Comments on: Fred Franzia and American wine under $10

By: Lisa Spangenberg

Lisa Spangenberg — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:04:19 +0000

In terms of under $10.00 U.S. wines, I’m fond of Meridan Cabernet Sauvignon, usually under 6.00 in my local Rite Aid; it was regularly on restaurant menus in California for $20.00. Their Chardonnay is a typical Chardonnay from California.

But I have to say, I’m loving Washington wines. Columbia Crest, even the “budge” Two Vines wines are marvelous, and easily under 10.00 in Washington. Hogue, and Chateua Ste. Michelle as well are in the under !0.00 category.

By: Bob Zielinski

Bob Zielinski — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:03:51 +0000

‘Lest we all be accused of geographic chauvenism, when in Europe and when asked where I am from, I reply “America”. 9 times out of 10, the question comes back “North or South?” Apparently, America is much bigger than we may think, at least to much of Europe. So, I propose that you can get very good “American” wines for under $10, they just happen to be from Argentina and Chile.

By: Rams

Rams — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:21:59 +0000

Kevin,
Gallo and Bronco are not public traded companies, both are family owed

By: Bobz

Bobz — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:19:33 +0000

re: Steve
“Also, what is the shape of a gourmet marshmallow?”

Think mis-shapen, overflowing the edges, with a belted crimp in the central part. On the order of a softened hour glass with about 5 hours of sand in it.

By: Bobz

Bobz — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:11:01 +0000

My choices for red and white $10 wines:
Lynfred Winery, Roselle, IL: Fred’s Red/Fred’s White
__________

Per why so little is any good? I think it’s all about the marketing. Who out there in NapaNomaCino wants to be known for their ability to make a good $9-10 chardonnay? That’s nothing to crow about.

Just ask Gallo.

They make really nice wines under $10 but they can’t get a restaurant to put it on the wine list because the restaurant wants/needs to charge $20 for it, and the diners know what that Gallo wine costs in the wine shops — less than $10.
____________

My choice for best under $10 wines — Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay, Bin 50 Shiraz. Sometimes at $4.99 in the local Chicago Binny’s, even at Jewel for $6.99 at times! Good wines.

By: Exactly What the Doctor Ordered: Some New Wine Recommendations Under $10-12 « Psssst! Over Here!

Sun, 24 May 2009 13:39:19 +0000

[...] when I stumbled upon a wine blog called Dr. Vino, and one of the first posts I saw was about the relative scarcity of decent American wines under $10-12, I welcomed some new [...]

By: Why so few tasty American wines under $12? Wine importer Bobby Kacher | Dr Vino's wine blog

Fri, 22 May 2009 00:32:39 +0000

[...] Tasty American wine under $12: why so little of it? Industry replies, part I Fred Franzia and American wine under $10 Permalink | SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Why so few tasty American wines under $12? Wine importer [...]

By: Blind Taste / Robin Goldstein» Blog Archive » Why inexpensive American wine is so bad

Thu, 21 May 2009 20:06:14 +0000

[...] The New Yorker’s recent profile of Fred Franzia has sparked a debate amongst the wine pundits on the question of why it’s so hard to find good American wines under $10, under $12, or even $20. I had an interesting conversation on this topic with Tyler Colman the other day. There’s a debate on the topic on Tyler’s blog, Dr. Vino, where he asks his readers to weigh in on these potential theories: [...]

By: Tasty American wine under $12: why so little of it? Industry replies, part I | Dr Vino's wine blog

Wed, 20 May 2009 13:15:16 +0000

[...] 30 of you had your say in the post from last week. So I decided to put the question to several people in the trade. Today, we hear from Patrick [...]

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:37:15 +0000

I’ve had the House Wine (Red) from the Magnificent Wine Company (K Vintners) in WA, fantastic for as low as 9.99 a bottle.

By: leftymn

leftymn — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:36:34 +0000

the Hahn Family produces some good quality wines in the $7-12 range… try the Hahn label or the Cycles Gladiator… as has also been mentioned there are some small and large wineries in Washington state also producing good wines. I would agree with Aaron , but I would also agree that in 20 years of buying alot of $7-10 wines that the quality discoveries at this level have gotten less and less in the past 5 years… I dont think this is due to inflation either, I think it is due to the production of alot of wines in the same style, fruit forward, ready to go… as the newer wine drinkers drink more they gravitate toward this type of wine so the market makes more of it.
I also think that the types of people that read this blog will be continually wanting to pique their tastebuds and look for new things… i have been particularly pleased with Argentina, South Africa and Sicily , really nice quality wines in the $7-10 range.

By: Johnny

Johnny — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:07:46 +0000

To address the article’s questions, a bottle that’s 10 dollars or less is probably going to suck because of three reasons.

One, the vintner is catering to the mass crowd, and the mass crowd generally wants sweeter (so-called “less complex”) stuff.

Two, economies of scale dictate that the vintner is going to mix it. Wine like two-buck chuck comes from more than one vineyard. To ensure consistency the vintner finagles the yeasts, chemicals, etc., so the cheap bottle should not and does not have any individuality (in terms of vineyard, year, etc.).

Three, perhaps most importantly, really cheap wine is utilitarian stuff–people don’t drink it for the taste, they drink it to get drunk or buzzed. Take beer for example: no one buys Milwaukee’s Best for the taste. Cheap wine (esp box) is price-per-gallon comparable to soda pop. $10-a-bottle wine is up from this model, but it’s still close enough to the bottom to be affected by this dynamic I think. Taste is a secondary concern.

Less I come off like a snob, I’ll say that I’ve found pretty good cheap wine. But it’s always small, foreign, independent labels, never American. The reason it’s always foreign wine is b/c a US vintner who made good stuff could sell it for more than $15 a bottle.

By: MCB

MCB — Sun, 17 May 2009 20:50:52 +0000

There are some solid US bargains in the $12-15 range. I’m a big fan of Washington’s Forest Grove Cellars — the Syrah in particular is delightful. I’ve also been generally happy with Smoking Loon and Pepperwood Grove wines, both for under $10. But the Bronco Wine Company wines I’ve had were universally flat and uninteresting. Great for cooking but not for much else, not when I can uncork a spicy $9 Malbec.

I suspect the reason we have trouble naming great US wines for under $10 is a combination of what kim and Patrick suggested — it’s not worth shipping the truly bad stuff abroad from Europe or South America, and US consumers are most comfortable with California Chardonnays and Merlots and will often pay more for them.

By: Marc Pollack

Marc Pollack — Sun, 17 May 2009 19:37:39 +0000

L. Mawby of northern Michigan makes some great sparkling wines that are on par price/quality wise with many non-Champagne European producers, including his $10 sandpiper: see http://www.lmawby.com His higher priced stuff is also good value.

By: Frank

Frank — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:49:39 +0000

Dry Creek Chenin Blanc and Fume’ [Sauvignon] blanc are good values and can occasionally be found at the $10 price point. Always under $15. Firesteed Pinot Noir, although that’s gotten pricier lately.