Value Hacks for Expensive Wines

Ep 168

Great wine doesn't have to come with a premium price tag. 

Some of the world's most famous wines have become famous for a reason. Sancerre, Burgundy, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and Champagne are all incredible wines. But they're also some of the bottles that can make your wallet hurt. The good news? There are plenty of lesser-known wines that offer a similar style without costing you an arm and a leg. 

In this episode, I'm sharing my favorite value hacks for expensive wines. You'll learn what to look for instead of the big names, which regions and grape varieties I recommend, and why some of the best values are hiding just outside the world's most famous wine regions.

You'll discover that some of the best bottles on the shelf aren't always the ones with the most recognizable names. The next time you're standing in a wine shop or looking over a restaurant wine list, you'll have plenty of new wines to try and the confidence to reach for something different. 

Resources:

French Wine 101 - https://www.corkandfizz.com/blog/guide-to-wine-podcast-episode-19

French Wine 101 Part Deux - https://www.corkandfizz.com/blog/guide-to-wine-podcast-episode-35

All About Sparkling Wine - https://www.corkandfizz.com/blog/guide-to-wine-podcast-episode-44

Wines mentioned in this episode:

• Menetou-Salon
• Pouilly-Fumé
• Quincy, Reuilly
• Touraine
• Côtes du Rhone Blanc
• Saumur Blanc
• Godello
• White Rioja Reserva
• IGT Toscana Chardonnay
• Spatburgunder (Germany)
• Pinot Nero (Italy)
• Santa Barbara Pinot Noir from California
• Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
• Cru Beaujolais
• Etna Rossa
• Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
• Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon
• Portuguese Touriga Nacional
• Argentinean Malbec
• Greek Agiorgitiko
• Cremant
• Cava

Episode Highlights:

• Why famous wine regions often come with higher price tags
• Why famous wines cost more than just what's in the bottle 
• Affordable alternatives to Sancerre
• Budget-friendly swaps for white Burgundy
• Better value options for red Burgundy
• Alternatives to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Sparkling wines that rival Champagne for less
• How to shop by style instead of reputation

