Separating the Secrets from the Swill
In a world where wine at a low price is ever more available (not a bad thing), what can we do to distinguish between the multitude of options? In this blog, I will discuss the best options under $15, and help you separate the secrets from the swill.
You walk into your local wine or liquor store and, as if stumbling into a guerrilla encampment, you find yourself surrounded by bottles beckoning you to take a taste via chic labeling, clever design, and well written copy. What do you do? Well, in all honesty, what I would suggest you throw a Wine tasting.
Bad Wine Tasting Party
Invite a few friends, couples, or co-workers. Ask that each party bring three bottles of wine, within a budget of $30. Make sure there is an even amount of Red and White, or rather, that reserve each tasting for one variety entirely. If there only a few people there, $30 is good mark to bring you all enough variety. If there are more, perhaps each party only need to bring one or two. You’ll actually want to have six different wines to try. But* remember you’ll need a glass for each person, so, depending on the number of people attending, you may need more than one bottle of each selection. (I would suggest this too, in case you all find one that you like!).
Secret Tip: Personally provide a bottle of more expensive wine, a selection that has been verified by some kind of connoisseur, or something simply nice, and “in a class above” the wines you are selecting now.
Wine Tasting: Finding the Best Bad Wine
When your friends arrive, display all the bottles on a table for people to see, each person should give them each an introduction so everyone knows what they are drinking. Don’t just go ahead and pour them, though, you’ll want to make sure you keep which wine it actually is a secret. Have the bottles brought back into the kitchen, and bring them out in waves so people can taste them. Alternatives, depending on how fancy you want to get: pour one or two glasses at a time, and pass them between you. You may want to number the glasses and keep a cheat sheet in the kitchen so you know what you’re working with.
People should rate the different wines, ranking them according to their favorites, and also venture a guess which they think is which. You should compare at the end to see which sample got the most votes, and when all the info is collected, at this point you can reveal which wine was which, and also, whether or not the more expensive wine was outranked… (often, you may be surprised, it is).
Best Wine Under $15
Now, not only have you had a great time, you will also be able to make an educated selection next time you’re looking for a cheap bottle of wine. …if you’re not too tempted to try another tasting.