Hungry Frenchman

3 great wines for less than $9

Last Saturday, a friend bought a huge selection (more than 15 bottles) of cheap wines from Bevmo. There is currently a sale for specific wines: buy one, get the second bottle for 5cts, which is basically the equivalent of a 50% sale (see, math!). The goal of the evening was to check if there was any good wines for less than $9. Well, I can't say those were the best wines I've ever had, but some of them were actually good, especially for such a cheap price.

Wildhurst Sauvignon Blanc  '06: this is a very decent sauvignon blanc, with lot of peach and apricot tastes. It goes extremely well with goat cheese. Great apéritif wine! Price: $7.02

Fortress Sauvignon Blanc '07: this was the best of our selection, by far. Clearly on the dry side, with some mineral tastes, but very crisp. Highly recommend. Price: $7.52

Stanza Pinot Noir '06: this was the only red to really stand out. It's a decent Pinot, a little bit on the strong side, but for that price, you won't find better from California. Price: $8.02

I've bought many of those wines as they're great for a casual drink. With Bevmo, you can order online and pick up at the store, which is actually quite convenient. 

And you, do you have any good recommendations for wines under $9?

Clos de Vougeot, 2000, Grand Cru, Nicolas Potel

A friend of mine opened this bottle of wine yesterday night, with some duck confit and cheese. I have to say, this was just absolutely phenomenal. So yeah, it's a bit pricey. Right, very pricey. But once in a while, you deserve it.

So if you want to make someone very happy, just buy a camembert, some fresh bread, and this bottle of wine. It will probably cost you less than taking someone to a nice restaurant for the evening, and you'll have a much better experience. Yes, this thing can do a whole meal. And you'll remember it for a long time!

Here's where you can buy it (note that I don't make any money from this transaction).

Trader Joe's

I love to shop at Trader Joe's. Not that it's great quality food, but you always seek for the bargain of the month. This evening, we went there on our way back from work, and decided to pick some super cheap bottles of French wine (of course!) and see if there is anything good.

If one of them is good, we'll buy many bottles. If not, I'll just have a big headache...

We did the wine tasting, and I have to say, I'm more and more surprised by the cheap wine you can get. In France, cheap wine is what people drink. You have to since you drink a glass (or several) during every meal. In the US, wine seems to be much more of a luxury than a commodity. I have to say, the wine i tasted tonight was actually very decent, all that for less than $7 a bottle.

I will blog later on which one I prefer, but wanted to share with all of you that there is hope in finding good cheap wines!

Alden Vineyards

Because this blog is read by thousands of people every day (honestly, traffic is going up!), I got lot of pressure (joke!) to write about Alden Vineyards. This wine is made by my boss' family. Tic, Toc, see the connection? Should i be biased? Let's see...

So yesterday, as I'm cooking skirt steak with some salad, I'm going to pay a visit to my small cellar to see what's in there for me. And just in front of me is this bottle that Chris gave us for the holiday party. I have to say, I'm usually careful with American wines. I feel they taste very artificial (even the pinot!). It's like they put so much stuff in there to adjust the taste that there is no natural feel anymore. Note that I did drink some fantastic American wines, some that would beat in a second a great French wine, so I'm generalizing my feeling here for the sake of the story!

OK - back to the story. So I'm in my kitchen, opening the wine, already full of big question marks. Wine is now uncorked. Put the bottle in my hand, put my nose above it... Nothing bad to report at this point. I pour some wine in a glass. First surprise: i don't have this artificial smell. It actually smells light, almost mineral in some way. That's a good sign. I take a sip. Then a second to confirm. It's really good. Clear & natural. Ah. That's a surprise. And the surprise got even better with the food. Definitely a great wine for a steak.

So yes, i recommend it. A very good cabernet. At least, to my tastes.

2002 Rocher Bellevue Figeac, St-Emilion

This is one of the great french wines you can find at K&L wines in San Francisco. It goes very well with cheese or red meat.

I'm still trying very hard to find amazing wines for less than $20. The best i found was the Lalande Borie St Julien 1999, which i could get for $15. It's hard to beat such a good deal. Unfortunately, i can not find the Lalande Borie anymore in San Francisco, so i need to find something else.

My friend Per, big wine fan, recommended this St Emilion. I have to say, i wasn't disappointed and  I am going to buy more of  it!