Here are six of our Tuesday Night staples, which we feel are excellent wines in the (roughly) $10-20 price range. The prices listed above, for the five bottles on the right, are the prices that we paid at the local Ralphs Grocery Store. Ralphs is a major supermarket chain in the Southern California area and the largest subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger.
The prices that we paid reflect the 30% additional discount that they offer when you purchase any (you can mix and match) six or more bottles. These prices usually fluctuate by a buck or two any given week (they change their store prices every Wednesday), so we have actually seen these priced for even less than we listed. In fact, occasionally Ralphs offers a 40% discount when you mix and match any twelve bottles (ie. 10% even less than the prices shown above)!
The McManis Viognier was purchased at LA Wine Company, which we consistently find to have very reasonable prices; they are very good at finding great value wines!
McManis Family Vineyards Viognier- Quite honestly, I love all of the McManis wines, not just the Viognier. I discovered them at LA Wine Company, where they have their “$12 and under club.” The Viognier stands out though for two reasons: 1.) A GOOD Viognier for $7.99? Near impossible! 2.) It’s not too sweet, but still hints of honeysuckle. Apparently that’s important to me. Anyhoo, it’s a great addition to your white rotation and it does sell out, so buy a few if you find it. #TrustMe
Michael-David Vineyards Petite Petit- This wine is always a great staple to have on-hand, and at $10.99, it was an absolute STEAL! Very smooth on the palate, lots of dark red fruit, and easy to drink with or without food. The fact that it’s a blend of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot gives it that sense of an “above average” Tuesday night wine. Hey, if you don’t believe us, check out
Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 wines of 2015- it came in at #2! Plus the label is fun. #FunLabel
Meomi Pinot Noir- We first had Meiomi at a restaurant in New York where it was $20 A GLASS! So imagine my excitement (and slight annoyance) when we found it for $15.99 for a BOTTLE! As I’m sure most of you can attest to, a great Pinot under $20 is pretty rare. Stock up, people! It’s also a great wine to take to a friend’s dinner party....assuming you like them, of course.
(See my Caymus blog for more about this wine). #ForGoodFriends
Estancia Meritage- Mr. Becker was the finder of this gem. This was a Ralph’s purchase for $16.99, but easily drinks like a $30 wine. It’s a blend, so if you’re feeling a little fickle, and not sure what you feel like drinking on Tuesday, it’s a great go-to. Plus it pairs well with just about anything. Personally, I like it with a Lean Cuisine Chicken in Sweet BBQ Sauce. #KeepingItReal
Michael-David Vineyards Earthquake Cabernet Sauvignon- In my opinion, the best “bang for your buck” with wines is usually going to be with either Cabernet or Cab Franc. Cabernet, because it’s widely popular, and Cab Franc, because it’s not very popular. Weird, right? Michael-David is a great winery that makes a LOT of great wine. Earthquake Cab is one of my favorites. It’s big, and it’s delicious. Another excellent buy at Ralph's, and at $18.99, it's definitely a great Tuesday decision. Drink it with BBQ take out. PS. We'd have the Earthquake Petite Sirah on this list too, except it is a bit more difficult to find; it is usually around the same price and equally as good. #ShakingUpTuesday
Prisoner Wine Company Saldo Zinfandel- Most people I talk to about Zinfandel claim they don’t like it. I can relate, as I didn’t really care for it myself until I was introduced to Turley, which I will forever refer to as my "gateway Zin". Nowadays, I can truly appreciate a good Zin, and no, it isn’t always over-peppery and jammy. Case in point, Saldo. I love Prisoner's wine- again, fun labels, but more importantly, they make great wine. Took a chance on this one, which was $22.99 at Ralph’s (am I on their payroll by now?), and was very pleased. Now $22.99 isn’t an EVERY Tuesday night purchase, but if it’s been a rough day, hey, why not? #TuesdaySplurge
With the Ralphs' “mix and match 6 or more” discount, it came out to $9.99. Such a
Welcome to the club, Mr. West! #Classof2016
Congratulations! You've found our TUESDAY NIGHT page. What makes a Tuesday night wine, special from the rest of the week? Well, one can't exactly open a weekend caliber wine on a Tuesday, right?!?! Well at least not ALL the time. So this is a wine that's the best bang for your buck! What do the Wine Problems peeps drink on a Tuesday night? Well here is where you go to find out! Oh and please feel free to contact us and let us us know what you're drinking on Tuesday night! Spoiler Alert- we will not have any "Two Buck Chucks" on this list, but rather (in our opinion) quality wines that are a great value.
