Delicious cheap semi-sweet wine. My personal rating of wines in Moscow stores

If the wine is inexpensive, it does not mean that it is tasteless. Let's try to figure out how to choose the right delicious wine in an affordable price range. (Of course, we are not talking about "talkers" for 100 rubles.)

For many, buying wine in a restaurant becomes a real challenge. Needless to say about the independent choice of wine in the store, where you can see several racks of all kinds of bottles of different price categories. The matter becomes even more complicated if this wine is intended for important guests or celebrating events. The chooser feels responsible for the taste and quality of what is bottled.

Why do we feel overwhelmed and think that everyone will judge us for our choices, especially if we buy inexpensive wine? You can answer: “Well, because wine producers know about the quality of their product and will not sell cheap something really worth it.”

But wine can end up on store shelves. different ways! No one is immune from buying fakes. Yes, you need to be careful when choosing wine, but to make this right choice within the power of everyone. By the way, one of the points: you should buy wine without excessive tension and suspicion. This is not an exam, much depends on the case.

How to choose and buy wine

How to choose wine? Looking through multi-page wine lists in a restaurant, or glancing at the rows of bottles in a store, you can get desperate. And if the budget is limited to all this - you can wave your hand, choose the first bottle with a cute little animal on the label and run away.

But in fact, armed with some knowledge, you can buy or order wine like a pro!

First, you must decide what "cheap and cheerful" means to you. Here the range will be taken from 300 to 500 rubles.

Secondly, it must be recognized that excise stamp- this is not a confirmation palatability guilt. How plastic stopper or a screw cap is not a sign of bad wine. It's just that wine is a kind of tradition, the cork stopper is part of the tradition. But some manufacturers are moving away from it. For example, some winemakers in New Zealand and Australia were the first to use metal screw caps, and for good reason: they reliably protect wine. Such caps can be found on bottles for 300 rubles and 1200 rubles.

Basic Rules

Wines of some countries, wine-growing regions, types and varieties of grapes are sold cheaper than analogues. For example, Vinho Verde (Verde) from Portugal - a fine white wine with a tart fruit flavor and small bubbles. It is ideal for summer picnics and quiet family evenings on the veranda of the cottage. And you can buy it even for less than 300 rubles.

Italy also produces several good wines ranging from 300 to 500 rubles. Take at least Primitivo, Sangiovese And Merlot.

Avoid wines that require a long "maturation": for example, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir ( Pinot noir) , Barolo or Amarone (Amarone). These wines should not be cheap. If they are inexpensive, then it is a fake (or bad wine) or not yet ready to drink.

Choose from wines that have good taste when they are "fresh". These include Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, majority Rieslings and some others.

How to buy wine in a restaurant

Now in restaurants there are few where they offer Home wine. Most often in wine lists- a list of bottled wine. If you often go to a certain restaurant and the assortment of wines there is large, then order a new name every time. This lovely way learn to decide on likes and dislikes. Remember the taste of wine, how it goes with various dishes how it smells, liked / disliked.

Make your list of preferences and ask the waiter for advice/recommendations. Some restaurants (at least abroad) even practice pre-tasting.

Dispelling the wine myth

Have you heard the rule: red wine - with meat and white wine - with fish and poultry? This rule was observed when French wines were served for lunch or dinner. Now it no longer works - our tastes and food have changed so much. Asian, Indian, Mediterranean currents have penetrated our cuisine, which changes the "rules" for wines. What to be guided by when buying wine for a particular main course?

Here's a simple rule: Asian foods often pair well with crisp, tart white wines.. These wines good quality can be purchased at a fairly reasonable price. Red wines with a pronounced, rich taste are suitable for fatty red meat. Red wine can be chosen from those produced in Australia, Spain, Portugal, Italy - they are suitable for both quality and money.

