For lovers of cheap wine!

[All over the world]

Okay, by cheap I don't mean cheap as in bad quality, I mean wine which doesn't cost more than 18 euros a bottle and is really well made. Let's all compile a list of wines we like so that other forum members may try them out! Oh, and european wines only please.

La Rose de Vitrac (Bordeaux), 12 Euros

Your turn!

[cathach]

Good lord, there are many that'd say over E10 is too dear, depending on where you're based. If in France as I belive you're based, you should be able source very many at well under the ceiling of E18. However when i treat myself I go for

Ripasso La Casetta by Domini Veneto E12

[Concordia]

Cru Beaujolais will almost all be under your limit, and at its best can be quite wonderful. 2009 was reputedly a monster year, so browse there. I re-upped my cellar now that the 2003s are more or less finished.

About 10 years ago, Burgundy was woefully underpriced and you could get a lot of good things at the bottom of good producers' ranges. That's much less so now, so I won't tempt fate by guessing who the survivors are at the sub-E18 level.

Mosel rieslings are almost always underpriced. I'd guess that depending on your local tax situation, a good Kabinett or even Spatlese might be a possibility for that amount. Prum or St-Urbans-Hof are useful sources, but there's much more to like.

I don't get any in a disciplined way, but from time to time I wade into southern Italy and Sicily and am very agreeably surprised by how nice the reds are. I wish I could remember the suppliers that I've had luck with, but that will probably depend a lot on your local merchant anyway. And the ones Ive tried and liked are under $18, not just E18.

[Simon A]

Chateau Mukhrani; Saperavi
Chateau Mukhrani: Goruli Mtsvane

Both grape varieties indigenous to Georgia (the source of the world's oldest vinicultural tradition), produced under cool climate conditions.

[gherrmann]

Olga Raffault's Chinon Les Picasses
Pretty much any Muscadet from Domaine de la Pepiere (e.g., Clos de Briords, Cuvee Eden) or Luneau Papin
Morgon from Lapierre or Burgaud
CVNE's Vina Real at the Reserva level
Macle's Cotes du Jura
Ferrando's Caremma "Etichetta Bianca"

Just to name a few that come to mind. There is a lot of excellent, expensive wine to be found in the world. Fortunately, there is also a fair amount of excellent, inexpensive wine to be found. The latter sometimes gives more pleasure than the former.

[couch]

As you probably know, in particularly good vintages, excellent quality can often be found much farther down the price range in the relevant climatic regions than in an average year. So, for instance, if you like Rhones (I do) there are a lot of quite nice 2007 Côte du Rhone villages wines, if you can still find them on the shelves. Rasteau, Lirac, and particularly Vacqueyras made some wines that punch well above their weight that year (I had a terrific '07 Vacqueyras at Andrew Edmunds last summer, following a splendid Condrieu). This weekend I bought a basic 2007 Guigal Côte du Rhone ($11.99 at my local store) and ended up regretting that I opened it for a garden-variety pizza--for the second bottle I think I'll need to upgrade to a good cassoulet or something. I've had some of the '09s which are also very good, if less generous and with more grip. But with an extra year or two in bottle they may end up equaling or in some cases surpassing the '07s.

Edit: I meant to second the suggestion of the CVNE Riojas. If you can find any of the traditional-style producers in your price range, even the crianza-level wines are lovely if well paired. Reservas and gran reservas even better.

[castiglione]

Sierra Cantabria. One of its recent vintages (2004 or 2005) deserved 90 points by Robert Parker. Price in Spain. Around 10 euros bottle.

[castiglione]

Just saw on the shelves CVNE Imperial 2004. At around 23 euros bottle this must count among the best value for money in the wine world.