Bargain White Wines for the Holidays

Last Sunday’s S.F. Chronicle had an article devoted to good wines under $15. The buyers at Cost Plus, BevMo, and Spencer & Daniel’s touted their favorite bargain wines. That gave me the idea to post some of the favorite bargain wines of the Vintage Wine Club. This is a club of seven members who have been meeting regularly for years to discover the ultimate in wine bargains. Each of us is a daily wine drinker and we constantly scan the shelves for bargain wines. When we find something good we share it with each others. Here is our list of top white wines. Next post, the reds.

Jay likes the oak in the 2008 Edna Valley Chardonnay. They must make tons of this stuff because I see everywhere. Buy it at $10 to $12 at BevMo, Cost Plus, or Weimax in Burlingame. I like the Four Vines Naked Chardonnay for $11. This wine never sees any oak, hence the name Naked Chardonnay. They carry it at BevMo and it is quite good.

We have three terrific Sauvignon wines to recommend: Hanna Russian River Valley and Kim Crawford both at our local Costco in San Mateo for $12 and $14. The Clif Bar Winery in Napa makes a white wine called Climber White. It is mostly Sauvignon Blanc but has some Pinot Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Muscat in it. It sells for $14 on the winery’s website. This wine is a little zestier than the others and very delicious.

Cost Plus has an amazing offer. It is a 1.5 liter magnum of Segura Viudas Brut Reserva. The cost is $10 for the 1.5 liter bottle. We like the idea of having these big bottles for big crowds; it sort of adds an extra touch to your entertaining. I doubt if this will last long. When we purchased a case of this, there was very little left at our local store. We also like, in sparkling wine, the Cristalino Brut or Extra Dry Cava for around $6.

For Rieslings, the St Michele Riesling sells for $7 at TJ’s and is a good wine. If you want a very good Riesling then go for the McFadden Vineyards Potter Valley Riesling. When we had our Bocce Tourney in Hopland this past summer, we discovered the McFadden Vineyards tasting room in Hopland. The Potter Valley Riesling is a wonderful and dry Riesling, and at $18 it is tough to find a better bargain in this varietal. I also learned that Guiness McFadden sells his Riesling grapes to Chateau Montelena and that Riesling sells for $24. The McFadden Riesling is available only on the McFadden Vineyards website.

Torrontes is one of the hottest white wines these days, and if you have not tried a Torrontes you are missing something delightful. Mike thinks the biggest bang for the buck is the Zolo Torrontes for $8. The Crios Torrontes has some big ratings from a few of the “bigs” and is $13. Both are at BevMo.

Rosé wines are a good choice for many a holiday meal and we are going to tout one. Mike and I are big fans of Rosé and our favorite is Tapiz Malbec Rosé. This wine is available at BevMo for an unbelievable $10.

These are unbiased opinions. We have not received samples nor do we have any business interest in any of the wine shops or wineries mentioned. We just like a bargain wine that tastes fabulous.