If you only have $6...

[blas]

Oh ok...

I'll just refer to it as generic bubbly then..

[CaroPhoenix]

My favorite bottled wine is the Arbor Mist where you can get a huge bottle of it for about $5. My SIL#1 loves it so if I brought that to her house, she'd immediately put it in her wine cooler contraption and open it up as soon as possible. I'd join her of course.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Anyone ever hear of "3 Buck Chuck"? It's only available at Trader Joe's and it has won awards. And personally, I wouldn't be insulted to get that as a hostess gift. If it's a good wine, who cares how much it cost? It's the thought that counts. Maybe the person can't afford to spend more but still wants to take a gift.

My local news did a story on some award-winning wines last week...one of their focuses was Charles Shaw

[ShootMePlease]

Hell, $6.00 will buy you a couple of bottles of some very fine Boone's Farm.

Hey Now !!

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Oh dear . . . around here, one could go with a bottle of Black Swan (which is not bad BTW.)

But then IMHO anything's better than Gallo . . . one glass of E&J and I'm sicker than a dog (I suspect it's malt vinegar in disguise.)

Seriously though, a couple of dollars more will get you a 750 ml of either Alice White or Yellow Tail, which are both quite good.

Or you could splurge around $10 for a bottle of Kendall-Jackson.

[Pagan]

Seriously though, a couple of dollars more will get you a 750 ml of either Alice White or Yellow Tail, which are both quite good.

Or you could splurge around $10 for a bottle of Kendall-Jackson.

Oooh, someone else that likes Kendall-Jackson. Their chardonnay my favorite, never gotten a bad bottle yet.

Speaking of Australian wine....there's a really good sparkling called "Seaview".

Of course, I'm more than a bit partial to Gruet Blanc de Noirs sparkling. (It's a local winery, but was founded by the head of Gruet et Fils in Champagne, France). We produce some really good wines in New Mexico that are very reasonable in price.

[TKPsycho]

Six dollars will get you wine in a bottle? With a label and everything? I thought six dollars got you wine in no more than a waxed cardboard box or perhaps a vinyl waterskin.

At least the boxed stuff tastes better than the $6 bottle.

[counterjockey]

Anyone ever hear of "3 Buck Chuck"?

Pretty sure it was Two Buck Chuck not that long ago...damn inflation.

My $6 usually goes toward a six-pack of Leinenkugel's, whether that be Red, Shandy, Sunset Wheat, or the Creamy Dark lager I'm knocking back as we schpeak. Yes, I'd share, I sh'poshe.

Am I shlurring?

[DGoddessChardonnay]

At least the boxed stuff tastes better than the $6 bottle.

And usually cheaper by the ounce, which is why for everyday I get the 5 ltr box of Franzia Chardonnay (at my store, it's currently $14.49.)

Oooh, someone else that likes Kendall-Jackson. Their chardonnay my favorite, never gotten a bad bottle yet.

We have quite a few restaurants in my area that have K-J on their list. That's how I've tried that brand, as it's bit pricey for me to purchase for everyday. It's really good.

Speaking of Australian wine....there's a really good sparkling called "Seaview".

We don't have that brand in my area . . . at least not currently that I've seen.

For some strange reason, I've yet to set foot into a wine shop. Been wanting to, but I've been told I can't.

Speaking of favorite brands, another one I always liked was the Fetzer Chardonnay. Then a few years ago I bought a bottle of a brand called Deer Valley, which to me was almost exactly like Fetzer in taste and bouquet. Just cost a little bit less than Fetzer.

But I can't find that brand now . . . I wonder if it's still around. Only place I found it at was WD (we had it at our Cone store, then was discontinued after a reset.) Kitty doesn't carry it (heck, they don't even carry Walnut Crest anymore come to think of it) and WM's selection is rather small.

I guess I could always Google*sigh*

[symposes]

I think my dad drinks arbor mist. He said he likes it because it tastes fruity.
He doesnt care for the sour taste that some wines have. And since he doesnt like to spend alot of cash, he said AM is nice.

*shrug* I dont drink often enough to get into anything like that.

[Buglady]

Now that Portugal is running out of cork wood and the shipping costs for glass bottles is so high, they've started putting some good wines into boxes, tetras, and screw-capped bottles.

Another bonus - People with bad arthritis can't pour from a glass bottle let alone operate a corkscrew. Boxed wine with the valve is great for them.

Bonus #3: Tetra pack wine is great for camping trips... MUCH easier to pack out the flattened box than a heavy glass bottle

[RecoveringKinkoid]

While I wouldn't buy it as a hostess gift, or even serve it with a very nice supper, I have no qualms about putting a couple boxes of wine out for a party or for casual guests who come over to just hang out. I keep boxed wine "on tap" at home pretty much all the time. I can have a small glass of wine when I want, not open a whole bottle, and have it keep for a good while in the pantry. Brilliant idea, selling it in a collapsable plastic bag with tap.

Its not the best wine in the world, but it's good enough for an on tap "house wine" in your own kitchen. And it's good enough to cook with, so it's handy for that as well.

[Pagan]

We have quite a few restaurants in my area that have K-J on their list. That's how I've tried that brand, as it's bit pricey for me to purchase for everyday. It's really good.

Speaking of favorite brands, another one I always liked was the Fetzer Chardonnay.

Hmmm, it's weird the differences from state-to-state. I can usually pick up a bottle for around $10! I like Fetzer, too. It's one of those you can't go wrong with. Another good one are the Barefoot wines, very inexpensive, but good (award winners). They have a really good sparkling, too!

I really haven't encountered any Australians that weren't good. And they've got a sense of humor. Not stuffy, like the French, although they do make some fantastic wines, as well. (Did you know that a lot of French vines are now descendants of California stock. Phlox almost killed the French wine industry, California saved it! So there! )

Just goes to show "inexpensive" doesn't necessarily mean "cheap".

[thegiraffe]

He also said that screw on caps are better but I don't remember his reasons.

A "screw cap" is called a Stelve(sp?) Enclosure. Some people believe they're better because you won't get "corked" wine that way. Cork is actually a wood from a...well, cork tree. A certain bacteria or fungus can grow in there, and then destroy the wine. Wine makers actually lose about 3% of their inventory using corks. However, using Stelve Enclosures eliminates this...therefore significantly decreasing loss. However...some people believe that cork is the only way to seal wine, so that battle rages on. However, my dad has several wines that are upwards of US$200 that have Stelve Enclosures (as well as many below that price range also). He's a wine snob...he's got quite the wine investment going. I'm a bastion of random information, but not always quite THAT random...

So...uhh...yeah. Screw top does not always equal cheap. In fact, it may signify a more expensive wine once you start to climb the wine totem pole.

[Boozy]

A "screw cap" is called a Stelve(sp?) Enclosure.

You mean Stelvin closure.

You're right about corks. They're a traditional way of sealing bottles, but they have no advantages left against more modern methods.