Transcript

0:10

Interested in learning about wine, but not sure where to start? You're in the right place. Welcome to the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. I'm your host, Hailey Bohlman, and I'm so glad you're here. I'm a wine enthusiast turned wine educator and founder of the Seattle-based wine tasting business, Cork and Fizz. Cork and Fizz. It is my goal to build your confidence in wine by making it approachable and lots of fun. You can expect to learn everything from how to describe your favorite wine to what to pair with dinner tonight, and so much more. Whether you're a casual wine sipper or a total cork dork like myself, this podcast is for you. So grab yourself a glass and let's dive in. Hello and welcome back to the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine podcast. Today I have an episode that I feel like I'm surprised I haven't made before. I think I've made versions of this, but we are gonna be talking about what I'm calling value hacks for popular wine, essentially cheaper alternatives to wines that are starting to get really, really expensive. I went ahead and kind of picked 5 wines that are wines that I really enjoy, but typically mean that I'm splurging a little bit or I'm spending a little more than I normally would. And so went ahead and picked those out and then found some alternatives that are just as good, just lesser known, and thus cost less for you to enjoy. So without further ado, let's go ahead and jump into it. So our first wine we're gonna be talking about is Sancerre. If you have not heard of Sancerre, this is a, and maybe you've heard of it and you're like, I don't actually know what it is. I just like order it on the menu because I've always heard people order it. Sancerre is a, it's actually a region in the Loire Valley of France. And if it is a white wine, which we are talking about a white Sancerre, it is gonna be made with the grape Sauvignon Blanc. And so in France, in most of Europe, most of their wines are gonna be labeled by the region and not the grape. And it's just one of those things that like, they also truly believe that the wine tastes different based on where it's grown. So the grape isn't the most important thing, it's the region. And for this one in particular, the Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, this region is famously known for chalky soil. It comes from this really special type of limestone called Kimmeridgian. I probably am not saying that right. If you wanna learn more, I, I have a full podcast episode all about I think French wine just in general. I might also have one on Loire Valley. We'll put 'em in the show notes if they exist. If I don't have one on the Loire Valley and you want one, let me know and I can do that for you. But anyway, this Sauvignon Blanc, so Sancerre, the white Sancerre, it's made from Sauvignon Blanc. Because of this chalky soil, it is very lean, it's very textured, it's very crisp. So it just has this, you know, think like this, just like brightness and this acidity. That is incredibly refreshing, but instead of just being sharp, it also has this like richness in your mouth that's not like a Chardonnay, but it's just textured. It gives it just that little extra, ugh, you know, that you might not get from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It is also famous for having this minerality. I know that's a weird wine word, but really what it means is like, I always equate it to like, you know, when you're on a, a hike to a waterfall and you're getting closer to that waterfall and you start to smell The waterfall, that smell of like the water hitting the rocks, that's minerality to me. Or if you're more of a city person, you know, right after it's rained and the pavement is wet, that smell, that is minerality, and that is what this wine gives off. Now, Sancerre, it, the name is incredibly popular. At one point in time, it just became the wine to order, and because of that, it has gotten pricey. Also recently, Taylor Swift had a Sancerre. And I guess that made it even more popular cuz it wasn't popular enough already. So you will likely be spending, you know, if you buy one at, you know, your local wine shop, probably$35 or more for a good bottle. And if you're getting a glass, I mean, these can be upwards between $12, $20 for a glass of Sancerre at a restaurant. So here are some other wines that I think are Just as good as Sancerre, but they're not going to cost you an arm and a leg. So first, let's stay in the Loire Valley. So let's stay in the Loire Valley of France and let's go for regions that are really close to Sancerre. If you look up a map right now and you find Sancerre, the Sancerre wine region within the Loire Valley and in France, you'll see it's a very small region and there are lots of little regions around it. And of course, this special soil, this Kimmeridgian soil, Doesn't stop at the boundary of Sancerre. There is more of it. And so you can find a lot of great bottles of Sauvignon Blanc grown on the same soil, just for a lower cost in other regions around Sancerre. So some of these include Menetou Salon. I honestly have not tried this one myself yet. This one came up in my research. The other ones I have tried, this one I haven't. But this is M-E-N-E-T-O-U. S-A-L-O-N. This region is just southwest of Sancerre by only a few kilometers. It has that same limestone, virtually identical soil, and thus creating a very similar wine. You got that flint, which is that minerality. You got the citrus, the cool green herbs, and that salinity, that kind of saltiness that the wine can have along with that texture and that acidity. Just a quick reminder, if you are not on my mailing list yet, what are you waiting for? I would love for you to join. When you do, you'll get a free shopping guide that has 15 of my favorite wines under$15. Head to corkandfizz.com, scroll down to the bottom, and there'll be a little section where you can join the mailing list. I send out a weekly newsletter filled with wine tips, recommendations, special offers, and so much more. Now let's get back to the show. Another good spot. Pouilly-Fumé, and this looks like polyfumé. There's a double L in there, so P-O-U-I-L-L-Y dash F-U-M-E. This region sits across the river from Sancerre, and again, that same smoky flint

