What kind of wines can you buy for $12? More important, what kind of values will you find?
The relationship between price and quality is neither exact nor easy to define. But the lower the price and the higher the quality, the greater the wine value.
Though it seems simple, this equation is contorted by many variables. There’s supply and demand, of course. Changing vintage conditions or the unexpected rise to cult status of a once-obscure producer from a long-ignored region can further complicate the economics.
Value is also a relative term. A great deal from Burgundy will be vastly different from a steal from Abruzzo.
Over years of thinking about this issue, I have concluded that for most consumers, the greatest values are found in the range of $15 to $20 a bottle. At this price, you will find wines that are not only sound, but exciting. These bottles are often the works of traditional craftsmanship, which makes wine an expression of culture.
I’ve held to this formula for more than a decade, putting together lists of great values from all corners of the wine world. Sometimes, the bottles have been obscure, as the general esteem in which a region is held is inversely proportional to value. But often the wines come from regions right under our noses.
While $15 to $20 is the land of plenty, I inevitably hear from people who believe $20 is too much to pay for a bottle of wine. Some argue that $20 is beyond their budgets, which I understand. Others simply feel that no bottle is worth more than $10, $5 or another arbitrarily chosen figure.
I understand that position, too. We all have different spending priorities.
If, for example, you prefer wines that are farmed conscientiously for environmental, moral or health reasons (practices that produce better grapes) it becomes difficult to find acceptable bottles in this price range. Farming organically, for example, is much more labor-intensive. Cutting costs often means scaling up and mechanizing.
Similarly, in the winery, shortcuts like dunking oak staves or oak-dust tea bags into tanks of wine to infuse them with flavor are far more economical than aging wine in oak barrels. So is adding yeast nutrients, bacteria and enzymes, all intended to ensure the achievement of a wine that will fit predetermined specifications with a minimum of fuss and chance.
These and other cost-saving techniques can be crude, and tend to make dull, obvious wines. While such bottles can cost far more than $20, it’s easier to escape the tyranny of such processed wines at $20 than it is at $8 or $10 or $12.
Exciting wines can be found at $12 or less, though it is not easy. While this list contains some gems — like a red from Bodegas Olivares in the Jumilla region of Spain, made from very old vines of monastrell — these wines are for the most part simple pleasures.
I don’t mean that as faint praise. I will always have a place for wines like these.
Here are 12 bottles, each under $12, in no particular order.
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Il Conte Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2017 $8.99
The appellation, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, reveals exactly what this wine is: montepulciano grapes from the Abruzzo region of central Italy, on the Adriatic coast. Nothing complex here, just the wonderful, quintessential combination of sweet cherry fruit tempered by a bit of bitterness and acidity found in so many Italian reds. It’s delicious and refreshing. (Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y.)
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Domaine Duffour Côtes de Gascogne 2017 $9.99
This intensely floral, unusual white comes from the Côtes de Gascogne, a catchall region in southwest France perhaps better known for brandy. In fact, the main grapes in this wine, colombard and ugni blanc, are better known as components of Cognac. Altogether, this wine is lively, balanced and intriguing. (Skurnik Wines, New York)
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Moulin de Gassac Pays d’Hérault Guilhem 2017 $9.99
This cheerful, dry red blend comes from one of the best Languedoc producers, Mas de Daumas Gassac, working in concert with a local cooperative. It’s a typical modern southern blend: 40 percent syrah, 25 percent grenache, 20 percent mourvèdre and 15 percent carignan. At $9.99, it’s a great value, with bright, earthy flavors of red fruit that linger. (Polaner Selections)
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Jaume Serra Cristalino Cava Brut NV $9.99
This cava, the bubbly of Spain, is straightforward and uncomplicated. It’s dry and fresh, with yeasty, apple flavors and a lacy texture. In case anybody confuses it with a far more exalted sparkling wine, the label will set you straight: “Jaume Serra Cristalino is not affiliated with, sponsored by, approved by, endorsed by, or in any way connected to Louis Roederer’s Cristal Champagne or Louis Roederer.” (CIV U.S.A., Miami)
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VRAC Bordeaux 2015 $10.99
Here’s a bottle of plain old Bordeaux from the outlying areas of the exalted region, the sort of wine, we are told, that nobody buys anymore. Except, this is the proverbial great drink: a dry, delicious, refreshing wine that goes with all sorts of foods. It’s 70 percent merlot, 20 percent cabernet franc and the rest cabernet sauvignon, and harks back to a time when local villagers bought their wines “en vrac,” or in bulk, in containers that they filled and refilled directly from the producer. (Village Wine Imports, Bronx, N.Y.)
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Altos Las Hormigas Mendoza Malbec Clásico 2017 $10.99
Violet-scented Argentine malbec is a good thing. Violet-scented Argentine malbec that is medium-bodied, unmarred by clumsy oak treatments or other cellar techniques, is a great thing. This bottle, from an excellent producer, is a superb value. (Skurnik Wines)
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Viña Zorzal Navarra Graciano 2016 $10.99
Graciano is often part of the Rioja blend, but I rarely see it on its own. This wine is 100 percent graciano, from the Navarra region of north central Spain, aged in old oak barrels. It’s lightly floral, with plenty of crackling, refreshing acidity. (David Bowler Wine, New York)
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Pine Ridge California Chenin Blanc & Viognier 2017 $10.99
Pine Ridge, a Napa Valley producer, has been making this lively blend of chenin blanc and viognier for ages. The grapes don’t come from Napa, which keeps the price down. It’s light and bright, with flavors of flowers and herbs and maybe a touch of residual sugar. It will go well with seafood or chicken.
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Trimbach Alsace Pinot Blanc 2016 $11.99
Pinot blanc is just an everyday wine in Alsace. And while producers there make many pinot blanc wines, the majority, like this one, are not made from the pinot blanc grape. Instead, they are often auxerrois, another white grape, with perhaps a small percentage of pinot blanc. Regardless of the constituents, this is light and pleasant, with aromas and flavors of citrus and herbs. (Esprit du Vin, Boca Raton, Fla.)
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CVNE CUNE Rioja Crianza 2015 $11.99
This is easygoing, pure tempranillo, blended with a little bit of garnacha and mazuelo. It’s a classic formula for Rioja, complete with a modest cushioning of oak. It’s not a complex wine, but it’s highly satisfying. (Arano, Boca Raton, Fla.)
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Bodegas Olivares Jumilla Altos de la Hoya Monastrell 2016 $11.99
Sandy soils, as in this vineyard in the Jumilla region of southeastern Spain, are intolerable to phylloxera, the aphid that started to eat its way through European vineyards in the 19th century. As a result, these old vines of monastrell, or mourvèdre as it’s known in French, did not have to be grafted onto American rootstock, which resists phylloxera. Is that why this powerful, spicy red is so deep and rich? I don’t know, but this bottle is an extraordinary value. (Rare Wine Company, Brisbane, Calif.)
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Valdespino Deliciosa Manzanilla NV 375 milliliters $9.99
I love manzanilla sherry, and it astonishes me that world-class bottles, and half-bottles like this one, are available for $10. This savory, briny, delicate wine would be a lovely aperitif anytime, but especially when served cool in warmer weather. Want another treat? You can find half-bottles of Valdespino Inocente, Deliciosa’s iconic fino sibling, for the same price. (Polaner Selections)