Wine suggestions

[Dunbar]

Of all of the wines I've tried I like cabernet sauvignon the best. But I would like something that isn't as "bright" or "acidic" tasting with a little more body and earthy, peppery notes. Merlot is too bland and I find shiraz too fruity. I generally spend $10 or less on a bottle of wine, any suggestions?

 

[vi edit]

More body and earthy?

Look no further than an old vine zin. Boggle has one for under $10. Also look into Cline and Ravenswood.

 

[blamb425]

ever tried sutter?

 

[Canai]

Pinot noir.

 

[HamSupLo]

two buck chuck

 

[sjwaste]

Look at an Argentinian Malbec or Spanish Rioja. Both can be found in decent form for under $10 and might be what you're looking for.

Cabernet is my favorite, I have to admit. You might also like Amarone, but you won't touch it for $10 a bottle because of how it's produced. I'd say grab a $20 bottle of it and see if you like it, though. Definitely has more body.

 

[91TTZ]

Mad Dog 20/20.

 

[aCynic2]

Try a Pinot Noir. They have a flavor somewhere between peppery and tobacco.

 

[Descartes]

My first recommendation would be to not try and force wines into varietal characteristics. While I don't think I would ever describe a Cab as bright or acidic (unless it had flaws), you can find earthiness in anything from a Cab to a Syrah. The point here is that there is a lot more in the process that leaves its impression on the bottle. Not to be a snob, but you're not likely getting much varietal character at all in a < $10 bottle. That's not universally true, but in wine you're paying for complexity, and it's not there in a < $10 bottle. The fact that you called Merlot "bland" suggests this. Some of the most brilliant wines you can buy are Merlots.

My honest recommendation would be to stop drinking < $10 bottles and find something reasonable. You'll have better offerings at $10-$20, and at $20+ you'll start to see actual varietal character and nuance. At $40 you can generally find excellent examples. Newton makes a Merlot that you can get for ~$40 that will cause you to reevaluate your current impression of Merlot.

If you're willing to up your budget a bit, let me know and I can offer a lot of recommendations.

 

[Dunbar]

I tried Pinot Noir over the weekend but it's medium bodied which I found too light. Haven't tried Zinfandel, Malbec, or Rioja, I'll pick up a bottle of each at Trader Joe's.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Dunbar
I tried Pinot Noir over the weekend but it's medium bodied which I found too light. Haven't tried Zinfandel, Malbec, or Rioja, I'll pick up a bottle of each at Trader Joe's.

Seriously, you can't classify all of Pinot Noir by one bottle! Pinot is produced all over the wine-producing world, and you'll find some that are as big as a Washington Cab or thin like a Beaujolais. Somewhere in between is where the truly great Pinots are, and there's a reason that they're some of the most expensive wines in the world. Hell, you can find dramatic differences even between neighboring villages in Burgundy like a Pommard of Gevrey-Chambertin (my favorite village Burgundy if from a solid producer).

 

[miri]

Originally posted by: Dunbar
Of all of the wines I've tried I like cabernet sauvignon the best. But I would like something that isn't as "bright" or "acidic" tasting with a little more body and earthy, peppery notes. Merlot is too bland and I find shiraz too fruity. I generally spend $10 or less on a bottle of wine, any suggestions?

Ravenswood zin is the wine you want to try

 

[Dunbar]

Woops, I quoted myself there while trying to edit my post. Descartes, I did caveat my request/opinions as $10 or less, I'm talking about inexpensive table wines to have with dinner. I do occasionally spend $15 or $20 on a bottle of wine but mostly it's $5-10. Realize that I'm talking <$10 and it's my generalized opinion. I can definitely taste a difference in more expensive wines, I just don't wish to spend a small fortune to drink a couple bottles of wine a week.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Dunbar
Woops, I quoted myself there while trying to edit my post. Descartes, I did caveat my request/opinions as $10 or less, I'm talking about inexpensive table wines to have with dinner. I do occasionally spend $15 or $20 on a bottle of wine but mostly it's $5-10. Realize that I'm talking <$10 and it's my generalized opinion. I can definitely taste a difference in more expensive wines, I just don't wish to spend a small fortune to drink a couple bottles of wine a week.

