It’s getting very close to that time of year when consumers will be yelling at me that I do not understand their personal budget situations when they are buying gifts for secret santas and holiday presents for their doctors and co-workers. I will be hearing “Larry, I am on a very tight budget and need to purchase 25 bottles and I can’t afford $20 bottles of wines I need to buy the supermarket quality wines because they are inexpensive.” If anyone knows what being on a tight budget is like it is me. These consumers ASSUME just because I don’t agree with buying Supermarket National Brands sold everywhere including Drug Stores and Gas Stations that this in No Way suggests I am telling them to purchase $25 bottles of wine for gifts. There are many great wines that are delicious and are made with high quality grapes that are $5-7 a bottle but you have to buy into my theory. Here’s my thought process:
The top 2 products of Alamos Malbec from Argentina and Barefoot Melot are two perfect examples of poor quality wine in my opinion, that people will buy as a gift based on pricepoint and that alone. Both of these products are labels that are owned by the Gallo Family of Wines. The Alamos Malbec is so young and thin almost like grape juice and doesn’t resemble anything close to what a malbec should taste like and All Barefoot wines although sold in many places including every single, Walmart, Drug Store, Pubix Supermarket, and Gas Stations are what we call Non-Vintage Wines (No Year where the grapes come from) This results in every single bottle in a case of any Barefoot Wine tasting totally different from the next. Reviewers can’t review any Barefoot Products because the bottle they review is going to taste totally different from the bottle you purchase. But of course, according to my customers, I don’t understand thier personal budget restrictions !!! Now Check this Out:
The above two pictures would be the way to go instead of the previous wines you were going to purchase. The first one is a Malbec from the town of Cahors in the South of France. They have been producing Malbec since 50 BC and instead of the watery, thin grape juice on the low end Argentine Malbecs you have a full bodied complex Malbec that although is approachable now, usually start tasting better and better as the bottle ages for at LEAST 5 years. You haven’t even experienced Malbec until you have tried one from Cahors. Sticker price on this wine $10 Sounds a heck of a lot more Special for a gift than a generic Argentine entry level Malbec found at every retail store across America.
The Second bottle is Abrazo Tempranillo from the Carinena region of Spain. Abrazo means “A HUG” I have tasted this wine 3 times. It has a vintage (Year on the wine) and it has beautiful Raspberry fruits and smooth tannins that would please any Merlot, Pinot Noir or even Cabernet Drinker and the name alone “ABRAZO” is like giving someone a HUG as a gift! Sticker Price $6.99 a bottle or 2 for $13.00 and it way overdelivers on quality for that pricepoint.
Last but not least for the Secret Santa crowds…All Woodhaven Wines are produced by Delicato Family Vineyards in Manteca California. They produce a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Moscato and Sweet Red..all of them are made from exceptional quality fruit and the sticker price is 2 for $10.
My final point is the Psychology of giving someone a gift. I do understand a tight budget. I have just touched the surface in this blog of how you can meet that budget and make a GOOD Impression on your Hair Stylist, or Mailman or Co Worker for even as low as $5.00 per bottle but the difference is if you keep giving them wines like Barefoot or WOODBRIGE or Kendall Jackson they will think you picked up their Special Gift while you were purchasing cans of Tuna at the local supermarket or loading up on Advils at the Drug Store!! My way, you give them a quality wine at a price you can afford and since the wines are not sold EVERYWHERE they will think you took the time to seek professional advice from a Fine Wine Retail Shop and the wines will taste much more expensive than you actually paid for them….and your secret is safe with me…Only Your Hairdresser will know 🙂 Contact me for specific suggestions if needed.
Larry The Wine Guy 