best bottle of wine to drink
wine12 great wines under $20 a bottleDaryna TobeyThey are wines that have a place in every home, though there’s no formal name for their kind: They’re sip-with-pizza-on-a-Tuesday-night quaffs, yet they’re nice enough to bring to a friend’s house for a casual dinner. They are enjoyable right out of the bottle, and it wouldn’t be a travesty if you cooked with them. These wines are, as 90+ Cellars’ vice president and co-founder Brett Vankoski calls them, “soldiers” that protect your cellar’s more treasured bottlings from premature death. I just call these all-purpose, buy-by-the-case bottles our “house” wines.I’ve spent the last month or so evaluating dozens of under-$20 wines for Fortune. Many were “classical, seasonal, versatile and affordable,” all qualities that Colleen Holden, wine director at Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks in Boston, looks for in house wines. I also found that the wines I wanted to reach for again did not have too much acid, oak, tannins, or alcohol.
So how much should you spend on these wines by the case, and what should you buy? Here are our experts’ top tips on how to shop for them, along with a dozen of Fortune’s recommendations for easy-to-find, please-everyone bottles. Stick with newer vintages. Wines meant for casual drinking don’t age particularly well. “If a wine is meant to be drunk fresh,” as are most whites and rosés, says Holden, “it’s important that you’re buying the most recent vintage, or just one year prior.” A $12 2005 rosé, in other words, is no bargain.Be mindful of the alcohol content. If you’re enjoying a glass or two during the week, says Vankoski, “a 15% alcohol wine is not what you want.” Stick to wines in the 12%-to-14% range, which Vankoski likens to “session” ales, if you don’t want to be hurting at work the next day. Get it while the getting is good. Word about a great bottle at a giveaway price can spread like wildfire. Jeff Wooddy, general manager of Rochambeau Wines in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., says that shortly after turning his customers on to a $13 Médoc cru bourgeois, “it was suddenly a wine that only sold by the case …
And don’t forget: With a 20% case discount, a $15 wine will only cost you $12.Here are our dozen picks for Fortune’s favorite affordable house wines:Mulderbosch 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé Coastal Region ($14) Dry, with mouthwatering acidity.
new world wine awards results 2014A fuller-bodied rosé from South Africa, with raspberry and orange/grapefruit flavors.Aia Vecchia 2014 Vermentino Toscana IGT ($12) Plump, round, and minerally, with pear and melon flavors. A drink-anywhere white that's not overly dry or acidic. RelatedwinesThese 5 Can’t Miss Wines Are All Under $50winesThese 5 Can’t Miss Wines Are All Under $50Arnaldo Caprai 2013 Grechetto Colli Martani DOC ($20) Has a clean feel and a sturdy backbone plus pear, mineral, and olive oil flavors. Versatile enough to be a fine apéritif or a good accompaniment to seafood or poultry.Columbia Crest 2014 H3 Sauvignon Blanc Horse Heaven Hills ($15) The bottle should say “springtime fresh” on the label;
shows citrus and stone fruit couched in a clean, pleasing mouthfeel. Will have wide appeal.Dourthe 2013 La Grande Cuvée Bordeaux AOC ($13) A crisp white with herb, mineral, and citrus flavors. Just the thing for the raw bar—or enjoy it on its own.Hanna 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley ($19) A taste of summer: This California white wine has sunny peach and pear flavors, a smooth, river-rock feel, and good length on the finish.Santa Cristina 2014 Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie ($12) Has bright green apple and grapefruit flavors; pretty straightforward but delivers a good, everyday wine at an affordable price.Château Saint-Sulpice 2012 Bordeaux AOC ($15) Approachable but not simple; red fruit has nutty, earthy nuances and a nice mocha note on the finish. One to drink with dinner. 70% Merlot.Enrique Mendoza 2012 La Tremenda Monastrell Alicante ($12) Has pleasing spice and herbal accents to the cherry/blackberry fruit; it’s the easy kind of Spanish wine you’d order by the glass at your favorite tapas bar.
