Blogs - Good Cheap Vino

Good Life Market

Good Life Market on Cortland St. has the '06 Syrah from Dry Creek. After sleeping on the experience, I am going to get at least a case. Remember "when it is gone, it is gone."..

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Added by michael beltran on March 6, 2010 at 8:49am — No Comments

OK, I scrwed up !!! I bought an excellent '06 Dry Creek Syrah for $7 at a large grocery store on Cortland St. They almost always have some form of closeout as part of their wine program. The name of the Syrah is: Les Caves Roties de Pente, which was some DBA for a bottler or winery. What you want to know is that the store has about 50 cases and it is outstanding for the money.. The name of the store is: Good Earth, Good Health, Good Food, but it starts with good. Cortland runs between Mission… Continue

Added by michael beltran on March 5, 2010 at 9:03pm — No Comments

It's back !!! Syrah ????

Trader joe's in Millbrae, has the 2008 Sauvignon Republic from Russian River for $7 a bottle. All of the wines under this label are excellent and even a better deal since they have gone out of business. If you like solid SB, then this deserves a place in your cellar or garage. The original price retail was in the mid teens--- $13-17 a bottle. I would put a few away for the coming summer months. Check your local TJ and see if it is there or they can order some.

The '07 Napa Syrah, l

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Added by michael beltran on February 15, 2010 at 4:47pm — No Comments

Wines we liked at the Zinfandel Grand Tasting at Fort Mason on January 30. 2010

You have to really love Zinfandel wine to go to this event. Parking is a headache (field day for the meter maids) and with the giant afternoon crowds you sometimes have to claw and kick your way to the front of the line to get your taste of a favorite wine. We are one of the lucky ones who get to go in early at the trade and media session which begins two hours before the public gets their shot. Since most wine drinkers these days are buying wines for under $20, we thought we would concentrate o… Continue

Added by Joe on February 1, 2010 at 8:13pm — No Comments

3 Liter Zin= $50

While looking for deals at Pier One in San Mateo, they had none. BUT they have some double magnums of Cline Old Vine Zin 07, for $50---- which works out to $12.50 a bottle which is less than a regular fifth. Also there is no premium for the large bottle. If you are going to have a large party in the near future (this year) this would make a great center piece for a BBQ or other festive occasion. Mike B. Continue

Added by michael beltran on January 26, 2010 at 3:01pm — No Comments

Spencer/Daniels Discount wines

Yesterday I visited Spencer Daniels to buy a few bottles of Montes Folly '04 $22.(RP 93) While that wine is a great deal (retails for $70) most of the other wines in the shop are either over the hill in age or beyond good drinking. They had a floor stack of '05 Cal. rose, which looked washed out, a 10 year old sweet wine in splits which also looked oxidized. They had a number of decent buys, but you need to be aware of what would be a bargain or a loss of $$. Costco is selling '05 Montes for $50… Continue

Added by michael beltran on January 22, 2010 at 10:46am — No Comments

Vintage Wine Club's Syrah Taste Off

The Vintage Wine Tasters met this past Wednesday for their bi-monthly blind wine tasting to taste and judge six Syrah/Shiraz wines priced under $20. Our host was Vintage club member Jim who did an extraordinary job researching and selecting six excellent examples of Syrah wine. As per usual, the wines were bagged and scored using a unique 25-point scoring system. There were four wines from California and two from… Continue

Added by Joe on January 16, 2010 at 9:38am — No Comments

Sleuthing for Wine Values and Bargains

This year should provide a great opportunity for finding wine values and bargains. The word in the wine biz is that, with huge inventories building, wine distributors are being very selective of clients, and with many wineries on the brink of financial disaster we should see many a bargain wine out there. Good wine deals go quickly and the old adage “You snooze, you lose” could not be more true than when it comes to wine sales. If you want to take advantage of these coming wine deals, you need t… Continue

Added by Joe on January 11, 2010 at 8:11am — 2 Comments

Got $50 ?

