My wife is doing her level 1 sommelier certification soon, and even she'll admit the average drinker will see no difference in quality once you get past like $15-20. I get to try a lot of wine that she brings home, so I'll give you some recs.

Buy mirrasou Pinot for like $10 and it'll be just fine. Another good cheaper brand is dark horse. Their stuff is all under $10 and is a great wine. Apothic is in the same range, and their red blends are fantastic, specifically apothic crush.

If you want something a little nicer, anything from Michael David winery is delicious and sits right about $15-20 for their everyday stuff. When you get to their high end stuff, expect $60+

If you like cab sav, try carnivor. It's around $12 and is very good.

This post was edited on 8/25/16 at 11:09 am

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Posted by GRTiger

On a roof eating alligator pie

Member since Dec 2008

63441 posts

Posted on 8/25/16 at 12:21 pm to TH03

quote:
If you like cab sav, try carnivor.

Yep. This one has a particular flavor that I don't know how to describe that I really like.

I also like Joel Gott cab for a $15-17 bottle.

I am not a wine expert at all, but I can tell the difference in SOME higher priced bottles (the spiciness of Silver Oak, the more refined flavor I find in Carnivor in Groth or Sequoia Grove, etc.) That said, there are certainly some cheap ones that my unrefined pallet would not be able to differentiate in a blind taste.

The thing I notice more than anything is consistency. I seem to always buy different bottles when I shop, and if I am going for cheaper bottles, I more frequently encounter a bottle I don't like than if I go for the $30-35 price range.

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