As a sommelier, I&rsquo;m often asked how to find delicious, budget friendly wines. This can often be a challenge because most people seek out commercially popular regions like Napa or Bordeaux. They&rsquo;ve heard of it, are comfortable with it and, when faced with numerous choices, gravitate towards it. I&rsquo;m here to tell you: this is your first mistake!

A lot of things go into the price tag of a wine and not all of them relate to quality. While, in my opinion, there is a huge difference between $10 and $25 wines, once you get to the higher price points, a lot of $50 wines taste just as great as some $300 wines. Why is this? A lot of different factors go into the cost of a wine. Land in commercial regions like Napa and Bordeaux comes with very high price tag. Vineyards in Napa range anywhere from $350,000 to $1 million per acre; naturally, producers need to charge more for their offerings to reap a profit. These regions are also infamous for using new oak barrels to give their wines that vanilla, baking spice quality popular with consumers. There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with that style of wine, but when new oak barrels can only be used once and cost up to $2,000, be ready for a higher price tag. It&rsquo;s not surprising that it&rsquo;s difficult to find a Napa cabernet sauvignon for anything less than $50- $75! So, how do you shop for great wine at a budget friendly cost?

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SEEK OUT LESSER-KNOWN REGIONS:

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Ever heard of Chinon? Or Basilicata? Exactly. Regions such as these are where the bargains live. This is because producers can purchase land for a fraction of the price and often obtain second hand, used oak barrels, resulting in lower over-head cost while maintaining quality wine. Chinon, a region in the Loire Valley of France, is often overshadowed by Burgundy and Bordeaux. The wine is made from Cabernet franc and has all the raspberry, cedar, earthy qualities of a good French wine&hellip; at a fraction of the cost. Whole Foods, one of my favorite grocery stores for affordable, quality wines, carries Chinon for about $18. Likewise, regions like Bandol and Languedoc in southern France are labels to look for when you want a cost effective Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre instead of the more well-known region of Chateauneuf Du Pape.

Italy, in general, is a top pick of mine for delicious, affordable wines. Over 900 grape varieties are grown there, resulting in a lack of supply and demand that benefits the consumer. Many people have heard of Barolo, a premium wine region in northern Italy&rsquo;s Piedmont, or Brunello di Montalcino, a celebrated wine region in central Italy&rsquo;s Tuscany, but those often come with higher price tags. The previously mentioned Basilicata is a region in southern Italy, and home to quality bargain wines made from Aglianico, a deep, black fruited grape with powerful earth and structure. If you want something similar to Barolo, try seeking out the Langhe Hills region instead. It uses the same Nebbiolo grape variety from the Piedmont region but, without that commercial reputation, runs at a bargain. Barbera, a grape variety sometimes thought of as Nebbiolo&rsquo;s little sister, is another option. I&rsquo;ve found great Barbera by Cantine Povero for as little as $15. Which leads to my second tip:

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SEEK OUT LESSER-KNOWN VARIETIES:

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Still hankering for something from California? Try Sonoma&rsquo;s Pax Vineyard. They grow lesser-known grapes like Valdiguie, which is a light, bright, fruity grape similar to Burgundy&rsquo;s Beaujolais made from the Gamay grape. Or Napa Valley&rsquo;s Heitz Cellar&rsquo;s Grignolino, a berry, earthy gem originally from Piedmont in Italy. Both wines fall comfortably in the $25 dollar price range.

If you want a white Burgundy, try reaching for an Aligote, Burgundy&rsquo;s lesser known white grape, instead of Chardonnay. Faiveley makes a delightful sipper for around $22. My point is, there are a lot of delicious wines out there that don&rsquo;t get the credit they deserve. Like a lot of products, you are often paying for the name built by marketing. Just because you haven&rsquo;t heard of a grape, doesn&rsquo;t mean it isn&rsquo;t great.

&nbsp;

LOOK FOR SECOND LABELS

If you MUST have that well known region with that well known grape variety, this last tip is for you. The best way to find value is if a winery makes a second label, like most wineries in Bordeaux. For example, Chateau Palmer, a prestigious third growth estate, runs at about $400 a bottle. It&rsquo;s second label, Alter Ego, can be found for about $65. Chateau Palmer owns great land and employs top farmers, so even though Alter Ego contains the grapes that didn&rsquo;t make it into their top cuvee, it&rsquo;s still an above average wine. Most chateaux do this. Mouton Rothschild makes Le Petit Rothschild. Lafite Rothschild makes Carruades de Lafite and so on.

The big hitters in Napa have a similar system. Harlan estate&rsquo;s proprietary cabernet can run upwards of $900, but their second label, The Maiden, is closer to $350. They even have a third label, The Mascot, that can be purchased for a cool $150.

&nbsp;

HAVE FUN TAKING RISKS!

