Broke but thirsty? Me too. Happens to many of us post-holiday season. But that shouldn’t get in the way of your ability to quaff high quality wines—you just have to dig a little deeper to find value wines that rock. (Insider tip: Try looking at producers outside of the U.S. My go-to countries are Argentina, Portugal and Spain.)
To find some of the best choices, My Wine Tribe recently held a blind tasting of highly recommended wines, all priced under $15. We definitely found some winners, but the results varied by tribe. (Not sure what tribe you’re in? Take our easy peasy quiz in order to find what others with your same palate preferences prefer.)
High Quality, Low-Price Wines
Here was the lineup:
- Evodia 2014 Old Vine Garnacha, $9.99: A Spanish wine from 100-year-old vines, this ruby-colored pleaser received a 90-point rating from Wine Advocate and lots of props from the wine specialist at my grocery store.
- Zuccardi 2013 Serie A Malbec, $12.99: This Argentine Malbec comes highly recommended by Jeff, my sommelier pal at Esquin Wine & Spirits.
- Vina Carmen Gran Reserva 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, $15: From reliable value wine producer Chile, this Cab recently had the distinction of being named No. 32 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2015 list.
- Leese-Fitch 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, $9.99: The winner of terrific notices from lots of varied reviewers, this Sonoma Cab was recently awarded 90 points by The Tasting Panel.
Wine Picks by Palate
And now, here’s which side our tribes came down on.
While we didn’t have any Accessible Tribe members present at this tasting, I suspect their hands down favorite would be the Evodia Garnacha. Its abundant fruit and lightness on the palate makes it a pleaser for this tribe.
The Balanced Tribe was a bit all over the map at this tasting, but the Evodia Garnacha ended up as their first choice, too. They appreciated the scents of berries and raisins and liked the flavors of pepper, plums and wood. Interestingly, the tribe’s second fave was the Leese-Fitch Cab. I usually wouldn’t associate Balanced Tribe members with a Cab, but this one was light on the tannins and the tribe liked the plummy BBQ tastes, although they also commented on flashes of nail polish, which is why it was their second choice and not their first.
The Developed Tribe preferred the Vina Carmen Cab, which is a truly unique wine. The tribe noted aromas of sugar plums, wet dirt and warm yeast. Interestingly, when tasting without food, tribe members commented on flavors of smoke, rubber bands and matches. With food, however, this wine tasted of dark honey, leather and fig. So note that unless you are a fan of sucking on matches, you should consider this a food wine. The Developed Tribe’s second fave was the Leese-Fitch Cab, an easy-drinking wine with a hint of caramel sweetness.
Cabernet Sauvignon for the Complex
The Complex Tribe’s number one choice was the Leese-Fitch Cab. They commented on the wine’s scents of barbecue sauce, bacon and pepper and liked the hints of smoke and brown sugar they discovered when they tasted it. They also appreciated the mouthfeel, which they described as rich and full. The tribe liked this wine with and without food, but preferred it with food, finding it was a little too sweet to drink on its own. Their second choice was the Vina Carmen Cab, which they found very drinkable and perfect with food.
And what about the Malbec? There were a few naysayers who reacted adversely to the wine’s spiciness, but the wine had its fans—including yours truly. Overall, the crowd liked this wine better with food. If you like pepper, give this Malbec a try.
Bottom line? These were all solid wines. They provided us with a good reminder that you don’t have to pay through the nose to please the nose, and the palate too. Enjoy, my friends, and please leave a comment on your favorite value wine. Cheers!