Let’s talk about cheap wine. Most of it is bad. Not just bad, but nasty. I’m not a snob. I spent my first years of legal drinking proudly guzzling three-litre jugs of Carlo Rossi. I loved the label (a watercolour portrait of Mr. Rossi fondling a bunch of grapes) and the price (just $22.99 a jug). It was the total package – with a handle. And, as Mr. Rossi claims, “If you can’t taste the difference, why pay the difference?” Even then, though, I knew it was bad. And I bet you can taste the difference, too. While the culture of wine elitism is totally lame, so too is its counterpoint. That it’s enough just to say “I like what I like and that makes it good” is mental. It’s the sort of thing salespeople and day-drunk soccer moms say. It’s also not true. Go ahead and like what you like. Just know that there are well-made and poorly made wines and that the field of cheap wine is littered with the latter. They are the junk food of wine. “Wine drink” rather than wine.

Franken-wines cobbled together in corporate labs from bulk wine, bags of sugar, and beakers of Mega Purple. This presents a dilemma for the thrifty, yet quality-conscious drinker. Thankfully drinking well cheaply is not an impossible dream. Price does not dictate quality. Expensive wines can be crap. Cheap wines can be great, though that’s rare. Generally, a dollar saved equals a corner cut. This makes good, cheap wines the unicorns of the wine world—more myth than reality. best wine of the month club 2015Just enough of them exist to keep the dream alive. best wine red meatIt’s why the first question people ask after finding out I’m a sommelier is inevitably “What’s a good cheap wine?”best dc wine lists

Everyone’s looking for their unicorn.  My methodology for finding these wines was simple. Filter by price, lowest to highest. Stop at the first wine worth drinking. It took 93 wines– a sea of Sawmill Creeks and Painted Turtles – to arrive at the steady-as- a-rock Jose Maria Da Fonseca Periquita, the quintessential red table wine from Portugal’s Setubal Peninsula. This rustic, but balanced blend of Castelao, Trincadeira, and Aragonez has been in production since 1840ish. best wine tours south australiaThat’s a long time.top wine trends 2015All wines seem fancy when served from a decanter. books on wine knowledgeThat thing’s for nerds. best white wine with white fish

Buy a glass decanter, or grab the nearest iced tea pitcher, and pour every bottle of red you serve into it. A bit of air helps this Spanish stalwart made from 40- to 60-year-old Monastrell vines show its dark fruit and dried herb character. From that hotbed of fine wine production—Hungary—comes the first, best, cheapest white in BC: Dunavar Pinot Grigio. The transparency of white wine makes it more difficult to hide wonky winemaking. Good value whites ought to be clean, straightforward expressions of fresh fruit. top 10 wine brands in india with priceThe Dunavar is exactly that. best wine list pdfIt’s got a simple melon and citrus thing going on with just a bit of spritz to give it all a lift. This old vines Grenache from France’s famed Cote du Rhone region is named for the Tarasque, a mythic turtle/dragon hybrid beast that terrorized the local countryside.

To my eyes, on the label, it looks more like Bowser got sick of waiting around for Mario and just ate that goddamned Princess. But that’s neither here nor there. What is here is a shockingly elegant, bright, and juicy red raised entirely in stainless steel and concrete by acclaimed winemaker Aaron Pott. Buy all of this before it, too, becomes legend. I’m not sure what’s “Reserva” or “Especial” about this wine. It’s cheaper than the other two Cono Sur Sauvignon Blancs at the BC Liquor Store. Dressing up a simple table wine with fancy words is a classic cheap wine move. In Chile, as is generally the case everywhere but Europe, ‘Reserva’ is just a marketing term. This classic cool climate Sauv Blanc—all crisp citrus, grass, and tropical fruit—is special, though. For the price, it’s super drinkable, varietally on point, and complex. It’s not transcendent, but that’s not the point. The point is that it’s cheap, and it’s tasty. And that’s more than enough.

*Note: None of these wines are Canadian even though most of the cheapest wines in BC can be found in the Canada section. That’s because these wines are Canadian in name only. They’re international bulk wines bottled in Canada and therefore ‘Made In Canada.’ That’s stupid and should not be encouraged. David Stansfield began his wine career as a teenage cellar hand twenty years ago. Today, he’s an independent sommelier, the Wine Director at Vancouver Urban Winery, and co-host of the popular Sunday School wine school.Monthly wine picks from our West Coast Critic Team Even though we’ve just made it through the National Wine Awards, our national judges are already preparing – mentally at least – for the The World Wine Awards of Canada (WWAC14), coming up in a few short weeks. These recognize the best wines SOLD in Canada anywhere, regardless of where they are from. They are judged in categories under $15, $15 to $25, and over $25 to a maximum of $50. What’s so fantastic about these awards is that we are judging Canada blind beside wines from France, Australia, Chile, Spain and beyond.