TUESDAY NIGHT!
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SOME OF OUR TUESDAY NIGHT STAPLES
Raymond Sauvignon Blanc- We are a huge fan of Raymond’s red wines, so we were very intrigued to see their Sauvignon Blanc at a local grocery store. It was right in our Tuesday night wheelhouse at $10.99, so we thought we’d give it a shot. It’s an easy drinking, light bodied white wine with mild acidity. Citrus nose with notes of lime zest, pineapple, and grapefruit on the palate. Careful of the serving temperature- if it’s too cold, the fruit tends to fade. According to our Wine Serving Temperature Chart, 47°F should be about right. All around, this is a nice summer white! #summersipping
Gérard Bertrand Côte des Roses- This Rosé was recommended to us by someone at BevMo and we were very impressed by it! It’s funny because I had some hesitation due to the bottle being so pretty- sometimes you just never know if it’s a marketing ploy? Pretty bottle; crappy wine; happens all the time. But not with this one… this wine really delivered! A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah, really gave it some depth! A pretty floral nose, with notes of strawberry and key lime citrus on the palate. Very refreshing, and almost too easy to drink, but at this price (it was $13.99 at BevMo!, but we've since purchased it for only $11.99 at Total Wine & More) you can #roséallday
Domaine de la Mordorée Côtes-du-Rhône- This one was a gift from a friend, but we've since tracked it down at Woodland Hills Wine Company, and at $14.95, it's another fantastic and reasonably priced Rosé. This one had a few more tannins than the others listed here, which is something that I really like in a Rosé- it gives you a little more of a mouthfeel to it. This is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsualt, with a super fruity nose, and such a smooth finish. Super stoked on this one! #thumbsup
Belle Glos Oeil De Perdrix Pinot Noir Blanc- I know, I know, Rosés are everywhere these days… but with good reason! Some wineries are really doing them right and Belle Glos is definitely one of them. A much more complex Rosé brought to you by the Wagner Family, it’s produced entirely from Sonoma County Pinot Noir grapes, which were grown specifically for the purpose of making a Rosé, then quickly pressed, and fermented in French Oak. It's beautiful in color, and has a lovely fragrant nose of strawberries, cherry, and citrus. On the palate, there's well balanced acidity notes of strawberry, and raspberries, with some nuances of lemon zest. Clean and refreshing. So yummy to drink on its own, but can easily be paired well with salmon, or richer style foods; definitely a Rosé that can hold its own. And at $14.99 a bottle?!? You definitely can’t go wrong here. #winwin
kinda boring. We paired it with pizza, nothing fancy, and it was quite enjoyable.
Keep checking back here as we will be listing additional Tuesday night selections as we find 'em!
PLEASE FOLLOW US!
Daou Pessimist Red Blend- We recently found ourselves at an event hosted by The Wine House entitled, "Big Reds, Beers, and BBQ," where we went straight for the wine (well of course we did- we're not "Beer Problems"). They had about 30 different reds set up for tasting, and servers walking around with an array of "BBQ" finger foods for accompaniment (pulled pork sliders; shrimp on the barbie; tri-tip slices; etc). We found this gem to be the best thing that they were serving- it's a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zin, and Tannat. Regular price is $21.99, but it was on sale for $19.99. It's so good we probably would have paid double that (shhhh)! We have since seen it at Costco for only $16.99! Given this excellent price, we immediately knew it had to be added to our Tuesday Night list! This would also make a great gift, but make sure you pick up some for yourself. #BlendingRightIn
great value! Inexpensive Pinots can be tricky; more times than not, I find them to be watery and
Mark West Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands- Mr. West has been added to the Tuesday night
NEW FINDS!
crew.
SUMMER PICKS!