Even good champagne can be affordable. This question is especially relevant on the eve of the upcoming New Year. Want to see on festive table a sparkling wine, the purchase of which will not hit your pocket? Then look for Cremant from France, Asti (Asti) And Prosecco (Prosecco) from Italy and Cava (Kava) from Spain. Bottles of this wine can be found for 500 rubles (600-700 - more likely).

Good luck with your choice!

The best wines. How do you know which wines fall into this category? This will help us with wine ratings compiled by eminent sommeliers around the world. A wine rating is a score that a wine can receive after tasting and evaluating other factors (eg volume, price, subjective impression). To choose the best wine, it is not necessary to be a wine specialist with many years of experience - just look at the wine rating and draw a conclusion. The best wines in the world usually score between 90 and 100 on the 100-point American scale.

Wine evaluation is most often done by the method of "blind tasting". It consists in the fact that experts are offered wine, about which they know only the place of origin and nothing more. Each expert is a specialist in a particular region, so you can count on the objectivity and reliability of the assessment of wine.

The American magazine Wine Spectator tastes tens of thousands of wines a year. The best wines get 95-100 points. This category is classic great wines. Quite good wines (well-made, according to the rankings) score between 80 and 89 points. Well, the 90+ category includes really prestigious and famous wines, elite wines that we are pleased to present to your attention.

The most popular wines are undoubtedly French wines (Bordeaux and Burgundy wines), Italian and Spanish wines.

Wine lovers are often concerned about the following questions: where to buy good wine And where is the best place to buy wine? We recommend that you buy wine in specialized stores and not in supermarkets. Such outlets can offer you really good wine. Shop, which sells a href="/wine/elite/">elite wines, must necessarily comply with a certain temperature and light storage regime. Contrary to the skeptics good wine in Moscow You can still buy, you just need to know where ..

Also, wine consumers often ask if there is a natural good cheap wine. We can please you: there are a lot of such wines, because the best varieties wines make up only a small part of the exports of famous wine countries. The rest is good-quality table wines for everyday use. affordable price. Expensive wines are usually not just quality, but historically valuable wines. Best years wine harvest can also play a role - the wine of a significant millesime will cost more. The most expensive wine can cost tens of thousands of dollars - like the Chateau d "Yquem (Chateau d" Yquem) of 1787, which was sold for $ 90,000.

Good cheap wines in a huge assortment are presented in our catalog. You can choose from classic French, Italian, Spanish and New World wines. The controversy about what is the best wine, will never fade away. It can be a wine highly rated by authoritative experts, and the most expensive wine, but most likely the best is quality wine which you like and which you will want to try again and again.

Do you know how to choose wines? Is that serious? Of course, not at the level of an amateur sommelier, but at least with an accurate understanding - what are you paying for and what will you get in the end?

After all, it is very sad to watch people who regularly drink wine, but each time they enter the wine department with a surprised face. Like, nothing to itself - what only is not present! Then they quickly choose something according to the “CC” (color-price) principle, and in the evening they complain that they are drinking “some kind of filth”.

Using own experience purchase and consumption of wine in Nizhny Novgorod, we have put together 7 basic tips to help you choose this drink in the store more or less successfully.

And “successful” in our understanding is the result with a good impression and without noticeable financial costs.

1. Look for wines in unsightly supermarkets near the house and in large hypermarkets like "Lenta" or "Ashana".

Alas, in wine boutiques, despite the assortment and service, the markup on wines is quite large.

But in grocery stores"Church" of goods is usually so active that management tends to quickly get rid of certain positions.

For example, from wines of the middle price category - hence discounts and various promotions.

2. Pay attention to the wines of unpopular states.

It is clear that wines from France or Italy attract attention on the shelves, but it is rather difficult to find good wine from these countries within 300-500 rubles.

Look on the labels for the names of states that are associated with winemaking to a lesser extent: Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Uruguay, Romania.

In such countries, wines are most often made from local grape varieties, knowing exactly how to deal with them. They put only the best samples on the international market, and competition forces them to significantly reduce prices.