But if it were me, I&rsquo;d still prefer to grab a Chilean cab for a fraction of the price. You can get Max Errazuriz&rsquo;s top wine, Don Maximiano Founder&rsquo;s reserve for $85, much less than Harlan Estate&rsquo;s cheapest offering. This is because I find it fun and exciting to try wines and grapes from new regions. Sure, there might be some flops, but there are also hidden gems! You&rsquo;ll also get to brag to all your friend about the new find you discovered.

I understand that it can be intimidating buying something new, but I would encourage you to, nonetheless. The best way to learn is through experience and trial-and-error. And don&rsquo;t be afraid to ask for help! No one expects you to memorize every grape from every region. That&rsquo;s the sole reason people like me have a job. When that store clerk asks if you need anything, let him or her guide you.

But most of all have fun! Wine isn&rsquo;t as serious as it likes to seem. I hope by using these tips you&rsquo;ll widen your usual repertoire and save some money doing it. Happy hunting!

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A lot of things go into the price tag of a wine and not all of them relate to quality.

Shopping for Value and How to Find It

Love me some Paso! Located in the heart of California's Central Coast wine region, Paso Robles is a hidden gem for wine enthusiasts and food lovers alike. With its diverse array of wineries and charming tasting rooms, this scenic destination offers an unforgettable experience for visitors.

Come discover Paso Robles hidden gems for Wine and Food Enthusiasts

The most important things to consider while aging wine is temperature and angle. So, please, no storing wine vertically on top of the fridge in the hot sun!

How to Age Wine

Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier and wine educator, and Robert Tas visit Bistro du Midi, Boston

Wine List Review of Bistro du Midi, Boston

Sam Hohl

Bistro du Midi

Bistro de Midi:

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where, in each episode,&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier and wine educator. Hello Sam,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to be back together for another episode.&nbsp;

SH: Hi Robert!&nbsp;

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well&hellip; it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting. Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, or value wines or that special bottle that will take your dining experience over the top.

&nbsp;RT:&nbsp;So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

RT:

Cork Rules

Bistro du Midi

Overview

Bistro du Midi is located in Boston, Massachusetts and offers Southern French cuisine with New England influences. They feature two floors for dining where you can enjoy the bistro on the street level or dine upstairs in the dining room while taking in the view of the Boston Public Garden.

RT: Sam, I can&rsquo;t wait to hear what do you think of their wine list?

Where to start

This list has lots of French selections, which of course makes sense with the theme. They also include some Italian options and a few New World sections as well, but the heart of this list is definitely French. A bottle that would make for a delicious aperitif or to pair alongside your starter plates would be the Drappier Rośe Brut. These bubbles come from the Champagne Drappier estate which has been in the town of Urville since 1808. 70% of the grapes they grow is Pinot Noir, which is what this bottle is made from. It&rsquo;s got bright red fruit aromas and on the palate notes of grapefruit and subtle flower petal tones. It would be perfect with the Salmon Crudo or Tuna tartare.

&nbsp;

Another great start to the evening would be the 2019 Alphonse Mellot Les Romains, Sancerre. Domaine Alphonse Mellot has been around for over 500 years and has had 19th generations of family winemakers. They&rsquo;re known for their outstanding quality white wines, and this Sancerre is no exception. It&rsquo;s 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Upper Loire region of France. It&#39;s going to have a gorgeous acid core and aromas of lemon and notes of peach. It also has lovely structure and mineral qualities too. It&rsquo;s going to pair really well with the arugula salad with goat cheese or oysters to start.

Value

A lovely bottle that would pair well with the menu but also won&rsquo;t break the budget is the 2019 Antidoto Ribera del Duero. This bottle comes from Bodegas Antidoto located in Soria, Spain and is made from Tinto Fino, also known as temperanillo. This bottle has red and black fruit flavors of cherry and blackberry, which I always love. It also has notes of vanilla and pepper. It&rsquo;s bold but balanced with tannins and acidity. It&#39;s going to play really well with these rich, French dishes, especially meat. You could start it with the charcuterie board or try it with the Wagyu beef with mushroom and garlic.

Celebratory 

This wine list has no shortage of celebratory wines. There&rsquo;s some incredible bottles with lots of age, but there&rsquo;s definitely some range here even on the celebratory front. One that caught my eye was the 2000 Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac. This is a gorgeous Bordeaux and a great vintage. It&rsquo;s bold and beautiful with structure and tannins. It has notes of blackberry and black current, along with tobacco and pencil led. Really flavorful and complex with a lasting finish. Sip this alongside the duck breast for a classic pairing. You could also go with the foie gras, or the beef entrees to create the ultimate celebratory experience.

RT: Sam Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Bistro du Midi&#39;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try them myself. &nbsp;To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: <a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">Info@CorkRules.Com</a> or visit our web website where we have a request form available and we will do our best to get it in the queue as quickly as possible. We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.&nbsp;

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

&nbsp;

End

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Wine Pairing, Wine Sommelier, Italian Red Wine, Wine Recommendations, Wine Varietels, Wine Tips, italian white wine, Best wine for beginners, Italian sparkling wine, Discovery wines

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