Good cheap red wines

Wine tasting is a very subjective thing. But one thing is for sure; most of us would appreciate a good cheap red wine for under £10 a bottle. If this is the sort of thing that you are after, then two recommendations are Spanish and Californian wines. Just recently the Spanish Rioja has been tasting very good. The reserve 2006 and 2009 years are very good cheap red wines, which are very smooth. Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of Rioja wine is the oak aging process which gives it a distinct flavour. Rioja red wines can be classified into four categories. The first of which is plain and simply Rioja. This is the youngest of the Rioja wines and spends less than a year in an oak barrel. A Rioja Crianza is a wine which has been aged for , two years. However, Rioja Reserva is wine that has been aged for at least three years. Although these wines are aged, they do not necessarily have to have been aged in an oak barrel; only one of the aged years has to be in oak. The Rioja Gran Reserva, wine is aged for a minimum of two years in oak and then a further three in a bottle. The Rioja Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are not produced every year, and finding a particular vintage that is enjoyable and on special offer is a real treat, and well worth stocking up on.

Another good quality cheap red wine, which is well worth investigating are the new Californian varieties. The Turner Road Label, brightly branded with a very distinct orange hummingbird, is available at about three different price points. The Merlot and Cabinet Zinfandel, are excellent wines which have been blended to appeal very much to the markets of Australia, United Kingdom and the USA. These are good inexpensive red wines which do not disappoint. For some wine snobs the twist off top may be a little disconcerting, but these wines are light years ahead of the very cheap red plonk mass produced for supermarkets and the price point is very accessible. Supermarkets often have special promotional offers on this wine and even supply cases. If you are lucky enough to find these excellent red wines on offer, make sure you stock up whilst you can.