Cheap/Newbie Wine

[Etexhorn13 3052]

2 hours ago, AustinMT said:

What town do you live in?

Houston. Originally from marshall area, hence the etex in my handle. 

[AustinMT 952]

38 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Houston. Originally from marshall area, hence the etex in my handle. 

Grew up in Houston (live in Austin now), and used to spend time in Marshall when my Aunt lived there. Still get to H-Town several times a year.

If you go to Total Wine or Spec’s and know what you’re looking for, they are OK (though there is so much out there they have no access to).  If you are relying on their personnel, it’s mostly a miss, because most of them don’t know more than what others tell them.    Go to the Houston Wine Merchant, tell them your budget and what you like, and let them steer you in the direction.

For those of you in Dallas that want the same type of help, go to Pogo’s.

 

 

 

 

[milkman 428]

For those of you in Dallas that want the same type of help, go to Pogo’s.

 

 

Check out LastBottle. From time to time there are some really good values. Picked up some really good Rosé a few weeks ago for $14 bottle shipped!

 

I second Pogos. Go talk with Tedder and he will point you in the right direction.

 

 

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[AustinMT 952]

8 hours ago, milkman said:

 

 

Check out LastBottle. From time to time there are some really good values. Picked up some really good Rosé a few weeks ago for $14 bottle shipped!

 

I second Pogos. Go talk with Tedder and he will point you in the right direction.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Or Lance

[BurntOrange&White 39934]

Pretty much all of the Decoy and Kendall Jackson collections are good.

 

Educated Guess cabs are good.

 

The Josh wines are good.

[Wanker Bob 379]

I always keep a couple bottles of this and a couple of white wines for when the women come over because almost all of them want a little sweeter wine than normal.  About $10 at Total Wine

[DDD Dad 14339]

 

On 6/14/2020 at 11:46 PM, Etexhorn13 said:

Been curious about these locations wines.. any of them better or worse than the others?

The Spanish one is pretty good, but it's not particularly a better value than many others in the same or lower price point.  They do tend to be pretty consistent, which is important especially if you're trying to figure out what regions you like (so then you can explore more wines from the same region, e.g.)

[DDD Dad 14339]

19 hours ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Houston. Originally from marshall area, hence the etex in my handle. 

If you go to the big Spec's on Smith Street there are several people in there that really know their stuff.  Ask for .Bear.

Edited June 16, 2020 by DDD Dad

[CycleTex87 2972]

I went to Spec’s and picked up some Locations F on recommendation from this thread. Haven’t opened it yet but I’ll check back in when I do. 

[Longhornmaniac8 255]

On 6/15/2020 at 6:56 AM, NoName said:

mind sharing some recs in that $30ish+ range?

Sure. 

GH Mumm is a real solid choice in that range, as is the Montaudon that I've found at Total Wine. Moet and Chandon and Perrier Jouet are both closer to $40, but are also nice. With 10% discounts for bulk purchases you can back either of those down into the $35 range. Piper Heidsieck is solid, too, as is the standard Tattinger.

Those are just some of the better known labels, but there are tons of smaller producers that you can find that won't have the notoriety that are just as good.

In general, you can get some great Cremants which have a lot of the same characteristics as traditional Champagne for half the price. Cremants are often better value than Champagne, especially if you're looking for a solid, easy-to-drink everyday bubbly. There's a time and place for the Krugs and Doms of the world, but unless you're Surly 0.01%, it's not an every day occasion. Doesn't mean there aren't still good options out there.

I suppose it's not super surprising, but you can find some decent, if not simple bubbly in the $15-20 range (especially for proseccos and brut cavas), and stepping it up to $20-30 will get you into some nicer Cremants. $30-40 is going to be predominantly the basic labels for the major houses (see above, M&C, Perrier Jouet, Tattinger, Pol Roger, etc), and once you get to around $50 you're starting to get into some higher end Champagnes.

[BurntOrange&White 39934]

The Freakshow collection is all pretty good too

[HenryJames 66128]

All under $20.

[wild_turkey 3167]

I went to Spec’s and picked up some Locations F on recommendation from this thread. Haven’t opened it yet but I’ll check back in when I do. 

Update???

[wild_turkey 3167]

Pretty typical wine stock up for us today:

6 x Louis Jadot Beaujolais
1 x Arsonist red blend
1 x Intrinsic red blend
1 x Orin Swift Eight Years in the Desert
1 x If You See Kay red blend
1 x CA Locations
1 x Rose Gold rosé

Total price at Tom Thumb was $202, so $16.83 per bottle average.

[CycleTex87 2972]

3 hours ago, wild_turkey said:

Update???

Haven’t opened it yet.  Headed to Port A in a week, will give it a go down there. 

[Landomatic 3813]

Believe it or not, Pool Boy is pretty damn good rose.  Plastic bottle, twist top, about $10