minerality and bright citrus. Other regions to look out for: 6:50

Quincy, Q-U-I-N-C-Y, and Reuil. That one I know I'm not saying right. I don't speak French if you can't tell. This one's R-E-U-I-L-L-Y. Both of these regions are to the west of Sancerre. They've produced this really zesty, a little more on the herbaceous side for the Sauvignon Blanc, but it's still some of that minerality, that wet rock, that waterfall, and slightly more round. So instead of the acidity kind of being sharp and straight to the back of your mouth, there's gonna be a little more roundness to this one. And then for like kind of your most cost-effective in the Loire Valley is gonna be Touraine. This is T-O-U-R-A-I-N-E, and I'm spelling these because these are the things that you should look for on the bottle. These are the regions. Remember, a lot of times in France, they're gonna label the wine by the region, not the grape variety. All right, so Touraine, this is gonna be your, this is kind of the largest region. It is even further west than Quincy and Rudibet. It's gonna be kind of really bright lemon, a little even more so in that like herbaceous kind of grassy flavor. So we're getting closer to like a New Zealand style, but still citrusy, still really high acidity. Still gonna have that minerality that you would find in a Sancerre, just not quite as complex or as intense, but you're gonna save on this. So all of these wines, you should be able to find good versions somewhere between $12 and$25. So again, you're gonna save some money looking for these wines that are very close to Sancerre, but not Sancerre. Now going outside of the Loire Valley, we're still gonna stay in France for this other value hack. The other one that I'm gonna recommend is a white Bordeaux. Now you're like, wait a second, Bordeaux, doesn't that mean expensive? Why are you recommending an expensive wine for an expensive— no, white Bordeaux. Now, red Bordeaux is expensive. Yes, the red wine from Bordeaux, France, but the white wines, people don't think about these wines very much, and thus they end up a lower price. White Bordeaux is usually a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and a grape called Semillon. That Semillon does add a little body, a little roundness. So again, it's not gonna be that like, like if you like it, like that acidity should just like bite at your mouth, like you probably should stick with the Loire Valley style Semillon Blanc. But if you're okay, if it has a little roundness, a little richer texture, try a white Bordeaux. They're still gonna have the minerality and that citrus note, and you're gonna find these in like the $10 to $20 range. Again, It's gonna be labeled Bordeaux. It's going to be a white wine though, and that's what you wanna look for on the bottle. All right, moving on to our next popular wine. This is one of the wines that made me fall in love with wine, and that is White Burgundy. So again, this is another French wine. This is from the Burgundy region. It's also called Bourgogne, a region of France, and it is 100% Chardonnay. Now, there are lots of different styles of white Burgundy, everything from super crisp, high acidity Chablis to a richer, rounder style from the Mâconnais. And of course the one in the middle. So these are different regions. Now, there are lots of different types of Chardonnay from Burgundy. You can get everything from the super crisp, high acidity wine from Chablis to a richer, rounder style from the Mâconnais. And again, remember, these are regions within Burgundy. So Chablis is in the far north, Mâconnais is in the far south. And each of these, you're probably gonna find wines maybe like $20, $25 on the lower end. But again, kind of those higher end ones are gonna fall in the $30 to $35 category. And then the best and most expensive Chardonnay comes from the Côte de Beaune, which is directly in between Chablis and the Mâconnais. And these are generally gonna cost at least $30 a bottle, and they just keep getting more and more expensive. And they are amazing wines. I highly recommend trying white Burgundy if you haven't yet. It is delicious. But the reason that it costs so much isn't just because it's good wine. It is because of the name, right? And so people just know Burgundy, and so it ends up costing more, both if you try to buy a bottle at a wine shop. And if you're trying to get a glass at a, you know, restaurant or a wine bar. So if we keep in mind the style of wine that a Burgundy is, and so in general, like I said, you can get high acidity to, you know, something more rounder, but in general, you're gonna find a balanced white wine. It's gonna have these yellow apple notes, lemon, a hint of either vanilla or nuttiness. There's usually a little hint of oak on the, the Chardonnay, unless it's from Chablis. And you're also gonna have this mineral note to the wine. And so if we keep those in mind, here are some alternatives that I would recommend. Here are your value hacks, as we might call them, where you're gonna find a similar style of wine, but likely, hopefully for less money. So first, we don't even have to leave the region of Burgundy. There are actually some lesser known regions where you can find some pretty good deals. Those 2 regions are gonna be the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, which is H-A-U-T-E-S dash C-O-T-E-S de Beaune. And when we were in Burgundy, I remember on one of our tours they talked about this, and the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune is a specific region in Burgundy. It's in the Beaune region, which makes sense, right? In the Côte de