Decanter's World Wine Awards 2016 provided every grape-lover with a list of the utmost importance. They've taken the time and effort to identify ten wines that all cost under ten British pounds.
While we wish we could say ten American dollars, the following wines will still cost you no more than $13. Grab a glass and the spare change between your couch cushions for this one, folks.
Best Cheap Wine
1. Asda, La Moneda Reserva Malbec 2015
Price: $5.45
This wine comes from Chile's Central Valley. Decanter describes its composition, as it has an "exciting nose of freshly crushed black fruit, creamy vanilla yoghurt and pepper spice."
This is the $6 Walmart wine that took home the gold, y'all.
2. Cono Sur, Single Vineyard Block 23 Rulos del Alto Riesling 2015
Price: $12.45
If you're like us, you'll never pass up a wine from the Bío Bío Valley of Chile.
Spicy lime and baked apple will hit your nose with this one, and you'll highly enjoy its tangerine-based freshness.
3. Miguel Torres, Días de Verano Reserva Muscat 2015
Price: $9.96 to $11.20
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC5aFznmCdZ/?taken-by=migueltorreswines
This one has "lots of personality and juiciness." In it, you'll taste "herbs, grapegruit, fresh grape, white flower and spicy ginger."
4. Pure Provence, Côtes de Provence 2015
Price: $11.20
This wine looks as pretty as it tastes. The rose fruit flavor of this one is complimented by cherry and backed by an almond-based richness.
Oh, and if you couldn't tell it's from Provence, France.
5. Domaine d'Orfeuilles, Les Coudraies Vouvray 2014
Price: $12.40
Are you a fan of wet wool? If so, this one's for you.
It has "acacia, honey, lanolin, apple and greengage with smoky notes and a little wet wool coming through." (Mmm, wet wool.)
6. Laudun Chusclan Vignerons, Cinq Cépages Côtes du Rhône 2015
Price: $11.21
This wine has an "assertive apple nose," and if that doesn't make you laugh you're probably just more mature than we are.
Pear and white strawberry flavors finish this one out.
7. Pais De Poetas, Merlot 2014
Price: $7.41
https://www.instagram.com/p/B48GpwGAHpG/?igshid=1bhtd31luw9su
Here's another from Chile's Central Valley. Pais de Poetas has notes of "mature strawberry combined with exquisite black plum [which leads] to a spicy fresh finish."
8. Sileni, Cellar Selection Merlot 2014
Price: $10.28 to $10.59
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMGRbS1D-gw/?taken-by=sileniwines
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand produces some great glasses of wine, and this Merlot is no different.
It's perfectly dry and will go over quite well in a crowd of wine novices and experts alike.
9. Trivento, Reserve Malbec, Luján de Cuyo 2015
Price: $7.48 to $9.97
Sometimes we simply love reading wine descriptions. Here's a good'un from Decanter about this Argentinian wine:
"Gorgeous nose exhibiting an array of aromas such as peppery mulberry, sour and black cherry, violet and a subtle touch of wild strawberry jam. The palate is full, complex, with a fantastic energy and bursting with ripe dark plums; tannins are impressively silky and freshness is amazing."
10. Vidal-Fleury, Côtes du Rhône 2013
Price: $7.46
"[W]hite pepper, graphite notes and bright red fruit" will hit your nose with this one, with "with black cherry and dark, muscular berry fruit, crisp acid and some neat, grippy, slightly salted tannins" on the palate
Oh, and it will cost you less than one $8 bill. (No, those don't exist.)
Hey, nothing beats a quick buzz from cheap red wine or white wine while you're cleaning the house. Save your wine money on dinner parties and wine tasting tours for your next trip to California. You'll find joy in cheap bottles of pinot noir, pinot grigio, and chardonnay that you can pick up from Trader Joe's and Walmart.
Pour a Glass and Shop
1. AmazonBasics All-Purpose Wine Glasses, 19-Ounce, Set of 4
If you need to add wine glasses to your cabinet, consider these. Here's what I use to enjoy a nice glass of blackberry and raspberry wine.
2. Champagne Flutes, Edge Champagne Glass Set of 4
Some nights call for bubbly instead of sauvignon blanc. Enjoy a mimosa out of a new champagne flute.
3. Winemakers Depot 3 Gallon Glass Wine Making Equipment Kit
Have you ever wanted to make your own wine? Find a red blend recipe and get to it.
I love bringing these out for dinner parties.
5. Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide
Here's what you need to become an expert on wine. Have you ever been confused with the term minerality or aren't sure what the difference is between certain bottles? Pour a glass of zinfandel and learn about wine.
This post was originally posted on February 22, 2017.