I recently panic-bought a couple 750s of nonvintage WA Sauv Blanc at a rural supermarket to plug a varietal hole in offerings for a small party. $9.99/copy, and this is not a place with liquidator or dealer prices.
This wine punched far above its weight. Surprisingly high ABV (13.75%) but crisp, enjoyable on its own and with foods. AVA is shown as “Columbia Valley”, but the winery itself is in Waluke Slope. It is by Ryan Patrick in Matawa.
What rock bottom wines have others found that are good enough to drink again, or make a daily driver?
Not wine connoisseur by any means, but my fav cheapo brands are Clos du Bois and Kenwood. Between the local CVS and Safeway I can usually find their S.B., Zin, and Pinots for around ten bucks (sometimes even less).
I was at a grocery store in southern Italy a few months ago and they had dozens of bottles of red wine for €3 or €4. The problem is that the ones I bought were only so-so. I imagine if I was more knowledgeable there would have been some that were better than the ones I selected. I tried a “Chianti Classico” but it was just a decent table wine. Maybe that is the use that these wines are intended for, though.
I am not sure i worded that very well…
I wish I had taken a picture of the red section of this store’s wine selection. There were dozens of them that were €4 or less. It would have been cool to be in a party of 5 or 6 and buy a similar amount of bottles and do a tasting. And then just polish off the rest of the wine in each bottle because you are in Italy and it is a beautiful day.
I have a feeling that if you were to try several of these bottles there would be a huge gap between the best and the worst and the only way to find which is which is to try them or to have a knowledgeable friend from the region. Or, if you are lucky you have both options available to you.