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US Value Wines
We Pick the Best from 3000 Wines
by Marc Dornan, dornan@tastings.com
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Buy American for less $$$ |
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Even before recent tragic events wine prices were starting to soften as the country decided whether it's is in recession or not. Nonetheless, there are still considerable variations of quality at more frugal price-points. Even at $10 and under some wines simply deliver much more flavor and personality than others do and I often find this to be the most meaningful service that any wine critic can perform for a consumer. The fact of the matter is that few of the large grocery stores or large wine retailers really merchandize their floor stacks or eye level shelves according to the price/quality ratio of their wares. You need to look a bit harder, but it is well worth the effort. After all, who wants to taste five cheap bottles before you find a really good one?
We have done our bit to help you with finding the best values in homegrown American wine by casting a critical eye over the list of 3000-odd American wines we have tasted to date in 2001. To produce a shortlist we passed the editor's red pen over all wines rated "Highly Recommended" or better (85–100 points) and costing less than $20. What remain are the top picks, and these are not all Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons. Furthermore, there are more than a few common supermarket brands in here. It is what's in the bottle that counts.
This exercise repeated next year is likely to yield an even more expansive list, which is a good thing for the consumer. The winds of change are blowing through the U.S. wine industry. Changing economic circumstances and increased acreage under vine in Washington State and California will together make it more and more difficult to sell wine at $20 and upwards. This is likely to be a painful fact for some wine producers but it will be a good thing for consumers as quality is likely to improve in the $10–20 range.
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