After a long day of meetings and deadlines, my husband and I are often too tired for anything more than store-bought pizza. This we nearly always "doctor up" with green peppers, black olives, mushrooms, eggplant, artichokes, goat cheese or whatever is on hand and interesting.The wine needs no doctoring up, however. More often than not, our choice is a value wine. I'd like to be able to go down into a cave and choose something a bit more posh, but (A) If it's terribly fancy, it's probably not available locally, and (B) I'd rather spend my money on travel.
That's not to say that we do not occasionally spend a bit more on a bottle of wine, but for occasions that are not special, we opt for a good buy with flavor that does not let us down. (We have yet to try the Two-Buck Chuck that was so talked about a few years back.)
Among our favorites are Fat Bastard, Yellow Tail, La Veille Ferme, Red Bicyclette, 14 Hands, Bogle, Mondavi, and Ménage å Trois from the Folie å Deux vineyard in the Napa Valley.
Generally, we stick with cabernet, shiraz and burgundy over the winter months. (A Wisconsin wine I can most heartily recommend is Wollersheim Winery's Prairie Fumé, but since it's got a green-apple taste, I prefer it in summer.)
My husband and I are not terribly sophisticated wine drinkers. We simply know what suits our taste and our pocketbook.
What are your favorite wines? Don't stick to value wines!
16 comments:
Our table wine is Louis Jadot Beaujolais. About 5 years ago we put some Bogle cabernet that is now really more than vin ordinaire. Cost isn't the issue for wine, if we like it, it's good for us.
We rarely have more than one glass with dinner, so there is always much left over — one reason cost is an issue for me! I cannot see things go to waste. I've got one of those gadgets that removes air from the bottle so you can store it opened.
(My parents made me clean my plate, too.)
Hopefully, frugality is a virtue...
Louis Jadot Beaujolais IS a good wine and a good value.
I have tasted most of those wines and they are all very good.....I usually buy a table wine, a beaujolais,Duboeuf ...for eveyday use. I do consider the price. I am anxious to try the nouveau beaujolais that comes out very soon!Will do the Saturday, you-know where!
AAAGGGHHHH...too many choices! I have wine with dinner nearly every evening. I almost always consider value, so one of my faves is an Australian wine, Lindemans Bin 65, a chardonnay. One of my recent finds is "7 Deadly Zins". Oh my goodness...I love it with nearly anything. Then my absolute favorite wine for any occasion is champagne...cheap, pricey. Makes no never mind...I love it all! Yup, even Cook's!
I love both Georges de Boeuf Beaujolais and Londeman's Bin 65.
Another good one is Fish Eye — not pricey but good for everyday.
BTW, doesn't the new Beaujolais come out in a day or two?
Oh, but I have to talk about value. I am another fan of the Duboeuf Beaujolais. I've also been drinking a lot of Merlot lately, since it is out of fashion but velvety and gorgeous when it is done really well. I am drinking a Chilean merlot right now.
Bonjour, Mimi! Thanks for stopping by...I'm looking forward to checking out your blog as well.
As for the wines, my favorite is Gewurztraminer (similiar to a Reisling, but fuller bodied). You don't have to spend a lot to enjoy it - Twisted River makes a very nice version, and I'm it's relatively easy to find in your local store. If you have a chance to try it, let me know your thoughts.
~Erin
Ooh! More good ideas.
I like South American wines, Pepper, so I will try to track that one down.
Twisted River? Thanks for the tip, Erin!
I was just visiting both your blogs and lurking a bit, so it's great that you stopped by — thanks!
Wish I could get my husband to build a cave in our basement....
We've had many of the wines you've listed Mimi. We mostly like earthy southwest French wines. I just bought a Cahors red table wine that I think we're going to open tonight.
We also like Chilean and Argentine wines, especially the Malbecs.
Happy tippling!
I love the wines of southwest France, too, Christine. Well. I like everything about the southwest of France. We enjoyed a glass or two of local wine every night when we we there. I am sure I can hunt some down locally, if I put my energies to it!
Have you read "Families of the Vine?"
Since I don't eat red meat most of the wine I drink is white - I prefer dry wines like Chardonnays, Viogniers and Pinot Grigios. Mostly Chardonnays really. Our family tends to swill it down (we live in California, it's the law - just like you need to eat lots of cheese) so I like to find wines that are $10 or $12 - My favorites are J. Lohr Chardonnay, Bogle Chardonnay, Edna Valley Chardonnay, Hahn Viognier - all very reasonbly priced. Alamos Chardonnay is another good one out of Argentina. Cinnabar and Dry Creek are a few dollars more but are worth it.
I'm also just getting into dessert wines. My niece gave me a bottle of Meeker Tutu Luna - a fabulous ice wine that is heavenly.
Alas I've given up wine for a while because my pudge wasn't budging and I thought that a little abstinence was in order. Need to get in fighting shape for the holidays :o)
I shall make you all jealous - In Andorra (no tax) we were able to buy perfectly drinkable wines for 3 - 4 dollars a bottle. For the frugal, one could find red wine as cheap as 60 cents - and yes, it came in a glass bottle with a cork. I bought a white once, for 35 cents - with no label....not particularly good.... Our friend in Spain buys locally, taking his own bottles for about 1.35 a bottle - and it's pretty good. Here in France we buy local wines - the better ones, (we're snobs!) for 4 - 5 dollars a bottle. Our everyday wine comes in a vacuum box - and quite good, I might add. I just cringe when I go to the U.S. and see the prices....
Yum, Andrea, I've had pretty good luck with Bogle wines. Any wine labeled Cinnabar sounds good to me.
Yup, Katie, I am drooling. How is wine priced in Paris? We did not have time to look last time, but I think next trip, we're going to get a couple of bottle. What is it —two bottles per person to bring home?
I've tasted many of those wines when in the USA and they are pretty darn good. But I love the variety here in France -- unfortunately the French wines that make it to the USA are too often over-priced and "globalized" for the USA market -- c'est dommage!
I suspected as much, BC. The wine we drank in France was somehow deeper and more layered.
If anyone reading this has tips on bringing wine back to the U.S., I'd love to hear them. I've been checking around, and some travelers recommend styrofoam carriers. I've got bubble wrap (a two--for-one sale at a local store)
But a co-worker of mine just brought a case of German beer home in suitcases with no problems.
Sheesh, I switched to the beta Blogger, and this is the THIRD time I've tried to enter this comment!!! Have to sign in to other blogs differently now, apparently. Grr.
I've been enjoying Spanish reds made from the tempranillo grape. Under $10, with one I like very well priced at $6.99 (definitely my price range!). Brands I've liked include Ercavio, Penascal, and Mano a Mano.
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