A lot of the questions I get asked about wine are about price. Specifically, where to find value. I think it’s born of an idea that Somms and other wine professionals have certain ‘hacks’ to buy good wine cheap, or perhaps more accurately, people not in the loop are getting taken for a ride. Both are true, predictably, but not to the extent that people think. Somms aren’t out there buying amazing wine under $15, and nobody (at least nobody that I know) is selling truly crap wine for exorbitant prices.
The one ‘hack’ I do have is the sweet spot; the investment point that your value starts ramping up. Wine quality increases dramatically at your first step up in price, then begins to plateau.
Generally speaking, I find the quality of a $30 bottle of wine to be greater than twice as good as a $15 bottle of wine, but a $60 bottle of wine to be less than or only just twice as good as a $30 bottle of wine, and a $120 bottle of wine to rarely be twice as good as a $60 bottle of wine… and so on – you catch my drift. It’s a theory I’ve derived from a large amount of data (read: consumption), but it’s certainly not empirical.
In simple terms, the single piece of wine advice I give most often to people wanting to drink better is two-fold: stop spending $10-$15 on a bottle of wine and start spending $25-$30 – use it as an excuse to drink half as much.
At $30ish you are more likely to see thoughtful, purposeful winemaking with quality fruit, and less likely to feel like you paid too much.
Anyway, here are Four Wines for $30 and Under That Over Deliver
Domaine De La Combe Muscadet | 2020 – $25
This is Muscadet from the Western Loire. At $25 it’s got a crazy amount of sophistication and intrigue – I fully expect this wine to ramp up in price over the next few vintages. It has bright, snappy acid and a mineral backbone, plus a characteristic overture of salinity. It’s all wrapped up neatly in citrus and green apple flavours. The time on lees (8 months – par for the course in these parts) gives the wine breadth and weight on the palate.
Smart and sophisticated Viognier that veers away from being old-fashioned and drab (like Viognier so often can be) with acidity that cuts through the broad mid palate.
Classic Viognier flavours; apricot, peach, ripe lemon flesh, juicy lime gather nicely in the weight and texture of the wine. Licks of vanilla and sweet spice provide a layer of intrigue. The acid backbone provides structure and zeal.
Smart and uncomplicated - the combination of weight and acid will make it a hit amongst the Chardonnay faithful, and maybe even convert a few of the never-Viognier (like it did us). Drink now.
Beyond The Pines VICEROY Syrah | 2020 – $30
This is so good – I can’t stop recommending it to people.
Viceroy is the new label from young south Aussie winemaker Matt Keoghan, and it typifies a new perspective; it’s more restrained and finessed than the previous generation’s iterations of South Australian Shiraz, but it hangs on to the generosity of fruit and there’s still opulence.
It’s ready to drink, but it has mid-range ageing potential; five years in the right cellaring conditions will see the development of complexity. I reckon I’ll probably knock my modest supply off long before then, though.
Yangarra Estate Vineyard Noir | 2019 - $28.5
This is a Grenache dominant blend from Yangarra – an exclusively Rhone varietal vineyard in McLaren Vale. The bouquet of fruit is so present in the glass, and the fruit is complex as well; there are fresh red and blue berries, and a delicious sweet-jammy currant element. That fruit is backed up by slick tannic structure and bright acid. It’s complex and intriguing but still easy and fun.
The power of this wine is in its versatility – you won’t run into anyone who isn’t happy drinking it. It’s one of my ‘always on hand’ wines – fit for any company you may keep.
Buy all these wines in a bundle for $100 here.