Beaune. Now, generally these wines come from the grapes that are on the very top of the hills. Now, the best wines When you think about on a hillside are going to come from kind of the middle of the hillside. They get the best sun exposure. They have the best soil because it's not sitting at the bottom, but it's also not all the way on the top. And that's going to be your best, right? Well, your next best is going to be a little slightly higher up on that slope. And then from there, the top of the slope and then the very bottom of the slope is kind of going to be, it really depends on the area. It's not gonna be your best, but it's certainly not gonna be your worst. And so this is where the Hauts-Cote de Beaune come in, is that some of these Chardonnay, they come from those grapes and they're right next to really, really famous, really expensive grapes. But because they're on the top of the hill, they're not as expensive. And so you can have really delicious wine from those grapes if you have the right farmer and the right winemaker making the wines. The other region to look out for is Côte Chalonnais. Now, if you're looking at Burgundy going from north to south, you have Chablis in the very far north. Then you have the Côte d'Or. This is where you find the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. And then you have Côte Chalonnais. I don't think I'm missing one, and maybe I'm missing one, but then you have Côte Chalonnais. And this is just not a well-known Burgundy region. They make primarily a, I mean, they make mostly Pinot Noir and Crémant, so that sparkling wine. But they also do have some Chardonnay. And again, this is gonna be some good affordable Chardonnay because people haven't heard of this region quite as much. Now, if we leave Burgundy but we stay in France, you have a few other options. One that came to mind to me right away was Southern French white wines. And so whether this be from the Rhône Valley, a Côtes du Rhône Blanc, these are gonna be, you know, I really like the texture on these. These are made from grapes like Roussanne, Marsanne. Viognier, Picpoul adds some acidity. They're, they're typically a blend of these really interesting white grapes. Some of them see oak, some of them don't, right? So you're gonna have to ask about the wine when you see it. But Côtes du Rhône Blanc, I feel like would be a really great alternative to a Chardonnay if you like a white wine that has nice acidity, but some texture and some roundness to it. You could also look for white wines from the Languedoc and especially a Chardonnay from the Languedoc. These are gonna be, it's gonna be a warmer region, so there is gonna be probably higher alcohol and a little more fruit, like especially tropical fruit on the note or tropical fruit on the nose. But again, it's gonna have that same texture. They're really coming up with some great white wines in the Languedoc. This used to be an area known for just like bulk wine, but they are narrowing it down and they're making some really good wine. And again, not well known. These are often not labeled by the region, so they might not actually say Languedoc. They might say Chardonnay on them or a Chardonnay blend. So keep an eye out and ask about those when you're at your local wine shop. Another area in France that I would send you to if you liked Burgundy would actually be the Loire Valley, but not the area where Sancerre is from. We're actually gonna go to an area more in the central Loire Valley. And that is Saumur. And a Saumur Blanc is made with Chenin Blanc. I love Chenin Blanc. I feel like it's just like the, I don't know, the slightly more elegant sister of Chardonnay, if I'm being honest. It, it can be made into sweet and dry wines, so look for the dry versions. But again, you're gonna get that nice chalky minerality, great textures. This one, it's probably gonna be a little more acidic, I think, than your typical Burgundy wine would. But it's just got the same, the same kind of idea going on. I really think if you like a white Burgundy, you're gonna like a Saumur. It's S-A-U-M-U-R, Saumur Blanc, which is Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley. Now heading out of France, there are 2 great options that I thought of from Spain. The first one is Godello. To be fair, this one's harder to find, but totally worth it if you can find it. Whenever I see Godello on a menu, I am 100% ordering it. So this one's G-O-D-E-L-L-O. Okay. But again, really great price-wise. It has this really good texture, minerality, similar flavor profile to Chardonnay. It often sees a little bit of oak, but not an overwhelming amount. So you get a little bit of nuttiness, but none of the butteriness. And it is, it's really good. It comes from the region of Bierzo in Spain usually, which is, if I'm picturing the map correctly, it's like northwest Spain. Not like in the far northwest. That's where Galicia and like your Albariño is. But like between that and Madrid, I think. Hopefully I'm imagining the map correctly. But anyway, look for Godeo from Spain. Also a white Rioja, and specifically a white Rioja Reserva. So that Reserva is important because it means that the wine spent 6 months on oak before it was released. And so the reason that's important is because a white Rioja can be very just like light, bright, fun, easy porch pounder kind of wine. But if it spends a little bit of time on oak, it develops this texture. which makes it a little more similar to a Chardonnay. And so again, this is gonna be one, it's made from a grape called Viura, or at least that's one of the main grapes in it. And I would recommend