3. Look for wine made from only one grape variety.

Pros often say that mixing 2-3-4 varieties in one bottle is an attempt to hide the abomination of low-quality grapes with some other taste.

And this means that, first of all, you should pay attention to "single-varietal" wines. Take Russian rkatsiteli, Italian nebbiolo, Spanish verdejo or Chilean carmener without any impurities.

And try to catch the varietal characteristics in taste and aroma, and not the features of an incomprehensible cocktail.

4. Accumulate knowledge and experience.

Remember the wines that you have already drunk - regions, varieties, blends, years, prices. Learn to correlate the concepts of price and quality (taste). Go to the wine departments (even if you don't need anything) - take the bottles in your hands, read the labels, get acquainted with expensive wines that you can't afford yet.

Try to improve your wine culture. So it will be much easier for you to make a choice in favor of a tasty and financially adequate wine. You will also get +10 to the "Interesting Conversation" skill.

5. Look for imported wines with a bright and prominent label.

Many small European (and also Australian and South African) wineries are trying to “break into” the market using a catchy label. So they attract the attention of potential buyers.

Boring castles and coats of arms on the label? This is the lot of precious "Chateau" or fake Russian liquor. Cartoons and comics in Spanish wine? Perfect option- take immediately.

Of course, there is no guarantee that such a wine will be noticeably cheaper than others, but the fact that it will be tasty is almost 100%!

6. Buy dry wine.

It is dry wine that allows you to catch all the necessary qualities and characteristics. Semi-dry wines are also normal, but not for all countries.

In addition, dry wines are often cheaper than semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet (especially). The point is simplified production and marketing - semi-sweet wines in Russia, alas, are still very popular.

7. Read the label carefully.

Read the text. It often happens that for some reason "Spanish" wine is bottled in the Krasnodar Territory.

Leave nothing unattended. Be sure to find the date of bottling. Although the shelf life of wine is usually not limited, drink inexpensive drinks stands in the first two years of their existence.

In the end, make sure that there is an excise stamp on the bottle. There were no traces of glue or other signs of forgery.

Adequately correlate the price and the label. On a bottle for 230 rubles there should not be the phrases: “divine wine”, “piercing taste of berries” and “ten-year exposure”.

Lastly, don't hesitate to ask for advice from those who "know a little more than you." Often the response to small question about wine turns into a whole conversation about gastronomy and travel. Followed by drinking.

Subscribe to our blog wfd_nn and find out Interesting Facts about delicious and inexpensive wines that are sold in Nizhny Novgorod.

The undeniable truth says one simple thing: the main thing is to always be drunk. Because only in a drunken state are the most born precise definitions to political news. But do not poison yourself on such an occasion with muck from the dirty hands of an unholy seller. You need to take an exquisite drink, from which it becomes easy on the soul, truth is born in the brain, the heart comes out in tachycardic ecstasy, and the liver affectionately says: “Well, fool, for today I will forgive you again.” And it is imperative that the angels fly overhead, like Yerofeev. Not necessarily very expensive, most importantly, good. Let's dwell on wine, because even Vladimir Ilyich said: "The most important of the arts for us is cinema and wine."

However, many "gourmets" and "aesthetes" with foam at the mouth assure that there is no good wine in supermarkets. Even in elite liquor stores one or two, it has been miscalculated. good drinks of this type either abroad, in countries that learned to make wine before other peoples got down from the trees and learned to kiss, or for very, very big money. Someone will advise you to make wine yourself, but, alas, not everyone has a chance to buy raw materials and a place to store barrels. And instead of listening to their whining and ridiculous, nurtured dubious personal experience advice, listen to our verified opinion, burnt by bitter experience and common sense.

The liver pays for show-off

Before reaching out with a trembling hand to the counter that says "Chablis, a special offer for only 180 rubles," remember simple truth: wine planet is divided into noble wines like riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir or nebbiolo, and simpler varieties like old friend your drunken girlfriends: sauvignon blanc or merlot, barber or trebbiano. So it is better to take a good Chilean sauvignon than a French-style fusel.

