I have recently had a massive influx of Bordeaux wine samples coming from various sources, so massive that I could drink Bordeaux every other day for the next month and still have some left over. Now some of you might be thinking, “Wow! I’m going to go start a wine blog so that I can get in on these vino riches.” Let me explain before you go register your new blog domain “www.iwantfreebordeaux.com.”
The samples have all been examples of value Bordeaux wines, which isn’t to say that they aren’t good, merely that they aren’t exactly first growth houses. Last week there was a TasteLive event that focused on several of these wines, and I also was invited to a tasting of several Bordeaux wines that are available at Whole Foods stores around the country. In general these wines all go for somewhere in the $10-15 a bottle range, which is definitely a price point that will fit in most budgets.
So how do these wines taste? Pretty good, actually. Many of the wines that I have tasted so far show some nice Old World character, although some of them are even doing a pretty good impersonation of New World wines. Several are fantastic values when purchased for under $15 a bottle. I’ll be doing some reporting on specific examples of wines that are showing well over the next couple of weeks, but the suffice it to say that you can do Bordeaux on a budget.
The convergence of all of these promotional efforts are part of a campaign by producers in Bordeaux to educate consumers on the quality wines of the region that won’t break your bank account. A lot of people have this perception, and not without cause, that Bordeaux wines are pricey luxury items to be enjoyed by only the most affluent wine drinkers. The marketing push right now is designed to demonstrate that there are some great affordable wines from the classic French growing region.
What kind of experiences have you had with budget French wines? Would love to hear any specific winners that you have tasted in the under $15 range.
I thought the Planet Bordeaux wines were way better than the Whole Foods ones.
That being said, I was not 100% healthy for the Whole Foods tasting, so I clearly have a skewed perspective. Then again, the legitimate argument might be that the “Superieur” wines (sorry, don’t know an easy way to add an accent on a windows machine) may give us a perception of higher-quality, because they are higher in alcohol, generally aged longer, and tend to offer more characteristics of a “new world” wine, upon which our palates have been weaned.
I hate to admit that I’ve actually not tasted very many Bordeaux under $15. That also doesn’t mean I’ve tasted many Bordeaux grand cru either. I’m just not conversant enough about French wines yet. Nonetheless, this article has really intrigued me and is encouraging me to go out there and try these wines. Broaden my horizon perhaps and buy French some of the time. Might even be helpful on my budget since I already spend plenty of money on WA wines.
I would definitely give some budget French wines a try. I have had several Cotes du Rhone wines that were not bad in the under $15 price range, and these Bordeaux wines also offered some good value. I definitely love my Washington wines, but it’s always fun to try something different.