What's a Best Buy?

I get email all the time asking for recommendations regarding reasonably priced wines. Here are a few basic choices (not an exhaustive list). I do not have detailed tasting notes on this part of my site because I am often listing wines without regard to vintages. Since mid-1997 I have, however,  adopted the practice of  providing a link to a tasting note, if there has been a recent note.  Otherwise, you can always use the "search" command on either the bulletin board or the main site.   Where I include vintages, these are representative good ones, but obviously, no wine performs as well as it can in every year. For up to date, current recommendations, check the best buys Home page.

 NB: The prices are changing so fast at times that I am startled to find that "best buys" I recommended for just $13 two years ago might be running at $26 now. I do my best to keep current, but I apologize in advance if a wine suddenly shoots up in price. I try to maintain a "standing list," and sometimes events outpace my ability to keep up. In addition, needless to say, wine pricing varies wildly, depending on the merchant, when the wine is bought, whether it is a re-release, highly sought after, and so on. So, again, apologies in advance, but I cannot guarantee the same pricing I find in every marketplace in the world or country. It is not at all unusual to stumble across a great local bargain only to get some email from someone indicating that in their region the wine is twice the price. And vice versa. Such things even out, but on a particular wine, depending on what it is, where you are, when you go looking, there may be wild variations.

I should note that I don't drink cheap wine; I DO sometimes drink inexpensive wine. The difference is that I won't drink or apologize for a wine just because it is low priced. It has to have something interesting about it, not just be drinkable, while granting that no $8 wine is going to produce something along the lines of 1982 Latour.   There are still some inexpensive choices that fit my criteria, but perhaps not as many as some would like to think.  I notice in that regard that in June, 1998 Robert Parker increased HIS "Best Buys"  limits to $15.  This is something I did in early 1997.  And in April 2004 the cut-off is now $20. It just seemed necessary in order to spotlight wines that were wonderful values, but could not really be had dirt cheap any more.  Prices continue to rise as new discoveries become sought after, and many traditional best buys (like Domaine Peyre Rose for instance) aren't Best Buys any more, even if their current price (around $30 as of mid-2000) is reasonable for the quality. 

At the extremes, to be sure, wine prices in the stratosphere, say triple digits per bottle, rarely have a relationship to the costs of production; it is just hype or hysteria induced by their status as a collectible or their inevitable scarcity, however good they may be.  But at certain price points you often get what you pay for, too.  New oak barrels cost money.  Severe selections in the vineyard are costly decisions.    Those producers that outperform their price level by a wide margin are treasures, and their prices usually increase over the years as people discover them. There is always someone new along these lines, but you have to look hard. It is always there--but it takes more work.

Your best bet is to select regions that are coming rather than already arrived. In France, for example, the Languedoc and Provence are rising, some would say exploding,   into our consciousness, and  Madiran is more interesting than ever. Some would say Alsace has arrived, but I think it is still an unknown quantity to many that offers many great values. Spain may have a revival.  Suddenly, Hungary and South America are receiving infusions of cash from famous vintners.  New wave wines from obscure regions of Italy like Umbria are breaking into our consciousness.  Italy itself has undergone a tremendous change in the last decade or two, and many of the wines are still dirt cheap, while the quality has dramatically improved. Spain is flexing its muscles.  Australia gained fame as a purveyor of great, low end wines. It now is trodding down the "boutique" wine path, but there are still tons of Australian entries that drink well, drink easy and cost little considering the high quality. The two worst value regions in the world: Burgundy, and Northern California (Napa/Sonoma, especially for the marquee wines, i.e., cabs, meritages, merlots...)

Also, let me note that "inexpensive" is a relative term. A good "QPR" wine (quality to price ratio) is not always cheap per se. Many wines in my tasting notes are labeled "QPR Winner."  The Joblot Burgundies, now pushing to $30, are a good buy and by Burgundian standards, and inexpensive. They outperform their price categories. But this page is not about such "relative" bargains, or similar things like Haut Marbuzet in Bordeaux ($30 and rising), and so on.  Wines on this page are almost all under $15 (occasionally I cheat if for an extra buck or so I find something exceptional; in that event I list the price after the wine), or they don't qualify.

Aging ability is often the greatest flaw of cheap wines. They may taste just as good as expensive stuff on release. But they often crack fast. So, be careful. If I recommend something like a Goubard Mont Avril Bourgogne Rouge--that's a wine you drink on release. Seeing it three years old on a shelf at a retail outlet is a warning sign--not a "find."  It may lose something even in 18 months. It is not meant to be cellared, and if it is, it needs perfect storage to have any chance at all. That doesn't mean sitting on a retailer's shelf at 72 degrees for two years. Buy current releases in cheap wines, or expect disappointments.

Two  final notes. To state the obvious, as the level gets cheaper and cheaper, it is inevitable that there will be some compromises. I generally find the wines I list in this section interesting, and some are a lot more than that.  Certainly, however, not all of them will appeal to all people.  That is true with all wine price levels, but even truer when dealing with inexpensive wines.  When the price drops below $10, it gets harder still.  So, don't give up if you try one and it is not to your liking, and not in your preferred style.  Try another.  As a group, these wines do offer exceptional values.  Secondly, to reiterate, prices are volatile, and  vary widely from region to region, store to store, and time of purchase.  I apologize in advance if things ratchet up in price before I can remove and replace them. Also, especially when supplies are short, prices have large ranges,  so shop around. You'll be surprised at how often the price varies wildly across the country.

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