sweet side and one dry. So, for example, probably the most crowd-pleasing options are going to be a Reisling, a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, and a Merlot. That covers your sweet, your oaky, your fruity, and your tannic flavors. Not the most interesting choices, though.

IMO, this also comes down to whether you're having a bartender and you probably should hire someone at least to CYA by making sure no one gets served who is underage or super drunk. A good bartender will also be able to help your guests choose something they'll like if they haven't had the particular type/brand you're serving. If it's super casual self-serve I'd stick with recognizable brands of both beer and wine.

morewineplease · February 2015

So I go with mostly reds, and not sweet wines so my ideas would all be in in line with each other.

Santa Alicia's Malbec or Our Daily Red (This is literally the red I have open on the counter for "every day" use). Both are about $11 here but would be cheaper in most stores if your getting 6 or 12 bottles at a time.

I will second going to a good store the has lots of wine. Find someone that knows the stores selection and talk to them. Most or good about this, but I would leave (and have) if I feel that they are talking down to me because I am looking for $10-$15 wine instead of an expensive one.

mlg78 · February 2015

I would also agree with Trader Joe's for the wine. I went and talked with them and they made good recommendations and I brought home a few bottles for a little tasting and made decisions. They will also take back any unopened bottles.

KatieinBkln · February 2015

levioosa said:

I like the Apothic Red for a cheaper red blend. Yellow Tail can have good wines, but not all of them are equal. You should be able to find some blogs steering you to the right ones. Dreaming Tree Crush is also a good red. I've heard decent things about Gnarly Head, but I've never tried it personally.

I second checking out Costco first. They have La Crema's Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (so delicious) there right now for $16.99 and it's normally around $30.

Gnarly Head is pretty good. I like red Zins in general for a crowd--they're pretty bold, but not crazy dry/tannic/oaked, so there aren't so many polarizing flavors. Just jammy, semi-spicy, light-bodied goodness.

Also, I don't know when people's weddings are, but if you're getting married during Beaujolais Nouveau season, DO IT. It's such a light, delicious red, and you can even get it at Trader Joe's. It comes out the third Thursday in November so I always end up drinking it around Thanksgiving. So, November peeps: keep it in mind!

kvruns · February 2015

Thank you all so much this is very helpful! I hadn't even thought of Trader Joes so I will check it out. My plan was to purchase from SAMs club or Costco so I think I will price out some brands you all mentioned and maybe do a taste test with some friends to see which they like better. So helpful!!

firebabe6519 · February 2015

Lambrusco and St. James Winery have cheap wines that are good if you like a sweeter wine.

ashley8918 · February 2015

I like anything Cupcake or Apothic.

dolewhipper · February 2015

photokitty said:

My favorite under $10 is Mezza Corona Pinot Noir. I get it at World Market, but have seen the Pinot Grigio at several grocery stores.

Second the Mezzacorona, and I know they do a 1.5L bottle at a great price point too. Their Grigio is my favorite.

Inkdancer · February 2015

Apothic is crazy good.

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