cheap wines

It's no secret I love wine. A lot.  My mom always loved a good glass of chardonnay, and my dad loves a great cabernet sauvignon--there's actually a wine room in our house in Oklahoma holding various bottles.  I have to say though, I don't understand the point on spending a ton of money on wine.  I mean, it's going to be gone soon anyway, so what's the point? I see no shame in selecting a cheap bottle of vino.

The gals over at Sequin Harvest do an on-going winemaker series on their blog, where they interview winemakers from Napa Valley. One of the questions they ask is "what's the best wine for under $20?" I half-expected these winos to stick up their nose and say it wasn't possible, but that was definitely not the case! These wines are currently on my to-try list.

Chris Phelps, winemaker from Ad Vivum answered:
"There are hundreds of fantastic wines from Bordeaux in the $10-$20 range; I wish more of these wines, which honestly represent the terroirs from which they come, were more easily available here in Napa Valley. Chateau Beausejour in Puisseguin-St. Emilion is one of these wines."

[Chris Phelps: photo and quote courtesy of sequin harvest]

 Patrick Sullivan, winemaker from Rudd Oakville Estate answered: 
"I have been on a California kick for value under $20 lately.  I used to feel that it was a better value to look to Europe for these wines.  Not anymore.  There are always good white wine values, but there are a lot of red wine values also.  Think Zin, Cab, Pinot from Sonoma and even Napa has lots of good value.  The best value in Napa valley right now is the 2008 Oakville Grocery Cab which is all Napa Valley fruit.  It’s only $20/btl.  Another great “drinking wine” I bought this week was a 2006 Clos du Bois “Briarcrest” Alexander Valley Cab for $14.99/btl."

[Patrick Sullivan: photo and quote courtesy of sequin harvest]

 Also, if you're wondering how jealous I am of the girls who run Sequin Harvest...the answer is insanely. I think it would be so thrilling to drop everything and run off to Napa for a summer to work in the wine business.  I'll give these wines a try, and share my favorites with you all soon (tough research, I know). I hope everyone enjoys an inexpensive bottle of vino this weekend--enjoy!
xx