With 390 million cases of wine sold every year in America, there’s no doubt that wine is extremely popular. Since some wines can sell for hundreds of dollars, though, you might think you can’t afford a quality brand. Keep reading to learn how this may not always be the "case."
Location, Location, Location
The first step to finding the best wine for your budget is obviously to find the best wine store nearby with the lowest prices and largest selection. This will give you the most choices for your budget.
The next step is to learn which wines you like from various locations around the world. If you’ve ever taken the time to read the labels at your local wine store, you’ve likely noticed that they list a location on them. What you might not have noticed, however, is that these locales vary in their descriptiveness. Whereas one bottle might say “Santa Barbara,” another could be very indistinct and list the entire state of California.
This is because wines that are marked by location must be made only of grapes from that location. This means a bottle labeled “California” could have grapes from all over The Golden State. Yes – this even includes places not known for great wine. If the label says “Santa Barbara,” however, you know that only grapes from that region were used.
So keep track of which regions taste the best for your pallet and that can help when making selections.
Take Advantage of Wine Tasting Promotions
If you’re lucky, there’s at least one local wine shop in your area that offers wine tastings in-store. When you’re perusing bottles on the shelves and making an educated guess, there’s always the chance that you could be wrong. The only way to know for sure is by tasting the full flavor of that chardonnay, merlot or other wine selected.
Tastings give you the rare opportunity to experience multiple different wines without having to purchase anything. So make an effort to attend local tastings and sample a variety of offerings. Then you can decide which ones are your favorite and if they are priced within your budget. Online reviews and word of mouth are great, but first-hand experience can’t be beat.
Please note the Grapevine Wine & Spirits has wine tastings often so please sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Instagram to be alerted to upcoming wine tastings in the store or at events.
Don’t be a Cork Snob
Popping the cork out of a fresh bottle of wine certainly has a nice feeling to it. In fact, the mere act of doing this harkens back to the 18th century when corks were first used in the bottling of wine. While screw caps may seem less classy than the traditional method, the fact is that a bottle top doesn’t equate to inferior wine.
As it turns out, winemakers of all varieties are turning to screw caps. Due to increased cost efficiency, more bottlers are moving away from traditional corkage to lower prices for their customers. This means you could very likely get a high-quality wine without having to pay for outdated bottling practices. To make things even better, screw caps can keep your wine fresh for longer since corks can easily taint your favorite wine over time.
Don't Forget to Ask
One final thing to remember is that the staff of a wine store is usually very knowledgeable about all the different wines in the store. It never hurts to ask for a recommendation. Don't be surprised if the staff has a few questions for you as they are just trying to determine the type of wines that you may like before helping with selection.
Good luck and Cheers!
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