10 Fantastic Wines Under $10

I'm going to give you a break down of 10 fantastic wines for under $10 dollars. There are so many out there it will be hard to narrow it down. Let me know if you want more information on any of the wines.

- Columbia Crest two vines, all varietals, WA - $6.99

- Red Diamond Cab and Merlot, WA -$6.99

- Alandra Red, Portugal - $6.99

- Distant Bay Cab 2004, WA (Merlot is not as good) - $7.99

- Manon Tempranillo, Spain -$8.99

- Menage a Trois Red Blend, CA - $8.99-9.99

- Renegade Red, WA - $9.99

- La Fiera Montapulciano, Italy $9.99

- Renissance Brut Sparkling, France $8.99

- Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc, Chili -$8.99-9.99

Cheers!

-Maggie

Shed Preconceptions: Drink What You Like

Many people like wine and have a casual interest in it but have a certain preconception about wine experts. When they imagine a wine expert the image that comes to mind is an old elitist swirling wine in his glass and claiming he taste hints of obscure flavors within a particular vintage. I must admit, that was my initial thought of people who were into wine. While some people do fit this image, most knowledgeable “wine people” I’ve encountered are nothing like this. They come from every walk of life and every societal group; the thing that binds them together is their desire to explore the complexities of fermented grapes.

The fact of the matter is whether you’re an expert or casual wine drinker, you can enjoy wine however you please. With this in mind, you should follow your unique palate. Reject the notion that price is necessarily linked to quality. It’s easy to enter the mindset of more expensive equals better but there are so many fantastic wines that cost as little as a laundry detergent. When I first started drinking wine consistently a few years ago I was in college and could rarely afford to buy a bottle over $10. This didn’t stop me from enjoying great, complex, full-bodied wine. Embrace whatever kind of wine you like, whether it’s cheap or expensive. Also, look at magazines like Wine Enthusiast to see how they rate wines in your price range. Sometimes you’ll see bottles for less than $10 that are given ratings of 90 or better (anything over 87 is considered fantastic). One thing to keep in mind though, when tasting wine, is that just because an “expert” likes a wine, it doesn’t mean you have to. Everyone’s palate is different (which makes things more exciting!).

- Harte

White Nebbiolo

A white Nebbiolo is very hard to find, but not unheard of. We had the pleasure of drinking one last week. The wine is Nera 'la Novella' Chiavennasca Bianco 2010. Chiavennasca is the clone name for Nebbiolo. It was majority Nebbiolo with only three to five percent Chardonnay, incredible! This wine is unique and may not be for everyone. It's light in body, aromatic with good acidity. This wine is made by leaving the skins out while vinifying the grapes. If you are looking for an off the beaten path wine and are tired of the norm, definitely track this down. I don't carry this wine in my store - Yet. However, if you want to try it, I can easily special order it.

Sorry there's no link or picture for this wine. It so unique I couldn't find it online.

BluWater Bistro

Two nights go we went out to dinner at the BluWater Bistro (of course we used our livingsocial) and as I always do, I scoped out the wine list. However, we rarely purchase a glass because working the in industry, I know how much they are paying for the bottles and how much they are selling them. I'm terrible. Either way, I wanted to give Blue Water props for having a great wine list. They stayed away from normal, every day brands (for the most part) and gave their diners a chance to try something different. One of the brands that I was particularly impressed by was Cavatappi. They carried the stimulus package (which is a white blend) and their Sangiovase. They are washington wines and drink above their price point. They were the cheapest on the menu and drank higher than a lot of other wine. Awesome job!

Despite the varied wine list, we opted to order beer, which complimented our prime rib dip and Hawaiian pizza perfectly. One consequence of working with wine is that occasionally we get a little bit wined out and crave a beer. We each had a meal and two beers and the bill was less than $50 (our livingsocial was for $60). Overall, we really enjoyed it and would definitely go back (and maybe even drink wine next time)!