looking for one that is 100% Viura. And again, look for that white Rioja Reserva. We want the Reserva, we want a little bit of oak influence to give us that nuttiness and that texture. And then finally, besides France and Spain, you could also look to Italy and the Chardonnay from Tuscany, which will be labeled IGT Toscana Chardonnay. It's gonna be a great alternative for your Burgundy as well. You still have those apple and citrus flavors. There's gonna be a decent amount of oak, maybe a little more than you would find in Burgundy. So you might get a little more roundness, a little bit more softness, and a little bit more of that like nutty vanilla cinnamon flavor. But they're still gonna have that good minerality. And remember, minerality is like the, the waterfall, the, the water hitting the rocks or the rain on the pavement. That's what we're looking for in the wines, and that's what you could find in that Tuscany Chardonnay, or the Toscana is what it is often labeled as. Okay. For our next wine, we are gonna stay in Burgundy and we're gonna talk about the red Burgundy. I was like, I thought about doing one or the other, but honestly, I think both white and red Burgundy are delicious and they're also really, really expensive, or they can be. So I thought we'd do alternatives for the red Burgundy as well. Wait, I know you think this is an ad, but it's not, so don't hit skip. I have a small favor to ask. Here's the truth. I will never charge you to listen to this show, but every episode takes time and money to create. So if this podcast has helped you pick a better bottle, learn something new, or just kept you company, would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? You can show your support for just $3, $5, $8, or $10 a month. To say thanks, every single supporter gets a shout out on the next episode I record. And if you choose the $10 tier, you actually get to pick a future episode topic. Setting up a subscription is a great way to show your love for the show. Just click the link in the description right now. Thank you for listening, supporting, and being part of my wine-loving community. Now let's get back to the show. So Red Burgundy, again, it is a wine from the Burgundy region of France, but is a red and is made from 100% Pinot Noir. And what makes this Pinot Noir special is that it just really has this earthy profile. That is what Red Burgundy is known for. You get this like mushroom forest floor, wet leaves, like Think autumn and like that is a red Burgundy. It also has this nice red cherry note and some floral rose notes to it. It's just a, a very complex wine that goes beyond fruit and you just get this, these other notes that just make you just wanna have another sip. Also, it makes me wanna drink it by a fireplace. I always wanna drink red Burgundy by the fireplace. Key region in Burgundy for Your Pinot Noir, your red Burgundy, is gonna be the Côte de Nuits, which this might sound familiar. So for Chardonnay, for our white Burgundy, you looked in the Côte de Beaune. And then if for our red Burgundy, we're going to the Côte de Nuits. And both of these regions, Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, are located in the Côte d'Or. Hopefully that's kind of helpful. Burgundy's very confusing, so if this is all just kind of like going over your head, don't worry about it. Red Burgundy, it says Bourgogne or Burgundy. On the label, and it is a red wine. That's all you need to know. Thing is, with a red Burgundy, you're generally going to spend at least$40, if not more, if you want something of a fairly good quality. So again, let's talk about some value hacks, some alternatives that tend to be a little more affordable. First, sticking in the Burgundy region, it's gonna be very similar to what I said for the white Burgundy. You're gonna find Haute Côte de Nuits. So again, it's just H-A-U-T-E-S dash C-O-T-E-S, and Nuit is N-U-I-T. So Haut-Côte de Nuit. This again is gonna be, the grapes are gonna be from the top of the hills. So just not quite as well known of regions or quite as popular of areas to grow grapes. But if you have the right farmer and you have the right winemaker, it's gonna be great wine. And again, the Côte Chalonnais does make some really great Pinot Noir. It's a little more fruit forward, so not quite as much of the earthiness. But still worth trying. There's also other Pinot Noir from all around the world that would make a great alternative to Burgundy. They go by different names in some areas, so this is where it can be kind of hard to find them. First one I'd recommend, Spätburgunder, which is what Pinot Noir is called in Germany. I love these wines. They have such a bright acidity to them. They just, they're very Fresh and they're also very floral. They still have the earthy and the fruit notes to them, but I would definitely pick one of these as like my summer red burgundy. And then for your fall red burgundy, Pinot Nero, which is what Pinot Noir is called in Italy, is another great option. This one's gonna be a much more fruit forward. Typically a little bit warmer regions will be making these than our red burgundy, but again, very similar in style. They're not that far away from each other. So you're gonna find some good options there. And nobody really knows about Pinot Nero. Nobody knows about Pinot Noir from Italy. So it's gonna be a great option. And again, Spätburgunder, like when was the last time you heard somebody order that? Of course it's not very famous. Nobody's even heard of Spätburgunder. So it's a great option for you to kind of find something that hasn't become popular yet. So it's