 It's summer. You’re going to need a case of wine to take to the mountains for that vacation with friends, and another for the Fourth of July, when they’re all coming to your place for a barbecue. You'll need a few bottles for the team after your Saturday-afternoon soccer game, and more to take to the beach. And what about that date at Tanglewood, or the food truck convention downtown?
Here's your shopping list, our 59 favorite value brands from a year of tastings — selected from more than 3,700 wines priced $18 or less. These are names to know for all your summer events. Each one of the brands on the following pages stands out for its range of notable wines at prices that beat the competition—the definition of great value. All our Value Brands are worth committing
We’ve listed the two highest-scoring values from each brand (you can find a complete list of recommended wines online at wineandspiritsmagazine.com). And we asked our editors to share a few specifics on the brands as well as their favorite ways to enjoy them, with notes from Patrick J. Comiskey, Carson Demmond, Lara Douglass, Joshua Greene, Luke Sykora, Patricio Tapia and Tara Q. Thomas. |
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| Under the Stars | (outdoor concerts and summer theater |
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OUTDOOR CONCERTS Butter some baguettes and layer them with salty ham and cornichons; wrap slices of quiche in wax paper, or just bring a selection of cheese, crackers, olives and apples to snack on. Summer is the time for outdoor music. Chateau Ste. Michelle hosts its own outdoor concert series on a hillside adjacent their Woodinville, Washington winery—this year including the Beach Boys in July. Their affordable appellation series wines draw from some of the state’s top vineyard sites, such as Cold Creek for the refreshing 2010 Riesling.
2010 Columbia Valley Cold Creek Riesling (90 | $15 | 12/11)
Toques et Clochers’ gentle, leesy Crémant is a great way to celebrate a summer evening of music, as are any of its many chardonnays. All of them come from Les Vignerons du Sieur d’Arques, a cooperative of 288 winegrowers outside of Carcassonne —a town that turns into a music hub every summer with the six-week Festival de Carcassonne.
Georges Duboeuf cru Beaujolais are refreshing reds for the lawn at Tanglewood, your hamper stocked with fresh raspberries, charcuterie and crisp baguettes. Chill down the Julienas or Moulin-à-Vent and pour it with Mozart.
CHILLIN' ON THE PORCH Outside of the occasional bottle of bubbles, there’s nothing better than sitting on the porch as the evening star rises and sipping a cool mouthwatering white wine, while nibbling on almonds or white cheese. Bliss. King Estate is one of the leaders in Oregon gris—few can deliver on quality for price better. And King Estate’s chardonnay this year is also showing great promise, the product of maturing Dijon clones in Oregon.
Lake Chalice’s off-dry pinot gris is a light but lavish way to settle into the evening; move onto the supple, smoky 2011 Sauvignon Blanc for dinner, especially if it’s roasted fish. The winery, based in Rapaura, Wairau Valley, draws fruit from four estate vineyards in Marlborough, along with grapes from contract growers.
Famille Grassa makes the consummate summer sippers from its Atlantic-cooled vineyards in Gascony. Their Domaine de Pouy is sharp and saline; the Lalande Chardonnay offers more richness with similar clarity.
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| The Great Outdoors | (camping, hiking, fishing, boating) |
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CYCLING THE FINGER LAKES On a bike, few places on the east coast offer a more picturesque ride than the Finger Lakes, not least because at the end of most rides is a winery providing proper refreshment. Red Newt Cellars rieslings represent some of the best quality for price of any domestic wine we taste annually. The thrilling nerve and dramatic flavors of their 2009s are complex enough for seafood feasts and accessible enough for an afternoon sip on a bike trip.
Heron Hill Winery’s best rieslings can easily compete with Germany for sheer value. Most of their grapes come from their Ingle Vineyard on the shore of Canandaigua Lake.
Sheldrake Point makes several nervy rieslings as well as a few reds on its lakeside property in Ovid, NY. The vines are just a stone’s throw from Cayuga’s shore.
FLY FISHING IN AMERICA Here’s a tip: Because inexpensive pinot noirs aren’t the product of extremely low-yielding vineyards and lavish oak treatment, they can be great matches for fish—particularly pan-roasted trout out of a mountain creek. Acrobat, from King Estate, will arm you for your next fishing expedition. Set a bottle of their ample pinot gris in the stream to freshen it up. Give the pinot noir a light chill as well—it’s got true varietal character, a steal for the price.