Which is fine, but my point was that trying to distinguish between them by varietal is almost meaningless. You're better off just picking up a producer you like and drinking what's available. At <$10 a bottle, you're not paying for nuance... you're paying for grapes from different vineyards, regions and perhaps even varietals (depending on where it's from, they're not always required to have 100% of a single varietal).

Drink what you like of course. That's all that matters in the end.

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: Canai
Pinot noir.

For peppery? No no no no. Zinfandel is what you're looking for. Ravenswood, as others have mentioned, is a good starter zin. I'd also recommend Blackstone. Another varietal you might try is barbera, if you can find it.

For those of you saying $10 won't buy a decent bottle of anything, that's not entirely true. You can sometimes find decent drinking wines for less than $10, and half the time a $20 bottle will turn out to be just as poor as your average $10 bottle. You can't judge by price.

Find a local wine shop that does tastings once a week and go visit. You'll learn a lot about what you like and you'll find that sometimes you personally prefer a $10 bottle to a $40 bottle. Then you save up the $$ differences and you have enough to buy the $60 bottle you fall in love with.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: HotChic

Originally posted by: Canai
Pinot noir.

For peppery? No no no no. Zinfandel is what you're looking for. Ravenswood, as others have mentioned, is a good starter zin. I'd also recommend Blackstone. Another varietal you might try is barbera, if you can find it.

For those of you saying $10 won't buy a decent bottle of anything, that's not entirely true. You can sometimes find decent drinking wines for less than $10, and half the time a $20 bottle will turn out to be just as poor as your average $10 bottle. You can't judge by price.

The overwhelming majority of <= $10 bottles are indistinguishable. It's unfortunate, but it's the truth. There are some notable exceptions (Chilean reds, for example), but not many. I agree in that you can't judge by price, but if you're interested in learning about varietal character (which the OP implied) then sub-$10 bottles isn't the way to do it.

Find a local wine shop that does tastings once a week and go visit. You'll learn a lot about what you like and you'll find that sometimes you personally prefer a $10 bottle to a $40 bottle. Then you save up the $$ differences and you have enough to buy the $60 bottle you fall in love with.

I agree.

 

[McGyver]

pinot noir is a good start. give chianti or shiraz a taste as well.

 

[Dunbar]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Which is fine, but my point was that trying to distinguish between them by varietal is almost meaningless.

I'm surprised that you would say that. I've tried a lot of wines in the <$10 price range (god knows there's a lot of choices) and the varietals all share the same general qualities. Some good, some bad and others really bad but the type of grape is a pretty good predictor IME. What I don't think is fair is comparing a much more expensive wine to an inexpensive bottle. After all, what would be the point of paying extra if they all tasted the same?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: Canai
Pinot noir.

By the way, in general you get what you pay for with wines (like most alcoholic bevs). Maybe you're buying too low?

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: Dunbar

Originally posted by: Descartes
Which is fine, but my point was that trying to distinguish between them by varietal is almost meaningless.

I'm surprised that you would say that. I've tried a lot of wines in the <$10 price range (god knows there's a lot of choices) and the varietals all share the same general qualities. Some good, some bad and others really bad but the type of grape is a pretty good predictor IME. What I don't think is fair is comparing a much more expensive wine to an inexpensive bottle. After all, what would be the point of paying extra if they all tasted the same?

The thing is, what the person who priced the wine thinks is a good wine may not be what you think is a good wine. Also, prices change by region - you're more likely to get a decent cheap Washington wine than you are to get a decent cheap Napa wine, just because of brand recognition.

 

[andylawcc]

Cheap pinot is better left alone. A decent pinot should at least be $15-20 (Try Mia's Playground Russian River, or even Robert Mondavi or BV Caneros [not the Coastal Estate]), while there are many many good cabs, merlot, and shiraz in the 10-15 dollar range.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Don't forget the Bordeauxs.... those are fun.