a little bit less expensive. In terms of Pinot Noir from the US, I do drink a lot of US Pinot Noir. I do think it kind of gets up there in price though, just because A lot of wine in the US is more expensive. The folks in the US, winemakers, often don't own their own land, and so they have to buy grapes, and that land is expensive that the grapes are growing on. And also in the US, we're, you know, trying to make our money back right away. It's like the winery hasn't been in the family for like 200 years, so a lot of people are kind of just starting off and they can't just like pour money into it. Anyway, I digress. Wine can be more expensive in the US, but There are some great wines that are less money than our red Burgundies, especially the Pinot Noirs. So Santa Barbara Pinot Noir is one I'd look for, especially from the Santa Maria Valley. Again, those can get expensive, but you can also find some around the $30 range that are really, really good. And Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Willamette Valley is a region in Oregon and they are famous for their Pinot Noir. Again, these can get Pricey, but you can find some great bottles between $25,$30. I will say the Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs to me tend to have a little more oak influence, and they often will use American oak and French oak, and it just ends up having a little more of these like vanilla cinnamon notes to the wine, which are great and good. It just sometimes it's a little more I almost wanna call it like, it's almost like a little more proper Pinot Noir versus like a red Burgundy just feels like a little more like, ooh, okay. Here's a good way to describe it. I feel like Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is the city Pinot Noir to Burgundy's like country Pinot Noir. I'm thinking of like the City Mouse, Country Mouse like book, or there, there's a tale about that, isn't there? So anyway, I think of the Willamette Valley Pinot as being a little bit more city and then the Burgundy's a little more country. Yeah. Both are good, just slightly different. Now you can also find some great alternatives to, to red Burgundy that are not Pinot Noir. So the first one that comes to mind is Beaujolais, and specifically a Cru Beaujolais. What this means is it's a slightly higher end Beaujolais. It comes from a region called a Cru, C-R-U, and the winemaker generally tends to take a little more care with this wine. And it tends to be a little more rich and intense in flavor. So Beaujolais is made from the Gamay grape. Beaujolais is a region just south of Burgundy. It's actually technically part of Burgundy, but Burgundy doesn't really like to admit that. So, so we call it its own region south of Burgundy. And again, that Cru Beaujolais, it's gonna be made with Gamay, but it's gonna have those same floral kind of fruity notes, kind of same like potted soil, which I know sounds weird to describe. Something you're eating, but it's the aroma of it where it's just earthy in the best way. And these wines will have that just like the red Burgundy does, but you're only gonna be spending about $25. The challenge with Cru Beaujolais is that they're often named on the bottle by the name of the cru. So the crus are like small little vineyard areas and they each have a name. So one of the most popular ones is called Morgon. Let me, I'm trying to think of some other ones. Fleury, I think is another one. So just look up the Cru Beaujolais, and Beaujolais is B-E-A-U-J-O-L-A-I-S. Look up the Cru Beaujolais, look for the name of those, and then go look for those on bottles at the wine shop. Or even better, just ask for some help. Say, hey, I want a Cru Beaujolais. I love red Burgundy, but I don't wanna spend as much money. What do you recommend? And I bet they'll be able to find something for you. Last but not least, I have to highlight Etna Rosa. Now, I think this one is starting to get as popular as red Burgundy, but still just not quite as expensive, which is good. This is a red wine from the island of Sicily in Italy, and it is named for the volcano Mount Etna that is on Sicily, and the grapes are actually grown in the volcanic soil. This wine is made from a grape called Nerello Mascalese, and because of that volcanic soil, it really embodies this great earthiness. And then it just has this such bold red cherry flavor to kind of combine with that earthiness. Mm. I love Etna Rosso. It is definitely one of my favorite wines and it is a great alternative to red Burgundy cuz you can find a great bottle for $30. You could probably find one for less than $30 as well, but that's about where I spend for my Etna Rosa. Okay, 2 more wines to go. The next one, of course, if we're talking expensive wines, we gotta talk about Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon is the name of the grape, and Napa Valley is an AVA within California where the grapes are grown. This wine First became popular after the Judgment of Paris, which was basically when they did a blind tasting of French and American wines, and the American wines won. They beat out some of the best French wines, and they did Chardonnay from California and France, and Cabernet Sauvignon from California and France. And so. In this situation, the California Cab and the California Chardonnay both won over the French wines. And so I was like, oh crap, they make some good wine there. So now Napa Valley has just become synonymous with this Cabernet. It is typically very big, very bold, lots of fruit, lots of tannin. These are wines that generally need to age for a while, or you need to decant it for quite