Would Somebody Give Me Some Fool Proof Wine Values Please?

When you are just starting to drink wine, finding some wine values can be hard. I'm going to do my best to help you out in this regard. I have a couple of techniques that I use and even a book that I read recently that has a pretty good cheat sheet in it.

First of all my favorite place to find some great wine bargains is Trader Joes. My husband created a technique and it really seems to work. It may seem silly, but it works so here goes:

-Look at the shelves.

-Find a wine that is very orderly, as though it has been recently restocked.

-Find the orderly wines that are missing the most bottles.

-Buy one and see if you like it.

His theory is that Trader Joes wine is constantly restocked. If a wine is hopping off the shelf, it's probably good. I can't remember the last time he brought home a bad bottle of wine.

Another technique to find your best wine value is to examine the bottle. Sometimes a sale bottle of wine will say things like "Mis En Bouteille Au Chateau," "gran reserva," or Napa or Sonoma Valley on the bottle. The first two are typically signs of a quality bottle of European wine, while the last two are appellations and only wines made from 85% grapes grown in that area are allowed to be designated like this. These bottles will have a thumb indentation for pouring in the bottom of the bottle. A flat bottom is not a good sign. If you find a wine with these characteristics in the $10 or less area it could be a great wine bargain. Give it a shot. I would and hopefully I would be back tomorrow for more.


Want a quick list of some good recent wines. Check out this link here: The Passionate Foodie: 2009 Top Ten Buys Under $15.

Lastly, want a list of 44 producers that create great wines year after year for $6-$10. I checked out this book online the other day. (I love that I can go to a page, see what I like and download a book immediately. Talk about immediate gratification.) At first I was a little skeptical. The first twenty pages or so of it, I cover here. I also disagreed with him in regards to storing open bottles of wine.

But then there was the list. Ed Gandia's book "Fool Proof Wine Values" has a pretty good list of 44 dependable winemakers. Definitely check it out here, because I have had many of these wines and they are consistent, and good values year after year. The money you spend on it, you will save on wine and he gives a money back guarantee. You can always prove him wrong.

He also mentioned a technique to save on wine no matter the amount you are spending on a bottle that I didn't even think about. I love learning things that save me money. Also, lucky for me, I have not had all of these wines so I have some homework. This is a good list of wines for a beginner and he provides a cheat sheet that you can print and take to the store. WOOHOO!!

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