La Follette 2013 Pinot Noir North Coast ($20) A forward California style with a soft feel, it’s rife with berry and cherry flavors. More nuanced than a basic Pinot, but still affordable.Masseria Li Veli 2013 Passamante Negroamaro Salice Salentino DOC ($13) Well balanced and easy to drink, with forward but tangy berry-basket flavors. Delivers nice quality at a bargain price. You totally want this with red-sauced Italian fare.Qupé 2012 Syrah Central Coast ($20) California Syrah with an Old World soul: big, juicy, black and purple fruit with earth, clay, smoke/mocha, and fresh herbal nuances.Just like the French language, French wine feels menacingly full of mysteries to those who are just beginning to learn about it. But knowing the basics about French wine isn’t as hard as you think. Fortunately, we've compiled some tips to help out, courtesy of Stephen Cronk, a Londoner who opened Mirabeau vineyards in the south of France, and Frenchman Laurent Richet, a master sommelier of the twin Michelin star Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, UK.
Screwcaps: For many beginners, the screwcap might seem like a dead giveaway for the bottle to avoid. Not so fast, says Cronk, who noted that if you have two bottles at the same price you should go for the one without a cork. The screwcaps keep white wine fresher, longer and prevent the bottle from being fouled by bacteria in the cork. “The culture of the cork is nice, pulling the cork out and making that pop is what makes peoples' juices flow. But if you have an €8 bottle of wine in front of you and one was in a screw cap and one was corked, I’d definitely choose the screwcap,” he said. Confusing labels: French bottles generally say which region the wine is from, but not the type of grape it's made with. So for those of us used to grabbing a bottle of Pinot Noir off the shelf, the French system can be tricky. Here are some equivalents: Wines labelled Bordeaux are made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and some Cabernet Franc grapes. What’s called Syrah back home will generally be a Rhone region wine here.
Burgundy wines are made entirely of Pinot Noir varieties. And if you are looking for a glass of Chardonnay, you’ll want one of the Burgundy whites like a Chablis. Medals and awards: French winemakers like to advertise on their bottles the awards they’ve won in tasting competitions. They’re helpful, but sometimes the judges get it wrong or just loved something you can’t stand. Some awards are more meaningful than others, though. “The Concours Général, the one in Paris, that’s the best one in France,” said Cronk. “They are all moneymaking ventures. Everyone wants to get a medal on their bottle no matter how obscure it is, because they know that the consumer can’t differentiate. Medals are a hint, but not a guarantee.” Buy two bottles: Ultimately wine is a question of taste, so research and advice are really only preparation for popping open a bottle. It’s a good idea to buy one that’s safe, that you already know, but then grab something adventurous.
Find a region you like and explore. Though this approach may require of bit of record keeping on what worked or not, it is in the end how the pros build up their knowledge. Key phrases: French wine labels include some phrases which are indicators of a good bottle. However, it’s important to remember they may mean the bottle is more expensive and it may not suit your tastes. "Grand cru" means it's a region’s highest quality vineyard or area. Then there’s “grand vin,” which is the title wineries give to their best bottles. “Premier cru” is a step below “grand cru,” but it’s still a top vineyard or area. Above all there is the “grand cru classé,” which has been officially registered as a top winemaking property. Ask for help: In an only in France-type service, bigger French supermarkets like E.Leclerc, Carrefour and Auchan have a designated wine section with a staff expert. Though language is a concern here, wine novices shouldn’t be afraid to approach and ask for advice.
“I would go straight to those people and talk about the budget and what kind of food you are going to prepare and see what kind of wine they would suggest. It’s an easy thing and it’s a great way to discover something new,” Richet said. “I’d recommend bottles from the Languedoc-Roussillon region. I think they are a great value for the money ." Price does matter: You could literally spend thousands of euros on a bottle but getting a good one at the supermarket just requires not being a complete penny pincher. The really cheap bottles, like ones destined for cooking, are obviously not going to be good for drinking. But for a modest investment you’re going to hit some pretty good bottles. “There are certain fixed costs in making a wine. Let’s say it costs €2.50 to get it into the bottle. So for a €10 bottle you are getting, in theory, much more on the value of the wine than you are if you're buying wine for €3,” said Cronk. Local wines: When you are at the supermarket, choose bottles from the region where you are.