a lot of time. It's gonna be A little intense, and when I say a little, I should say a lot intense. If you have it when it's quite young, but they do use a lot of new oak, and that can add to the price. Anytime that you're putting new oak on a wine or essentially putting wine in a new oak barrel, it's gonna cost money because you had to buy that barrel new basically every year. And so that costs money. And so with that said, a Napa Valley Cabernet, both because of the, you know, money it costs to make it, and land in California is not cheap. So cost to make it, plus just being famous for it and just being a very popular style of wine, you're gonna pay at least $40 for a bottle. And I feel like that's like on the lower end. It is probably significantly higher than that. I'm being conservative. So with that said, some other options for your Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, if you want to save a little money. First, let's think about some other Cabernet Sauvignon. You could stay right in California and you don't have to go very far. You can go to Paso Robles. This is a region that's kind of known as the Wild West of California, but they make some Cabernet Sauvignon that is also gonna be that big, bold style. It's gonna be a little dusty is what I call it, where it's got a little bit more of that earthy note to it instead of the fruitiness and maybe not as much oak, which again kind of contributes to why it's not as expensive, but a great region to go to if you want some budget-friendly Napa Valley, similar to Napa Valley Cabernet. Another region much further away, Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. I feel like this is like, this is the GOAT. Like if you have not had Chilean wine and especially Chilean red wine, I think it's gonna blow your mind cuz they have some great wines that are not expensive in the slightest. So I would look for a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, especially from the Maipo Valley. It's M-A-I-P-O Valley. These are gonna be very structured, very powerful, very fruit forward. The other one I'd look for is a Cabernet or a Cabernet blend from Lebanon. Again, not a region a lot of people think of, so it's going to be less expensive. So a good place to look. Outside of Cabernet Sauvignon, there are 3 wines that I would recommend if you like Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, but you don't wanna spend an arm and a leg. The first one is from Portugal. It is a Touriga Nacional or a blend with Touriga Nacional being in it. This is a black grape that is traditionally used in making port, but when it's making a dry wine, it takes on flavors very similar to Cabernet Sauvignon. The other one, Argentinian Malbec. This is very much a fruit bomb. The flavor doesn't last quite as long as a Cabernet, so if you can find one that's a Malbec Cabernet blend, oh. Jackpot. Get that wine. But if it's just a Malbec, it is still really great. It has all that power that Cabernet drinkers enjoy. It just tends to kind of fade a little bit. So just be ready to take another sip after your first sip or have some food to pair with it. The last one that I'd recommend is a Greek wine. It's called Agiorgitiko. It looks like Agiorgitiko. You say the G's like Y's. Agiorgitiko. This wine has some really great structure, a balance of cherry and plum with some warm baking spices and that minerality note as well. It's a bit softer in style, but it still has good texture, still has integrated tannins and a nice lifted acidity. And again, people have not heard of Greek Ariitiko, so they're not gonna spend a lot of money on it. It's gonna be that little hidden gem. That you know about. And so you're like, yeah, I'll take that bottle that's like$25 over your $55 of Napa Valley Cabernet, and you're still gonna enjoy it just as much. Okay. Our last popular expensive wine that we are gonna talk about, we gotta go sparkling. Let's talk Champagne. This is a sparkling wine that is made in what's called the traditional method, or honestly, it's often called the Champagne method. Basically just means that it goes through the first fermentation. And then it goes through a second fermentation in the bottle itself. A lot of other sparkling wines do this, and we're gonna get to those. Those are gonna be part of my alternatives that I recommend. But this style of wine, it's usually non-vintage, and that's because they will do the first fermentation and store that wine from each year. And then each year they kind of do a blend of those different years, put it in a bottle, and then do a second fermentation. Now, if it's a really great year, They'll do one that is of just a single year, single vintage is what it's called, and then they'll put the year on it. But usually it's NV or non-vintage. Now there are technically 9 different grape varieties that can be used in Champagne, but the 3 most popular are Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay. There are specific aging requirements in Champagne, and this is one of the things that adds to its cost. So even at the kind of low end, which is any non-vintage Champagne, It has to age for a minimum of 15 months with 12 of those on the lees. And lees, which is L-E-E-S, you can learn more about this in my episode all about sparkling wine, but just to give you a basic introduction to that, the lees are what the yeast becomes when it dies. So the yeast eats all the sugar, and then when there's no more sugar left, it dies and it becomes lees. And if you leave the wine in contact with these, It gives it this really rich, complex mouthfeel, kind of gives it those