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[Photo: wineshop by paul goyette on Flickr used with permission under Creative Commons Copyright.]

Blogette's typical Friday afternoon:

5 p.m.: Appreciating gorgeous crisp fall evening, leaving work content and craving wine

6:15 p.m.: Proceed into Liquor Store determined. Will find perfect bottle of wine.

6:30 p.m.: Stand in Liquor Store isle completely overwhelmed by 1,000+ bottles of wine, stare dumbfounded and observe what other people are buying

6:40 p.m.: Begin to wish I could casually stroll in and pick up random bottle of wine (mental note: research good, cheap wine). Meander towards wine specials, drawn to pretty bottles. Indecisive. Too many pretty bottles.

6:45 p.m.: Exit store unsatisfied with Barefoot, Yellow Tail or random cool label wine that was on sale.


Why do we find ourselves in this situation girls? Sticking with the same bottle of Kendall Jackson chardonnay is like picking out the same nail polish color for your pedi every week. Why not consider the other endless possibilities?

I'm clearly not the person you want to get your ritzy wine recommendations from, but I do know from years of waitressing that a $10 bottle of wine can taste the same (if not better) than a $50 bottle if you're choosy with your selection. So I did a little research and came up with a Vino Grocery List. Consider it a bucket list for diva wine dabblers:

Luna di Luna ($7-$20): These jewel colored bottles are gorgeous, cheap and offer pairings of traditional grapes. My favorite in their line is the blue bottle of Sparkling Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio, which is inspired by the famous Murano glass of Venice. Amongst other vibrant choices are the Merlot/Cabernet in Ferrari red and a sleek jet black bottle of Sangiovese/Merlot.

Xplorador Concha y Toro ($7): When you think red you usually think Italy or California, but these reds represent Chile's new move towards wine-making. The Merlot is available at 7-Eleven (!) but tastes like it's a hand picked from an Italian wine cellar.

Castle Rock Carneros Pinot Noir 2003 ($10): Pinot Noir is usually a good transition if you're not a big red drinker. It is usually more on the expensive side, especially since it's such a trendy red right now, but I found this one on countless under $20 lists online.

Saint M Riesling 2006 ($12-$15): Riesling is a German white that is usually on the sweeter side and a good choice for a summer or desert wine. Be careful when buying though, label’s with trocken (“ dry” in German) will be dry. Look for "Auslese" if you want the sweeter taste.

Little Black Dress Wines ($6-$10): I'm aware of my aforementioned label problem, but this wine (especially the Pinot) is a high quality white and is perfect for girls nights.


For further inspiration, check out the American Wine Awards 2008: Best Wines Under $20.