Top 10 Best Wines for Under $30

Looking back over the year and a half of what I bought at Costco, it looks like I bought a 4 bottles of Kirkland Tawny Port, a Ruffino, a Melini chianti , 2 Kirkland Paulliacs, 1 Kirkland Champagne, 1 Kirkland Merlot, 1 Kirkland Pinot Noir; a Rioja, a Graham port wine; a Kirkland Cabernet; 2 Banfi, 2 Kirkland Tuscany; looking for a Kirkland Chateauneuf de Pape (couldn't find - waiting) DaVinci (cheap and horrible) Coppola (horrible) Pinot Grigo Trentino (not good); Marchesi di Barolo Barbera d'Alba; maybe more wines, I don't remember. I'll pick up something and forget to write it down, but so far I'm looking for Sauvion Blanc and de Pape sold by Kirkland, but I think I missed them.

Dee

Don't some wines have specific "ideal" storage temperatures or something like that though? I've noticed that a few wine coolers have separate temperature compartments. It sounds like there are actually "ideal" temperatures for different wines? Is that true?

You want the cork to remain wet creating a better seal. If kept upright the cork will dry out. I don't know about this with regards to synthetic corks.

I was wondering what wines you prefer but can't find at Costco.

For an inexpensive Sauvingnon Blanc try Murphy Good Reserve at Costco. I believe Murphy Good uses the Fume Blanc name. Great wine at a low price.

Yes, for long term storage and aging of wines. Basically the slower you age a wine it's complexities become more apparent. The warmer the temp, the faster it ages. I store my reds at 55 and whites closer to 50. Generally most whites reach their peak sooner than reds but that depends on the varietal and winery.

If you are not planning to keep wines more than a few months before drinking then all you need is a stable temp. An interior closet away from any heat source works good. However, in areas such as the southwest deserts this wont work as interior temperatures arent very stable in the summer and a wine cooler would be needed.

If you plan on keeping wines longer than a few months then a wine cooler is recommended.

We don't have Costco were I am but I have bought the same wine and vintage from different stores before and the bottles have had noticeable differences. I can tell as soon as I uncork and sometimes before I uncork. There will be a bit of wine that has leaked out of the bottle meaning air has leaked in or the cork will be half colored from the wine instead of just the tip (not always bad). I have times I have bought a case of assorted wines from a liquor stores and 30% are marginal or bad. I should return them but instead I just never go back.

Mike

I'm trying to keep them from being confused by modernists!

My way IS traditional!

Modernists? Hardly but I also don't live in the dark ages of wine snobbery with the belief that wine can only be enjoyed one and only one way.

Traditions aren't always a good thing. Often they fail to allow one to expand their enjoyment. On the plus side I'd spend a lot less and drink a lot less wine if I could only drink it with a meal. Oh wait, I forgot, Italians drink wine with every meal including breakfast...BLECK!!!

Sterling has been way downhill since being bought by Coca Cola many years age. The only thing I like about them is their tram ride. Last time I was there I did taste a library wine of a 1978 Cab that was excellent but that is long gone.

Last time I was there was in the early 90's. I felt the tram was just a gimmick. Never cared much for their wines. The tram was broken down and they used a van up the road anyways.

Did he emphasize the word "give"? If not, then I wouldn't give it a secong thought.

Jose

Mike, I bought a bottle of $24.99 :-)) wine at Costco and it was corked. I took it back (full bottle) and they had no problem refunding the money. She told me that they prefer to have the full bottle returned (or near full bottle). Wonder why? :-)))

I know how you feel going for a refund to a liquor store. Depending on the store and who is on duty at the time, I might prefer the Spanish Inquisition. I never have asked, as I recall, but sometimes the people taking the money look like they've heard a lot of stories and have a lot of mileage on them.

I recall 3 bottles of something that was marked a certain price, but rang up $2 each more; when I asked about it, the guy said the rack labels hadn't been changed yet, but they would GIVE it to me for what it said. The way he said it to me, well, I know he doesn't give a damn, but I don't go there as often, and when I do, I usually peek in to see if he is at the register. What a jerk! :-))) Dee

Perhaps it depends on the time of day you have breakfast. Have you ever had Sunday Brunch with a little bit of wine? But, I thought it was the FRENCH that drink wine with every meal including breakfast. Not so? Dee

I have always suspected that a nearly full bottle says, we opened it and didn't like it, a nearly empty one says, well maybe it wasn't so bad.

We went there the first year (could've been second year, but don't think so) they opened. DH said we went up on the gondola/tram. I recall the building setting was pretty impressive, but the wine was very forgettable - none of us were wine experts, of course, but we were all in agreement there was nothing special about the wine.

I had then just ridden on a tram up to a mountain in Palm Springs, so the tram was sort of a gimmick in that regard.

Dee

It usually isnt a problem to return a corked wine from a reputable wine store. If a particular customer returns an unusually high number then there could be trouble.

Never had wine with sunday brunch. Usually Champagne or Champagne/orange juice (I forget the proper name for that).

I've never heard of the french drinking wine as much as the Italians do. Nor does France produce anywheres near the amount of cheap sipping wines that Italy does.

Trouble for the store? ;-)) Dee

But, I thought Champagne is wine -- perhaps it is not.

Hmm -- perhaps it is that France's cheap sipping wines are always expensive? Dee