Castle Rock, a pinot noir specialist, originally operated as a negociant. Now founder Gregory Papovitch has moved toward purchasing grape contracts, with 70 percent of his production in pinot noir. Even so, don’t miss the foresty, black cherry-scented ’09 Napa Cabernet.
Colomé is the wine for your annual bro-cation, whether or not fly fishing takes you to Patagonia. Switch out the old brews for something more vinous in nature—torrontés for riverside drinking, or a juicy malbec blend—the 2008 Amalaya—when the evening cools off. These wines grow in the Upper Calchaquí Valley, at some of the highest-altitude vineyards in the world.
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| Summer Dining | (garden parties, wedding brunches, pig roasts, asados and food trucks) |
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GARDEN PARTY You're here to admire the flowers and relax in each other's company, not critique wines. And simplicity can be delicious. Pour something as fresh and fragrant as the surroundings. Cramele Reca’s impressive values range from the honeydew-juicy and grapefruit-bright Dreamfish Sauvignon Blanc to the Dreambird Pinot Noir, thirst-quenchingly light with cherries and spice. Reca, which dates to 1447, is now owned by Englishman Philip Cox. He replanted its 1,730 acres and brought in Australian Hartley Smithers (of Yellowtail fame) and Nora Iriate of Spain to assist Florin Voloaca in the cellar.
Skouras’s Moschofilero has the florals to turn your garden into a peach orchard in full bloom; the Zoe Rosé—moschofilero with a shot of agiorgitiko, is as bright as a fuchsia and honeysuckle-fragrant. George Skouras studied in Dijon before returning home to Greece’s Peloponnese, where he focuses on agiorgitiko, Nemea’s defining variety, and moschofilero, the grape of nearby Mantinia.
Beni di Batasiolo makes a floral, almond-inflected Gavi to pour with your ricotta stuffed squash blossoms, and Dolcetto d’Alba that’s a casual red for your Festa al Giardino. The firm may have made its name with ageworthy Barolos, but these young, fruit-driven wines are exceptional values, as is the 2010 Moscato d’Asti Bosc Dla Rei to end the evening.
AFTER THE FOURTH If you barbecue a lot through the summer—twice a week or more—you need a stock of barbecue wines on hand, from brands that will cover everything from calamari and prawns to major carnivore nights. Courtney Benham, who also owns the Martin Ray label, has the wines. He focused his eponymous brand around small lots of varieties not available in the larger Martin Ray portfolio—often just a few tons of things like malbec or gewürztraminer sourced from Martin Ray’s regular growers. The varieties, regions and vineyard sources change from year to year, and most of the wines are produced in case-runs of 1,000 or less.
Louis Bernard, based in Gigondas, offers value-priced wines for anything you can toss onto the grill. Check out their bright Côtes du Rhône with chicken; the darker Côtes du Rhône Villages with a steak, and the brisk white Château Noël St-Laurent with shrimp on a skewer.
Yalumba’s Y Series includes three great quaffs for $13 and under, the vibrant 2009 Shiraz-Viognier ready for a pig roast. Hill Smiths founded Yalumba 1849 and still own and run it today, their Y Series earning them a consistent spot on our Value Brands list.
POST-WEDDING BRUNCH A Sunday morning in June, your daughter’s headed off on her honeymoon, and all your friends are still in town, a little baked after partying late last night. A crisp, light Vinho Verde, Muscadet or sparkling wine will brighten everyone’s mood. Quinta da Aveleda’s fresh and fruity 2010 will brighten freshly shucked oysters or a leek and potato tart. Aveleda grows all the grapes for that quinta wine in Penafiel, northeast of Porto, one of the greatest estate-grown values in the world at $9 a bottle. Buy a case and chill it on ice.
Domaine de la Pepière hand harvests its old-vine 2010 Clos des Briords for your East Coast oysters; try the supple 2010 Sur Lie for the creamier West Coast selections.
Törley has specialized in sparkling wines since 1882 at its base just outside Budapest, Hungary. Ease into afternoon with the gentle, fruity bubbles of Etyek Gála Sec, or pour the leesy, dry Hungaria Grande Cuvée Brut with eggs Benedict.
Jaume Serra’s Brut Nature Cristalino is as crisp and refreshing as a Granny Smith apple, a Cava from the mountains of Garraf, 30 miles south of Barcelona. It’s consistently one of the best buys in sparkling wine.
