The phrase “good inexpensive wine” may make you smile, but in reality it’s not a myth, there is such a concept. It may even turn out the other way around, when, having bought an expensive product, you can get not the best quality.
With all the wealth of choice of this divine drink, it can be very difficult to determine, and if this is poorly understood, then it is generally impossible. First of all, it must be said that a price below 400 rubles already speaks of not very good quality, and buying a product is cheaper means eliminating the concept of “good” completely.
What is it for?
The variety and price will still depend on what event is preceded by the purchase, because a light table wine, for example, is in no way suitable for a romantic date, as well as for someone to give it. But to drink a glass of such a drink before or during meals is a completely different matter. When you need to prepare for the most important meeting in life or make a beautiful gift, a completely different category of wine is used. For special occasions it is better to purchase a good inexpensive semi - sweet wine, it is preferred by most lovers of this drink. Red wine can be served with meat, and white with fish and poultry.
A bit about packaging
Quality wine is poured into heavy bottles, whose shoulders are somewhat wider than the bottom, and there is a depression in the bottom. But this does not mean that in ordinary bottles there is no good product. Rather, on the contrary, good inexpensive wine is sold in such a container. But the intricate shape of the bottle, most likely, was created for not very high-quality products in order to somehow attract the attention of the buyer. When buying wine for direct consumption, exclude cardboard packaging. Such products can only be suitable for cooking dishes in which this type of alcohol needs to be added.
If earlier on the quality of wine it was possible to judge by cork, now it is not so relevant, because in some European countries twisting corks for packing young wines have become a kind of trend.
In which store to buy
Even if you decide to buy a good inexpensive wine for a simple dinner, you should still go for it in a specialized store where all the conditions for proper storage of the product are created. In ordinary supermarkets, even temperature conditions can affect the quality of a drink, especially if it has stood on a shelf for a long time. In stores that sell this particular product, all bottles should be in a cool and dark room and lie down, not stand. As a rule, professionals work in such institutions who will always help to make a choice.
Look at the label
On high-speed bottles, it cannot be new, as if it had just come off the conveyor label. If so, then most likely the wine is fake. And of course, there should be no spelling mistakes or bad, smear paint on labels with quality products. The exception is sales, where you can find good inexpensive wine with a torn or dirty label, which is why it got there.
A good inexpensive dry wine should be from 9 to 14% strength and almost sugar free. All these parameters must be indicated on the label, as is the case with all other varieties of wines. If you want to buy a good inexpensive semi-sweet wine, then the sugar content in it should not exceed 13%, and the strength - 15%. If it is indicated that sugar contains from 16 to 32%, and the strength is from 13 to 16%, then in front of you is a dessert sweet or liqueur wine.
What must be indicated
A good manufacturer has no reason to hide his name. Therefore, if the label does not indicate who made the product, then you should not buy it.
On the packaging with natural wine always write the year of harvest. Having not found such information, you can purchase a chemical concentrate instead of wine.
It is very good if it is indicated from which grape variety the wine is made. No one will write that the products are made from not the best raw materials. At best, this information will be veiled like this: “The best grape varieties have been used.” In fact, hardly the best and perhaps not even grapes.
The name of the region in which raw materials for wine production are grown is indicated by all manufacturers who are proud of the quality of their products.
Perhaps this information is not relevant for inexpensive wines, but an indication of the aging time is also an important detail.
Good inexpensive red wine
Red wines, unlike white ones, are more astringent due to the content of more tannins in them. Their taste is more full and velvety. Therefore, wine lovers prefer red varieties. Vintage wines with a long aging time cannot be inexpensive, so you should pay your attention to ordinary wines with an aging of about one year.
An important detail: wines produced in countries of the Old World, for example, in France, Italy or Spain, are more expensive. Therefore, it is better to look at manufacturers such as Australia, New Zealand, Chile. Crimean, Georgian and Abkhazian red wines of the price category specified above are not inferior to foreign ones in quality.
Semi-sweet red wine, good inexpensive - Kindzmarauli Badagoni (Georgian wine). Saperavi grape variety.
Medici Ermete, Lambrusco dell `Emilia Rosso IGT - fine Italian wine made from Lambusco grapes. The quality of Italian wines is indicated by labels: DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata) and DOCG (... e garantita).
You should not buy red wine made in Germany or Hungary. These countries specialize in the production of white wines, which they do well.
Choose white wine
The best white wines are produced in Germany. If you want to buy a white, good, inexpensive, dry wine, it is best to look at the German producers. The best white wine produced in this country is Riesling. Wines produced under this name are dry, semi-sweet and sweet. The dry wine label will be Trocken. By the way, wine with the same name is produced in other countries. And if German wine of this brand is more difficult to find, then Alsatian is found on the shelves much more often and in quality does not yield to wine from Germany.
Another good white wine is the French Sauternes (Sauternes). This wine can be both seasoned and quite young. Naturally, young wine is cheaper, which is what we need.
General recommendations
Trying to figure out how to choose an inexpensive good wine, you need to highlight a few general rules, the first of which will be: inexpensive - this does not mean the cheapest. The price category to start with is around 400 rubles. Wine, which costs so much, is not sold in boxes, of course, if it is not 10 liters there.
- If wine is purchased in a supermarket, try to take it where there is less light, both solar and artificial.
- Do not chase the beauty of the bottle, you did not come for it, but for what is inside. Read the label carefully, on it - all the useful information.
- If the wine is better, dry or sweet. Semisweet wine is made from raw materials of not the best quality and in other countries, unlike Russia, they use very little.
- In addition to white and red, there is also pink wine, which is not so common in our country.
Of course, far from all the names of good inexpensive wines are listed above, these are just some of the possible options.