yogurt brioche almondy notes that are so delicious, at least in my opinion, in a sparkling wine. And so what this is saying is that a champagne, even a non-vintage, this is kind of our lower end of champagne, needs to age for at least 15 months before you release it. And 12 of those are on the lees, are specifically on the lees with those dead yeast cells to really give it that flavor. Now the thing is, everyone knows about champagne. Champagne is the fancy sparkling wine that we all bring out to celebrate. And so you're going to spend a good amount of money to get yourself a bottle of champagne. I would say nowadays at least$40, unless you're going to Costco. You can get a great bottle of Costco champagne, which is champagne. They can't call it champagne unless it truly is from the Champagne region of France. So I definitely recommend that. But if Costco's not an option for you, or you want something other than the Costco champagne, Yeah, you're gonna be spending at least $40, if not more. So let's talk about some value hacks, some alternatives that are a little more affordable. First, one of my favorite recommendations, what I like to call champagne on a beer budget. It is Crémant. Crémant is basically champagne, but just made in different regions in France. It is made using the same exact method, so it uses the traditional method. And some regions actually uses the same exact grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Not every region, but some of them, they do. And so basically, Crémant is sparkling wine from other regions in France that uses the traditional method. The 2 that I would recommend at the top of my list would be Crémant de Bourgogne. So sparkling wine, this Crémant from Burgundy, France, or Crémant de Loire. And this is the sparkling wine from Loire Valley, but you could also find Crémant de Bordeaux. Crémant de Jura, Crémant d'Alsace, Crémant de Savoie, and Crémant de Limoux. Generally, you can find these bottles, I would say like around $20, you can find a good bottle. So for the 2 favorites, Crémant de Bourgogne, uh, this is from the Burgundy region. This is one of those that uses Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which are 2 of the same grapes that are used in Champagne. There are shorter aging requirements for this one, so it can be a little less complex. They only have to age for 9 months versus 15 months minimum. And if you get one from Northern Burgundy, you're gonna have kind of more of a fresh, crisp style versus Southern Burgundy. You're gonna have more of that rounder, fuller style because the grapes can get riper. The reason I recommended the other one, Crémant de Loire, is because this region requires 12 months of aging on lees. So you're getting much closer to that Champagne requirement of 15 months. So this one's 12 months on the lees. So you get more of that complexity, more of that rounded mouthfeel. This one uses Chenin Blanc, which if you remember from before, is a grape that is similar to Chardonnay. So again, you're gonna get something, something similar and definitely a great sparkling wine at half the price of your champagne. Now, if we leave France, the other wine, the other sparkling wine that I'd recommend if you want a budget-friendly alternative to champagne is Cava. This wine is produced the same way that champagne is, but it's made in Spain. And it uses 3 grapes that are native to Spain. It's called Macabeo, Xarel·lo, and Parellada. And actually, a fun fact, my husband and I, when we got married, instead of doing a champagne toast, we did a cava toast because heck, that sparkling wine tasted just as good. None of our guests knew. And we saved, I think we paid$15 a bottle for our cava. And that was like a really good bottle of cava from a local wine shop. So if that tells you anything, cava is totally your budget budget-friendly alternative. They do have aging requirements in Cava, so your basic is going to be about 9 months on the lees. Reserva— so if you look for a Cava Reserva, this is 15 months on the lees, which is basically the same requirement as our non-vintage Champagne. And there's also a Gran Reserva, which is 30 months on the lees, and they have to use all the wine from a single year, which means that it will have a vintage year on the bottle. Now, your basic Cava You can get these for$10 or less. I would recommend going a little higher. Like those low-cost ones are gonna be very, they are gonna be made in the traditional method, but you're definitely more your bulk-style wines. So if you wanna go, you know, kind of get something a little more similar to your Champagne, look for a Reserva or Gran Reserva bottle around$20 or more. I will highlight one producer that technically doesn't make Cava, but they make sparkling wine in the traditional method in Spain. And that is Provenza aussi Blanc. We've actually had their winemaker on the show before, and I've tried many of their wines and they are so good. And their entry level again is right around $20. So it's basically champagne, but from Spain. Like it's the same quality of champagne and tastes just as good as champagne, but it's from Spain. And then it's its own thing too. Like I just, I highly recommend if you've never tried a cava. Go out and get one. Give it a try. I think you'll enjoy it. All right. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine podcast. If you'd like me to provide alternatives, budget-friendly alternatives for other wines, let me know. I'd love to do a part two. Let me know what wines you have in mind, and I will certainly do that. 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