WHOLE HOG Perhaps your cook-out plans are more ambitious, orchestrating a pig roast or a whole baby lamb on a spit. We found plenty of reds to bring along. Charles Smith Wines are ready when you’re set to spit-roast lamb, particularly his Boom Boom! Syrah, uncannily complex considering the $15 price tag. Smith (instantly identifiable thanks to his big hair and heavy metal tee shirts), also collaborates with Charles Bieler of Three Thieves in their Charles & Charles wine.
Cantine Colosi If you’ve stuffed your suckling pig with fennel, thyme and rosemary, pull out Cantine Colosi’s wines from Sicily. The ’09 Nerello Mascalese, fermented in stainless steel, is floral with its bright and thirst-quenching acidity; the Rosso is darker and smokier, a wine for pork ribs.
Michel Chapoutier has run his family’s 208-year-old estate in France’s Rhône Valley since he was 26, in 1990. His Luberon La Ciboise has the vibrant black cherry flavor and firm tannins to match the crispy bits of pork snuck while the carvers aren’t looking.
ARGENTINE ASADO Every Argentine seems to have a master’s degree in how to grill meat for their famous asados and, of course, they will always tell you that the best wine to go with that is malbec. In fact, plenty of Spanish and Italian reds will match it as well. Pico Maccario’s Chiaretto, a rosato of barbera and freisa, is set to chill while you fire up the grill. When the meats are ready to serve, the lush, peppery fruit of the Lavignone Barbera d’Asti will match the entire range. Then end on a sweet note, with the light, airy Dolcevita Moscato d’Asti.
McManis produces malbec at its family vineyard at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Stanislaus rivers, where they farm 2,600 acres along the edges of California’s Central Valley. Their 2010 Malbec is fresh and firmly structured for your own Argentine asado.
Virgen del Aguila is one of the main forces in Cariñena, Spain, their structured Reservas have plenty of meat on them as well as mature notes that bring a touch of elegance to any cookout.
Zuccardi, located in Maipú, Mendoza, is a family winery with a wide portfolio of high-end malbecs, as well as plenty of values to cut the fat of your rib eye, like the 2010 Serie A Malbec.
Marqués de Cáceres, like most good Rioja, is made to drink with baby lamb chops grilled over vine cuttings. The Riojanas have spent the better part of two millennia perfecting a wine to go with those chops. The Fornier family at Cáceres took a French approach to this challenge, having crossed the Pyrenees to Bordeaux for a time before returning to settle in Rioja Alta’s Cenicero, where they produce great values in Rioja from grapes grown in town.
Ontañon’s red-fruited 2007 Crianza is your choice if your asado involves grilling a butterflied leg of lamb, studded with sprigs of fresh rosemary and slivers of garlic, marinated in olive oil and fired to a crisp char on the outside. Ontañon farms more than 600 acres of estate vineyards in Rioja, including some high altitude sites, providing all the fruit for this juicy Crianza.
Zuazo Gaston, based in Rioja Alavesa, makes a cool, lime-scented Rioja Blanco if you plan to serve a summery salad of pulpo a la Gallega before you break out the lamb. The Zuazo family farms 128 acres of vines in Oyon, where they grow the Vendimia Seleccionada to match the grilled chops.
FOOD TRUCK SIGHTING You’re on the twitter feed for your favorite food trucks; you keep a set of foldout chairs, napkins and glasses in the trunk; your corkscrew’s in the glove compartment… Georg Albrecht Schneider’s Niersteiner Paterberg Kabinett is hard to beat when it comes to elegance and mineral complexity for $14; the ’09 Dornfelder is also mouthwatering in its bright fruit. Find your favorite truck serving lobster rolls and you’ll have all your bases covered.
Finca El Peral’s unoaked Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc should be at the ready for shrimp tacos and guacamole; for barbacoa, uncork the Reserva Red from 70-year-old vineyards growing at 3,609 feet in Tupungato.
Stone Cap grows at Goose Ridge, a vast estate vineyard near Red Mountain, where the Monson family farms 1,500 acres planted to ten varieties. You’ll not find a more affordable estate wine in Washington State. Keep the syrah and merlot on hand for Korean taco truck sightings; they have the heft for short rib tacos or a kim-cheesesteak.
Pacific Rim’s riesling is ready for a night by your favorite spicy Thai or pork dumpling truck. The brand, founded by Randall Grahm, was snapped up by Banfi Vintners in 2011, now expanding to include a varietally spot-on and delicious chenin blanc.
Kourtaki has become one of Greece’s most popular brands on the strength of its easy-going Vin de Crete, restrainedly piney Retsina or Kouros, a light red made from agiorgitiko—a terrific red for souvlaki. Over the years, Kourtaki has been a consistent member of our Value Brand list.
