If you stay away from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhone---there are lots of good
wines made by artisans for under $25" Languedoc, Provence. the Loire are all
appellations to look for even in Columbus Ohio
"JimC" > wrote in message
news
>
>
> Hunt wrote:
>
> > In article > ,
> > says...
> >
> >>
> >>Like most wine enthusuasts, I have developed some preferences over the
> >>years of selections from California, Washington State, Chile, etc., that
> >>are reasonably priced and that I nearly always like, and that are widely
> >>available. (I like reds, particularly Cabernets, and find that I nearly
> >>always like selections from Simi, Sterling, and a number of others, and
> >>in lower price ranges, Columbia Crest and Turning Leaf, and the like. I
> >>also like many French wines, but find it's difficult to select a good
> >>French wine at good value because of the many choices. So, I would
> >>appreciate suggestions for French Bordeaux, or others, that would be
> >>commonly available (produced in fairly large quantities) and preferably
> >>priced under $25 for a Bordeaux, or less for Rhones, etc.
> >>
> >>I have particularly enjoyed several Bordeaux wines, but find that I
> >>cannot depend on selecting a good one at a reasonable price unless I
> >>research the issue first (and when I do look up likely choices in WS or
> >>Parkers or Wine Enthusiast, I often find that they aren't available
> >>locally.) Does anyone have suggestions for Second or Third growth
> >>Bordeaux that are plentiful, and commonly available, usually OK in most
> >>vintages, and priced under $25?
> >>
> >>Thanks,
> >>Jim
> >
> >
> > Jim,
> >
> > Take your thoughts, above, to a good wine shop, that handles both
US/domestic
> > and FR wines. Talk to them about what they have in stock. Not knowing
where
> > you are located (and, even then, we might not have a clue, as to what is
> > available in, say Pierre, SD), we could list dozens of good Bdx. near
your
> > price-point, but then you would likely be faced with the same problem -
> > availability.
> >
> > Take some of the suggestions with you, and see if the retailer has any,
or has
> > some that he/she feels are similar.
> >
> > In Phoenix, AZ, USA, I might well not be able to find some of the
suggested
> > wines, and this is a town of 4M people! I'd call up K&L (Redwood City,
CA,
> > store) and ask Ralph Sands for HIS suggestions, but that might not be an
> > option for you.
> >
> > The use of a good wine shop cannot be measured by a few $ markup over a
> > supermarket. Go with the expertise and be willing to pay a bit for it.
> >
> > Hunt
> >
>
> Thanks. I should have explained that although I'm not an expert and am
> still in the learning stage, I'm not exactly a novice, since I've been a
> wine enthusuast for some 30 years. Over the years, I've tasted all the
> Bordeaux First Growths, although I can't often afford them at their
> current prices. I appreciate the answers to my two posts, and I'll try
> to locate some of the recommended wines.
>
> Thanks for your suggestions regarding getting to know a local wine
> merchant. I'm in the Houston area (which, of course, is almost at the
> outer fringes of civilization). We have four or five million people down
> here, and there are some good wine selections at a number of dealers.
> I'm fairly conversant with several of the wine specialists at our local
> Specs dealership, and I've had a number of discussions with them. They
> are always friendly and helpful, though perhaps not true wine experts.
> Our local Specs is in a former Krogers grocery store, which gives you
> some idea of its size, and there is a much larger "warehouse" dealer
> downtown.
>
> Jim