Don't interfere

Here on the “Ashanovskaya” shelf, next to the heating bladder"Wines of Kuban", a dubious brand was noticed. Well, what can I say, pass by, this is the same mura as the "Chervyvochka", which used to be made from fruit scraps, and now, apparently, from scraps of waste products. Such wines are like a rubbish bin, a mass grave from different varieties grapes, a trash can made of not the highest quality raw materials, in which the task of each “blended variety” is to cover up the shortcomings of the other. In general, another trick to put the consumer in an elegant pose. Buy, children, wine of the same variety, blended - it's like moonshine from a cow's heap.

The brand is not nonsense

Large producers who produce wines in huge batches are a nightmare. But in our business, a sommelier is seasoned in oak barrels the devil, who confuses, provoking the purchase of more expensive wine. In the fragrant ocean of cheap wines, you are your own sommelier, and if for him “supermarket wine” is a curse, then for you it is salvation. What are we talking about… Oh yeah, don't be afraid of brands and large circulation. After all " folk brand"You need to keep the brand, earn money and solder the people. This means that they have the capacity to produce wine with a stable level of quality. This does not mean that you need to blindly follow it, but you certainly do not need to be afraid.

The power of public opinion

Listen to people's opinion. Various applications in which you can get an opinion about a product have become a reality. You don't need to ask the opinions of professionals about the Crimean "Saperavi", just as you don't need to ask the conductor Nadia for an opinion about Dom Perignon. When it comes to mass-produced goods, people don't lie! Just pay attention to the quality of the reviews: the more stupid the review and the more water you brought in, the further the bottle should be from your basket. In other words, everything is paid for.

Old doesn't mean good

Plain wines are always made ready to drink, take it easy. If in 2016 they shove you a bottle of the 2000 vintage, then most likely you are asked to overpay for dead and even stinky wine.

promotional scam

It can shock, excite, even excite, but... Promotional wine is the same crap as expired promotional chicken. Everything that is on the stock is questionable. So, you need to get rid of the goods as soon as possible. What for? This is where the suspicions begin. Simple promotional logic: you are not my brother, the buyer, but so, damn sore.

The whole world makes delicious

Stop paying attention to Burgundy and Italy, stop reproaching yourself for not having enough money for a real Chianti. Just put up with the fact that in Chile, in Argentina, in South Africa and even in their native Phanagoria they know how to make simple, not chic, of course, but also, in general, not bad wines. Excellent wines are made in Serbia. You can easily find ingenious inexpensive bottles from Spain and Hungary.

It is known for certain that the further south the registration of grapes, the better wine. Therefore, do not disdain Portugal and Argentina. In the north they make some kind of shmurdyak. Therefore, in England there is a problem with him. Grapes are a warm and light-loving culture, and its taste strongly depends on the year of harvest, so for this reason Italy does not always please with wine-making masterpieces. If the season was rainy, then the grapes may be sour. Actually, for this reason, the year of the crop is indicated.

Drink and develop

Serious training awaits you. Only a true sensei of cheap wine can blindly distinguish Merlot from Cabernet Sauvignon and pass for a wine gourmet. For trained receptors, distinguishing bad wine from good wine is a simple task.

Only red and only dry

The fact is that semi-sweet wines are popular only in Russia and neighboring countries. In the rest of the world, this is not favored, except perhaps the Bulgarian brothers with their Kadarka.

What is their problem? Yes, in the fact that the lowest-quality wine materials and production wastes of other types are used for their preparation. Moreover, this is not wine, but a fierce preservative. Not always, but very often. This is due to the fact that dry wines do not contain sugar, so their fermentation is difficult. In sweet varieties, sugar acts as a natural preservative.

So better drink a glass of dry red. It is much easier to find a delicious red wine at a reasonable price than white wine, because white wine requires a more delicate approach, and therefore is more expensive. If you want white - fork out.