Montes Folly Syrah at Costco, vintage 2005 is rated 90+... We tasted the current vintage in March and it is very full bodied and well structured. If you want to taste a stellar wine from a top grower and producer this is the one. Much better to spend money this way rather than experiment with an overpriced Calif. winery. Mike Beltran Continue

Added by michael beltran on January 4, 2010 at 4:52pm — No Comments

Great Petit Verdot $10 @ TJ's

Just back from Trader Joe's (millbrae) they have TJ Reserve Petit Verdot, made by Ancient Peaks of Paso Robles. This wine has a ton of fruit and integrated french oak. This is just great wine period. I don't know how much they have, because they sold this around June of '09... If you find some jump at it if you like full bodied and balanced red wine. This is exceptional juice.. Mike Beltran Continue

Added by michael beltran on January 4, 2010 at 3:29pm — No Comments

Start a Wine Tasting Club in 2010

One of the best ways to learn about wine and to discover new wines is to be a member of a wine tasting club. Why not consider starting one and take the month of December to organize your club and set up a tasting for January 2010. A wine tasting club functions somewhat like the popular book clubs held in homes all over the world today. In this case, the purpose is not to read and discuss books, but to taste and discuss different wines. Which one of these clubs do you think is more fun? Our Vint… Continue

Added by Joe on November 26, 2009 at 11:50am — No Comments

Good Cheap Vino for Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving there will be plenty of wine bargains to be found at the major wine shops and big discount stores. Your biggest problem will be deciding which wines to choose for your family and guests. A lot of people fret over what wines to choose for Thanksgiving but I think the choices are very straightforward. Now if it’s just two of you, just have what you like. If it is a big dinner party, then the easiest solution is to have a variety of wines open. Open up some whites, a sparkling wi… Continue

Added by Joe on November 6, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

Some new good wines at Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's has a few new wines which merit your time. Castle Rock which is a solid supplier of good quality wine has three wines at a price point of $5.99. The Columbia Valley Cabernet is very very good. :) The Zinfandel Mendocino is ok, but not in the league of the Cabernet. I have not tasted the Merlot.... These prices are about half of their suggested retail if you look at their website. NEW--- the return of FORZA, a line of wines made by Patrick Campbell of Laurel Glen winery. The two wine… Continue

Added by michael beltran on November 2, 2009 at 3:09pm — No Comments

Deal in good Syrah....

Fellow winos, here is a good deal and limited in time. Cost Plus has Rosenblum Hillside and Abba Syrah for between $10-12 per bottle on a six bottle purchase. These two wines are from previous vintages, but are excellent values. They are end of bin, in wholesale language, but a good deal in consumer vocabulary. If you like sparkling wine, there is a Brut Rose from Argentina for $9.99 and it is from Zuccardi, which is a large well run operation. What can you lose ??? The big question is are you n… Continue

Added by michael beltran on October 16, 2009 at 7:11pm — No Comments

Killer SB.... and a deal too !!

Santa Rita makes a SB with the Florent label. Retail is $24, but K&L has it for $10--- This wine is no dud. Outstanding flavors of grapefruit, gooseberry and lime. It is balanced with excellent acidity. There is a good supply, but at this price and quality I would jump on it soon, if this is the type of wine you like. I got a few cases sine this is far better than the stuff on most shelves at this price. A no brainer for me.. Mike Continue

Added by michael beltran on July 22, 2009 at 1:36pm — No Comments

Buy now or you lose.... if you like Sauvignon Blanc

Just tasted and bought a stunning Sauvignon Blanc. Let me say that this is the equal of the Mondavi To Kalon reserve. A bit different is style but flavors and acid are right there. The original price of $24 is not the reason to buy. This wine has so much flavor and structure at the price of $10 a bottle, you would be let down buying anything from Calif. or NZ, that could come close to the structure and quality of this wine. As always there may not be a huge lot of this available. (I am getting m… Continue

Added by michael beltran on July 14, 2009 at 7:10pm — No Comments

BevMo 5 Cent Sale - Valley of the Moon - Sangiovese Rose = $14.00 for two. $18 at Winery. Great CHILLED summer picnic wine.

BevMo 5 Cent Sale - Valley of the Moon - Sangiovese Rose = $14.99 for two. $18 at Winery. Great CHILLED summer picnic wine. Continue

Added by Dee Dee Wong on June 23, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Luigi Bosca Cab.

Luigi Bosca 2006 reserve Cab.(Argentia)Good wine for the price, N.Y. $15.99. Suggest you hold it for a year to improve flavor. Decant for better taste. Continue

Added by Jeannette Sommeso on June 13, 2009 at 1:26pm — 1 Comment

Good Cheap Wines vs Expensive Premium Wines

The old adage “You get what you pay for” applies to most things we buy. However, when it comes to wine, this saying often goes by the wayside. There are plenty of wines that sell from $20 into the stratosphere that are really not that good. How many times have you been disappointed with an expensive bottle of wine? There are plenty of good wines to be had that are less than $20 that are equal to or better than wines in the ultra premium category. In the Wine Spectator’s list of 100 top wines for… Continue

Added by Joe on March 11, 2007 at 2:49pm — 1 Comment

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