Karen DeCoster at LewRockwell.com has a few recommendations for cheap, but good wines, here are a few of my own:
Red Diamond Merlot: A great Washington wine, in both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but their Merlot is my favorite. And we can get it at our supermarket for under $ 10 a bottle.
Kunde Merlot: A Sonoma Valley winery that was the reason Kellie and I traveled to California wine country in 2004. The link is to the 2003 Merlot, which I haven’t tried, but the 2000 and 2001 were pretty darn good for the price.
Linden Vineyards Riesling: A Warren County, Virginia winery that you’re unlikely to find in a store or restaurant anywhere outside of Virginia, but, still a great place to visit and a great place to find some great, inexpensive wine. The Riesling (properly) has been a favorite companion to a summer evening.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon: An unexpectedly good wine at a low price (although it’s more expensive if you get it at a restaurant, of course) from a commercial winery.
Enjoy !
June 20th, 2007 at 8:22 am
I personally have a thing for Horton Vineyards, but I like the novelty stuff. Loudon County Vineyards has a selection of whites that I recently discovered is quite yummy.
It’s hard to beat the selection of the various wine festivals that sprinkle Virginia during the year. The deals are pretty good at the festivals, too. A day walking and tasting wine is a day well spent, IMHO.
I can wholeheartedly recommend the ladies at The Old Dominion Wine Shop in historic Occoquan. I believe they only stock Virginia wines and they’ve been treating me well for years.
June 20th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
My wife and I tasted Horton once, at Old Dominion Wine Shop actually, and weren’t all that impressed, but there are several Virginia wineries worth checking out.
Rappahannock Cellars is a favorite, but hard to find sometimes. Prince Michel out of (I think) Orange County is also very good
June 21st, 2007 at 5:22 pm
As I said, I like the novelty stuff. I am very aware that my tastes are not matched by… well, most people.
I’ve actually found Prince Michel to be too bitter for my tastes. It’s one of the few vineyards that I categorically refuse to buy. Rappahannock Cellars is a good one, so at least we agree on something.
I’ll have to open the book and see what I liked. But the upshot of all of this is that there are lots of local varieties to try and for great prices.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:10 pm
But the upshot of all of this is that there are lots of local varieties to try and for great prices.
That is one of the things I love about the wineries in Virginia. There’s a difference between what you find in the Rappahannock/Shenandoah area and what you find down near Charlottesville, or even further south.
One winery we visited in April had a bumper sticker for sale that I liked……
While I still think that the best American wines come from Napa, Virginia isn’t far behind.
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:16 am
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