Boxes, corks...

There is an opinion that wine in a bag is not wine. And wine with a screw cap is like a car on wooden wheels. No plastic, no box, just regular corks. Here begins the moment when experience prevails over opinion. Eat excellent wine with conventional aluminum covers. Now they are gaining popularity among wine producers due to their low cost, practicality and “immunity” to cork diseases (for example, fungus). Many Australian, Chilean, Argentinean, German, Swiss wineries close bottles of wine with such caps. And even the French do not disdain.

The wine in the package also does not guarantee food poisoning. Inexpensive wine is indeed poured into bags more often, but this does not mean at all that it is of low quality. Normal tasty wine. Such boxed wines can be found in Malta and Spain, and in Australia, about 40% of the market is filled with boxes. Most often, a box differs from shmurdi in price, but what to do, good wine cannot cost 150 rubles.

Do not neglect the domestic manufacturer

Needless to say, wine from Moldova, Georgia and Russia is 100% sour nonsense. Like, everything in the store was grown in factories that fell into disrepair after the collapse of the USSR. There is no need to equate native wines with one brush, everything is in order with us, who, if not the motherland, will give you glorious wine to drink for 250 rubles?

We start with red wines up to 3000 rubles. The list includes samples that received different years high praise from the great Robert Parker. 90-92 points is an excellent result for this price category.

Robert Parker is the legendary wine critic with the most expensive nose on the planet. He was the first to introduce a 100-point scale for judging wines, which is used everywhere today. The RP rating is not made by Robert Parker alone, but together with experts from the wine publication The Wine Advocate, founded by himself.

– 92 points

elegant and a full-bodied wine from the famous Spanish winemaker Alvaro Palacios. The bouquet reveals shades wild berries, cedar and spices, flavored with notes of chocolate and coffee. Silky taste leaves behind a long trail of berries.

– 92 points

Energetic wine with a harmonious choir of various voices: blackberry, licorice, oak and hazelnut. On the palate - luxurious velvet, in the aftertaste - familiar from childhood blackcurrant jam.

– 92 points

Another creation of the Palacios family, or rather Alvaro's nephew - Ricardo Perez, an outstanding young winemaker. This seductive and bright red has repeatedly hit the TOP-100 the best wines according to Wine Spectator. In an elegant aroma, accords of black berries, plums and flowers sound.

– 92 points

Wine from Campania from the Feudi di San Gregorio estate, which has become a symbol of the wine-growing revival of southern Italy. In the aroma, berries, cherries and camphor play the first part, tobacco and spices are responsible for the second. The taste is perfectly structured and pleasantly velvety, in the aftertaste - sea ​​breeze.

– 91 points

This Chianti was drunk by the famous Hannibal Lecter in the movie The Silence of the Lambs. The raging aroma is dominated by notes of cherries, prunes and violets, wrapped in a light chocolate-spicy cloud. Tannins are clearly felt in the colorful taste, and the aftertaste will delight connoisseurs with its duration.

– 91 points

Powerful wine from the Marquis Frescobaldi. Aristocratic origin gives a noble aroma of wine with hints of cherries, raspberries and a pinch of black pepper. The taste is expressive and memorable, with velvety tannins. It's hard to imagine a more suitable couple for meat dishes.

– 90 points

Elegant silky wine from the southernmost municipality of Chianti Classico. Few people can work with the capricious Sangiovese as skillfully as Giuseppe Mazzocolin, owner and chief winemaker of Fattoria di Felsina, does. In the aroma - cherry, blackcurrant and spices, in the taste - pure silk.

– 90 points

Cabernet Sauvignon from the famous Chilean producer. "This wine reveals typical Cabernet aromas, in the style of a very good Cru Bourgeois," says Robert Parker's wine newsletter, The Wine Advocate. The multifaceted aroma is replete with bright colors: prunes, blackcurrant jam, some olives, licorice and smoky notes. The wine goes well with grilled meats and steaks.