re: Average red wine discussion

I use an aerator with Franzia boxes and drink a glass every other day. It is cheap and easy and i don't feel compelled to drink the entire bottle at one sitting like I would with bottled wine. I'm sure the $30, $50, $100+ bottles are better overall, but they are far too expensive for me to keep around the house.

We drink a lot of NZ Pinot Noirs and Sonoma Zinfandels after spending time in both locations. We usually have the Ravenswood Lodi Zin around the house; it's not too expensive and goes with most of the food we cook.

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.

Vin vault is another good box wine.

Friends who are into wine much more than I swear by 19 Crimes. I've had it and it's quite drinkable.

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.

I am a huge Pinot Noir fan. I recommend Bogle. It runs around $10 and drinks better than that, IMO.

For quality/value, I'd stick to Chile/Argentina, fantastic blends in the $18 range galore.

Plenty of solid California wines, but even mediocre stuff is in the $30 range now.

My US go-to is Washington for Bordeaux varietals and Oregon for Pinot. Andrew Will is a twice a year treat.

I guess people are drinking Merlot again, Sideways had people shunning it for a while

Check out Newmans Own Cab for everyday wine.

Avalon Cab is one of my favorite cheap reds.

Also like Marrietta Red Tabke Wine

Merlot is fine but has a stigma about it for some reason partially based off the movie Sideways.