While we’re gearing up for Toronto mid-month, our BC critics have been reflecting on World Wine Awards from past years and anticipating what terrific values we might be seeing in our glasses in competition this year. Our 20 Under $20 wines are readily available in BC Liquor Stores and VQA stores across the province for your shopping convenience. Looking back at 2013 “Sauvignon Blanc” results from the World Wine Awards, the top five labels were: Robert Mondavi 2011 Fume Blanc, Napa, Mapu 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, Chile, Giesen Sauvignon Blanc 2012, New Zealand, Arboleda 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, Chile and The Ned Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. There’s no telling how the 2014 results will go but here are five of my current favourite white sauvignons to finish off the summer on the patio. The Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc 2012 is easily the best value sauvignon in the country. No less impressive, save for it drab packaging and Don Max designation, is the Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc Don Max Reserva 2013, it’s mix of citrus and dried herbs with enough passion fruit to give it a fruity underbelly.

Locally, the Blue Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2013 is a fresh, electric-style sauvignon with grassy, grapefruit, gooseberry flavours. You can spell the Nobilo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Regional Collection 2013 c-l-a-s-s-i-c, with no shortage of passion fruit, melon and bell pepper notes. Finally the big steal is León de Tarapacá Sauvignon Blanc 2012, the perfect luncheon-style sauvignon that is a kinder gentler version of New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Wine’s greatest strength is its diversity – and it’s such an exciting time to be a wine lover when diversity can come at a bargain price. At last year’s Awards the 2012 Monkey Bay Pinot Grigio absolutely shone in the Under $15 category. The 2013 is pretty darn tasty too, especially with a frosty chill and gourmet nachos. One of my favourite regions to drink from is Austria and I’ve got my fingers crossed that this alpine, landlocked country will be well-represented at the August judging. The Domaine Wachau Gruner Veltliner Terraces 2012 is a crisply taut dry white with subtle fruit and a saline aspect that’s tasty with cheese, or brined then grilled prawns.

Trivento’s Amado Sur Blanco 2013 is a dry and joyful blend of torrontés, viognier and chardonnay that demonstrates how fresh and lively Argentine whites can be.  It’s a great price that’s slashed to $12.99 in BC Liquor Stores until August 30th. I admire the Falernia Syrah Reserva 2010 every time I encounter a bottle. From the 2010 earthquake vintage, it’s a moving wine to drink, and is showing black fruit, pepper and the sinewy qualities of cool-climate syrah. A runaway winner at last year’s Worlds, I sure hope to see more of Falernia’s range at the WWAC14. Finally another staple of mine, especially when the charcoal grill is hot and smoky baby back ribs are getting their final burnish, bring on the Wolftrap Red 2013. The Rhône valley always seems to feature well in the World competition, the soft and rich texture of both the red and white wines appealing to the judges. An impressive and well priced Rhône red tasted recently that is worth seeking out is the Cave De Rasteau La Domelière Rasteau 2010.

The WWAC judging always turns out some amazing value discoveries, wines you should buy by the case. There was no pinot blanc in the winners list last year but this variety does consistently offer excellent value. The Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Blanc 2012 is a great crisp, fresh summer white. Malbec is no stranger to the limelight in the value price points but most of it comes from Argentina. There is also serious, if slightly lighter and fresher, malbec being grown over the hills in Chile. A great value example is the Viu Manent 2012 Estate Collection Malbec from Colchagua Valley in Chile. The WWAC is always a good chance for some of the lesser known grapes to get some attention. The Red Single Varieties and White Single Varieties categories see some exciting entries from all over the world. Chenin Blanc is not the rarest but surely not that well known either. A great example tasted recently is the Quails’ Gate 2013 Chenin Blanc. It is explosive, powerful and crunchy and great value.

Always a consistent performer is the Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Pinot Gris. The 2012 vintage was a judges’ choice at last years WWAC and it will be interesting to see how the 2013 vintage does. It is richer, rounder and more lush than previous vintages offering something a little different and will stand up well to mild curries, poultry and rich white fish. As I noted in my intro, the great thrill of the World Wine Awards is seeing how Canada stacks up blind against wines from all corners of the globe. One Canadian wine that excelled last year in its category was Wild Goose Mystic River Pinot Gris 2012, proving pinot gris needn’t be bland and banal or expensive. Another Okanagan winery that held its weight (and earned its weight in medals) is the Gray Monk Riesling 2011, from a winery forging Germanic roads in BC for decades, and always for a reasonable price. Outside of Canada, we always expect certain countries, and regions to fare well in the under $25 category. While many countries are strong here (Chile, Argentina, South Africa and Australia amongst them), right now Spain and Portugal’s values are second to none, and I think both countries will be big contenders in this year’s competition.

Rioja’s Campo Viejo Reserva 2008 value is extremely hard to beat year over year, as the classic tempranillo and graciano blend is traditional and modern all at once. Of course, Cava is practically equivalent to amazing value, and Segura Viudas Brut NV is top of the heap for taste, value, consistency and availability in any market, worldwide. And I’m particularly keeping a close eye on Portugal this year, a country category buoyed by a very strong showing in B.C. This summer, there is often a bottle of Gazela Vinho Verde Rosé around, and with good reason. Easy, breezy, off-dry, interesting and pink – what more could you ask for in a $10 patio wine? Follow along as WineAlign’s BC critics, as well as all of our national critics, tweet, facebook and instagram live daily from the World Wine Awards of Canada (#WWAC14) from August 18-22. 20 Under $20 in British Columbia Editors Note: You can find complete critic reviews by clicking on any of the highlighted wine names, bottle images or links.