So trying out some new wines, I found Frontera's "After Midnight" is a Cab blend supposedly picked in the dark. Pretty intense flavor, fruity, but sweeter than I like.

Frontera is Concha Y Toro's lower end brand, usually ok. My favorite, the Carmenere; but I cannot find it under the Frontera brand anymore.

I prefer dry reds, any <$10 recommendations?

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater

I spent a week in france this summer and came back with an appreciation for simple high quality wine. I'm not talking expensive. Just something that aims to be a very good cabernet. Seems like most of my wine purchases lately have all been disappointments. Maybe I just don't know what I'm doing.

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Distribution of wine and different brands is a black art. I recommend sticking to a grape varietal, and trying out those that fall within your price range. For example, my favorite grape for a rich red is a tempranillo, and you can find that in excellent wines in a huge price range. And make friends with your local wine shop buyer or employee, they looooove to talk wine

......$3 buck chuck.........???

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

more and more wineries are harvesting grapes "in the still of the night" or very early in the morning before sunup while it is cool avoiding altogether the heat of the day.

not a fan of cabs or syrah I've been purchasing a malbec every now and then for something different from my usual pinot noir staid which tend to come from Argentina and can usually be pretty good even around the $10 range.

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The Phorum Wall keeps us safe from illegal characters and words
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is the knowledge of one's own ignorance. -Benjamin Franklin
BOYCOTT YOPLAIT [www.noyoplait.com]
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2018 06:51AM by billb.

.....someone in office said that box wines have actually gotten better.....

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

I like the Epicuro brands at Trader Joe's. The Beneventano is my choice and it's $7 or $8...

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A little break from the grief...






Disclaimer: This post is checked for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Any attempts at humor are solely the responsibility of the author and bear no claim that any and all readers will approve or appreciate said attempt at humor.
My name is DP, and I approve this message.

We’ve gone to red blends. My wife’s fave is Apothic, which we can usually get for just under $7/bt. Very little tannin, which the wife doesn’t care for.

I like the idea of box wines - less packaging - but haven’t found one yet that I really like. Black Box Pinot Grigio is pretty good. Haven’t been as impressed by their Sav Blanc, but it’s reviewed well.

Isn't Concha y Toro's Casillero del Diablo usually about $9.99? Unless it's a few bucks higher where you live, that would be a good place to start if you like the Frontera carmenere.

I'm sure the winemakers laugh at the magic of the $10 price point, but we tend to gravitate to the ones in that range, usually the red blends which tend to be dry. Several decent ones at Trader Joe's that are $8.99-9.99 such as Tribunal. Bogle's Essential Red is a pretty good bet, and we like Epica's Red Blend if you can find it.

" I recommend sticking to a grape varietal, and trying out those that fall within your price range."

One of my wine choosing method is to find an expensive and highly rated wine, and then try wines from the same region, vintage, and grape varietal.


"make friends with your local wine shop buyer or employee"

I go to one shop where the clerk remembers what I've bought and liked in the past, asks what I'm serving it with, and picks a winner every time.


"Bogle's Essential Red is a pretty good bet"

I've been getting this a lot for casual wine drinking.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2018 12:09PM by btfc.

I really like the Carolina Red from the Duplin Winery. Great desert wine.

[www.duplinwinery.com]

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pdq
We’ve gone to red blends. My wife’s fave is Apothic, which we can usually get for just under $7/bt. Very little tannin, which the wife doesn’t care for.

I like the idea of box wines - less packaging - but haven’t found one yet that I really like. Black Box Pinot Grigio is pretty good. Haven’t been as impressed by their Sav Blanc, but it’s reviewed well.

Apothic Red (~$10) is one of our favorites, as is 19 Crimes (~$9). As for boxed wines, our go-to lately has been Bota Box Redvolution at $18-$20 for a three liter box.

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mattkime
I spent a week in france this summer and came back with an appreciation for simple high quality wine. I'm not talking expensive. Just something that aims to be a very good cabernet. Seems like most of my wine purchases lately have all been disappointments. Maybe I just don't know what I'm doing.

Here's the problem. It's not the wine, it's where you are.

There's research to show that things taste and smell different when we're in certain kinds of environments - so when you're in France and on vacation and everything is wonderful, the wine and food are going to be amazing. Then you get back in your own kitchen and even when home is wonderful the romance of the new and special is not there, and the thrill and other emotions that made the wine seem so great aren't there, so it just won't seem as good even if it is identical.

This can happen with special restaurants or other settings - you don't have to leave the country.

Keep trying those great French wines or whatever else you like but just don't expect to feel that...je ne sais quoi...

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Lemon Drop
Here's the problem. It's not the wine, it's where you are.

Pfft, sorry, entirely not. Maybe I've just had bad luck. Sure, that can blur the lines but i don't think its going to make bad wine taste good.

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mattkime

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Lemon Drop
Here's the problem. It's not the wine, it's where you are.

Pfft, sorry, entirely not. Maybe I've just had bad luck. Sure, that can blur the lines but i don't think its going to make bad wine taste good.

Some people are easily duped.

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The Phorum Wall keeps us safe from illegal characters and words
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is the knowledge of one's own ignorance. -Benjamin Franklin
BOYCOTT YOPLAIT [www.noyoplait.com]
[soundcloud.com]

Bottle of reds, bottle of whites, perhaps a bottle of rose instead...

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

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datbeme
Isn't Concha y Toro's Casillero del Diablo usually about $9.99? Unless it's a few bucks higher where you live, that would be a good place to start if you like the Frontera carmenere.

CyT also has Marques de Casa Carmenere, but they are kind of hard to find. I do love the Casillero del Diablo Red Blend.

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mrbigstuff
For example, my favorite grape for a rich red is a tempranillo, and you can find that in excellent wines in a huge price range. And make friends with your local wine shop buyer or employee, they looooove to talk wine

I've been drinking a lot of Tempranillo's over the last few years, but don't want to get stuck in a rut. Good advice on the wine shop employee.

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater

Quote
jdc
Bottle of reds, bottle of whites, perhaps a bottle of rose instead...

I like them blended, a nice checkered wine for me.

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mattkime

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Lemon Drop
Here's the problem. It's not the wine, it's where you are.

Pfft, sorry, entirely not. Maybe I've just had bad luck. Sure, that can blur the lines but i don't think its going to make bad wine taste good.

you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you expect French table wine to taste as good at home as it does when you're on vacation.

the US is awash in good cheap wine so maybe your luck is bad if you cant find any

There is no lack of good wine here, but there is a lack of similar pricing. That's the difference. In Europe, wine (and sometimes beer) is about the cost of mineral water. We have been bamboozled into thinking that wine should be expensive to be good, that's it's something precious and special. In Europe,.it's just fermented grape juice that you drink with meals, and in special occasions, you get that good bottle.