Forstreiter is the wine for fried chicken—for what is fried chicken but the American version of schnitzel? Try the crisp, herbal 2010 Kremser Kögl or the juicy, spicy Zvy-gelt, the red sibling of their Grooner. Based in Kremstal, 45-year-old Meinhard Forstreiter is regarded as one of the region’s most promising winemakers, presiding over 63 sustainably farmed acres.
Mancura’s Gran Reserva 2009, a blend of syrah, cabernet franc and merlot, is one of the least expensive cool-climate reds you’ll find at such a high level of quality. It’s made by Morandé, a Casablanca Valley pioneer, and it’s ready for the porchetta truck—or whatever meaty goodness drives down the street.
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| Intramural Sports | (pétanque, sailing, wine tasting and beach volleyball) |
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PÉTANQUE What betterway to spend a breezy summer afternoon than a friendly game of lawn bowlingwith a fewof your closest? The French take their classic jeu provençal with a littlewine on the side, and you're ready to followsuit. Paul Mas has a full line of Languedoc wines that will rise to the occasion. The 2010 Picpoul de Pinet is lively and bright with a button mushroom earthiness that adds complexity. Or if red is your color, the 2010 Pays d'Herault Carignan has fine tannins and a fresh mineral tone that make it a perfect outside sipper.
Les Deux Rives selected from the 1,591 grower-members at Val d'Orbieu, the cooperative in France's Languedoc, makes a Corbières Rosé to sip while you play. And for after the game, a Corbières Rouge for burgers and hot dogs, even Chicago-style, "dragged through the garden" with onions, tomatoes, peppers and mint.
Heron's smooth 2010 Mendocino County Pinot Noir will wash down roast chicken sandwiches after the game. Laely Heron started her winery in 1994 after studying enology in Bordeaux. She later expanded from St. Chinian to California, gaining placements on by-theglass lists throughout San Francisco.
WINE TASTING 101 Organizing a blind tasting game? Here's how to do it on a budget. Find a brand with a range of clear varietal expressions from California; pair up a chardonnay with a Mâcon, a pinot with a Bourgogne Rouge, a petite sirah with a Côtes du Rhône...you get the idea. Then lead your friends through a comparison between the Old World and the New. (In exchange for your expertise, they bring the baguettes and charcuterie.) Concannon was the firstwinery to produce a varietally labeled petite sirah, in 1961. And we found a range of other varietal wines from this Livermore Valley winery that would be perfect building blocks for an evening of blind tasting — from that petite to a cabernet, pinot and a chardonnay.
Woodbridge Mondavi's easy-to- find value line, provides a range of varieties thatwill please a crowd, all of them for $8 a bottle. Build a blind tasting for your family reunion this summer, then pour the chardonnay and pinot grigio for a fish fry, bring out the merlot for grilled burgers, and keep a few bottles of moscato and riesling in the fridge for a sweet-tart afternoon pick-me-up.
Mancura’s Gran Reserva 2009, a blend of syrah, cabernet franc and merlot, is one of the least expensive cool-climate reds you’ll find at such a high level of quality. It’s made by Morandé, a Casablanca Valley pioneer, and it’s ready for the porchetta truck—or whatever meaty goodness drives down the street.
NORTHWEST PASSAGE Headed to a sailing regatta on the Niagara River or a crew race? Pack a riesling, a chardonnay or a Cava to celebrate your winning boat. Waterbrook is a Walla Walla institution, having put out wines since 1984. The winery offers one of the state’s best-value dry rieslings (excellent with Vietnamese-style grilled pork), as well as classic Bordeaux variety reds for steaks and burgers.
Henry of Pelham puts out a lemony, mineral-tinged chardonnay and a tangy, cherry-scented pinot that are as crisp and lively as the breezes off the water. The Speck family tore out their concord and Niagara grapes in 1984 to plant riesling and chardonnay. They now farm 170 acres of vines on the eastern end of the Niagara Escarpment, crafting elegant, refreshing wines.
Freixenet is the sparkling wine to have on hand at the finish line of any race. The Cordon Negro Extra Dry Cava is refreshing, leesy and broad, built to chill and pop when your favored boat powers through the last 500 yards.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL Chill down one of these crisp whites to quench your thirst after the tournament and toast the other team’s inability to return your spikes. Vistamar’s 2011 Sepia Sauvignon Blanc has the powerful freshness to match ceviche at the beach. Or bring along some lomo saltado for after the volleyball game and pour the deliciously herbal and juicy 2010 Sepia Carmenère. Vistamar is a value-focused brand from Viña Morandé.
