Both the Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast (December 31 issues) have announced their top 100 wines of 2010. I sorted through both lists and picked out all the wines that were around $20 or less. I then used Wine-Seacher.com on my computer to find out where these bargain wines were available near my home. In Wine-Searcher.com I entered the wine specifics and my Zip Code and voilà! I found most of the wines on the lists available within 15 miles driving distance from my home.
I have purchased several of these wines and over the course of the next several days I will taste these wines with family and friends and will report back to readers of GoodCheapVino what we think about these wines. Here are the 2010 bargain wines I found at one or more of my nearby wine shops.
From the Wine Spectator List
From the Wine Enthusiast List
- Bonterra 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Mendocino & Lake Counties – $11.99 @ KL Wines
With so many thousands and thousands of wines one has to wonder how these publications narrow down their selection so just 100 wines can make the list and why a $20 wine can be selected side by side with wines costing several times as much. If you should find these wines at your local wine shop, taste one bottle before you think about buying a case. Let us know if you discover at your local wine shop any of these wines or others on the Top 100 list.
Plump Jack has the Avignonesi Vino Noble for $27. Oops, that is more than $20, sorry. Mike
Thanks for mentioning our work at Wine Enthusiast.
Since it isn’t clear from your post, I wanted to clarify that Wine Enthusiast’s “Top 100″ list, as you called it, is not focused on wines under $20. Wine Enthusiast publishes a separate list of its Top 100 Best Buys, including only well-reviewed wines for $15 or less. For readers who are interested, here’s a link to the .pdf:
http://www.winemag.com/PDFs/TopShelf%20special%20edition%20Value.pdf
I hope this helps you locate more recommended wines under your $20 threshold.
Joe Czerwinski
Senior Editor/Tasting Director
Wine Enthusiast
Joe,
Thanks for posting the link to W.E. Top 100 Best Buys for 2010. This is an excellent resource for readers of GoodCheapVino.
Joe