Cono Sur offers some of Chile’s best sauvignons at any price, including the Visión Loma Roja from Casablanca’s cold 2011 vintage, full of citrus flavors and essences of herbs, and the subtler 2011 San Antonio. Both are ideal refreshment at the beach.
2011 La Gloria Sauvignon Blanc has the coastal warmth of a summer beach day, Casablanca’s marine influence captured in its citrus aromas and its sparkling acidity. When it comes to lunch, the 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir is the right weight for salmon croquettes.
d’Arenberg, in McLaren Vale, is all about the beach, when it isn’t all about the wine. And the two come together in Chester Osborn’s vibrant whites like the Hermit Crab, a floral blend of viognier and marsanne with a bite of acidity to clean up after a pot of crabs. Osborn tends one of the largest collections of ancient-vine shiraz and grenache vineyards in South Australia, his family celebrating their centennial in the wine business this year.
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2010 Moulin-à-Vent Domaine des Rosiers (88 | $18 | 4/12)
2010 Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne Blanc Domaine de Pouy
2009 Finger Lakes Circle Label Riesling (93 | $12 | 8/11) 
2009 New York Semi-Dry Riesling (92 | $14 | 8/11)
2009 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling (92 | $15 | 8/11) 
2009 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet (87 | $18 | 2/12) 
2011 Torrontés Valle Calchaqui (90 | $15 | 6/12)
2010 Viile Timisului Dreamfish Sauvignon Blanc
(88 | $7 | 6/12) 
2010 Peloponnese Roditis-
Moschofilero (87 | $9 | 8/11) 
2010 Dolcetto d’Alba (85 | $13 | 12/11)
NV Napa Valley Lucca Red Wine (87 | $13 | 2/12)
2009 Côtes du Rhône Blanc Ch. 
2009 South Australia The Y Series Shiraz Viognier (89 | $13 | 10/11) 
2010 Vinho Verde Quinta da Aveleda (92 | $9 | 8/11)
2010 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Les Gras
Moutons Sur Lie (91 | $17 | 4/12)
Etyek Gála Sec (87 | $13 | 6/12)
2007 Cava Brut Nature Cristalino
(91 | $15 | 8/11)
2010 Washington State Boom Boom! Syrah
(90 | $15 | 2/12) 
2009 Sicilia Nerello Mascalese (90 | $17 | 6/12) 
2009 Luberon La Ciboise (90 | $17 | 2/12) 
2010 Barbera d’Asti Lavignone (88 | $17 | 12/11)
2010 California Malbec (87 | $11 | 4/12) 
2004 Cariñena Reserva Señorio del Aguila
(91 | $18 | 10/11)
2010 Malbec Mendoza Serie A
(88 | $15 | 10/11) 
2007 Rioja Crianza (90 | $15 | 12/11)
2007 Rioja Crianza (92 | $14 | 12/11) 
2010 Rioja Blanco (92 | $14 | 12/11) 
2010 Rheinhessen Niersteiner Paterberg Riesling Kabinett
2008 Tupungato Reserva Red (90 | $13 | 6/12)
2010 Columbia Valley Syrah
(88 | $8 | 2/12)
2008 Columbia Valley Chenin
Blanc (90 | $11 | 4/12)
Mavrodaphne of Patras
(88 | $14 | 8/11)
2009 Niederosterreich Zvy-gelt Zweigelt (90 | $12 | 4/12)
2009 Casablanca Valley Gran Reserva (91 | $10 | 6/12)
2010 Pays d'Oc Lily Pad Noir
Arrogant Frog
(85 | $10 | 6/12)
2010 Corbières Rouge (87 | $12 | 6/12)
2010 Mendocino Pinot Noir
(90 | $16 | 2/12)
2009 2009 Livermore Vly. Conservancy
Cabernet Sauvignon
(86 | $18 | 4/12)
2010 California Chardonnay
(84 | $8 | 12/11)
2010 Columbia Valley Riesling
(88 | $11 | 12/11)
2009 Niagara Peninsula Pinot Noir (88 | $17 | 8/11)
NV Cava Cordon Negro Extra Dry (87 | $12 | 8/11)
2011 Casablanca Valley Reserva Sepia
Sauvignon Blanc
2011 Casablanca Valley Visión Loma
Roja Sauvignon Blanc
2011 Casablanca Valley La Gloria
Sauvignon Blanc
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