Your picks for best budget summer wines ?

[TiggerK]

Hi all,

many of us have a current focus on watching the pennies, and only splurging here and there over the coming silly season. With this in mind, and on the first day of summer, I'm keen to get some tips and ideas for best bargain quaffing summer wines from you all (that includes you Gavin!). A lot of you will have seen Hallidays' picks, how about some of yours??? It'll also be interesting to see second opinion tasting notes on some of these recommendations, I often wonder if the $10-$15 white I'm quite enjoying would be received as positively by my wine friends...... We can all maybe achieve some semi-simultaneous tastings together over summer?

Only criteria would be that's it's fairly easy to obtain... Probably easiest to cut and paste the template below, I'll do mine as a separate post. We can always update our posts with new highlights as the summer goes on too....

Cheers and wishing everyone a very happy summer!
Tim


Favourite Budget Sparkling White (<$20)
x
x

Favourite 'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)
x
x

Favourite Sparkling Red
x

Favourite Budget White (<$20)
x
x
x

Favourite Budget Red(s) (<$20)
x
x

Favourite Budget Sticky/Fortified
x

[TiggerK]

Here's my current picks, a few blanks as I haven't tried much in some categories, hence my post, as need to fill in these gaps!!

Favourite Budget Sparkling White (<$20)
Dopff Cremant Julien Alsace NV
Deutz NV

Favourite 'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)
Jansz Vintage 05/06
Pol Roger NV
Joseph Perrier NV

Favourite Sparkling Red
Not something I drink much, sorry to say.

Favourite Budget White (<$20)
Leo Buring Clare or Eden Valley Rieslings 05/06
Tim Adams Riesling 2010 (I see that 2011 is taking over - any good?)
Fleur Du Cap Birkelder Selection Chardonnay (SAfrica) 2009

Favourite Budget Red(s) (<$20)
McWilliams Mt Pleasant Philip Shiraz 2009
Waipara Hills Waipara Pinot Noir 2008
ThornClarke Sandpiper (& Shotfire) Shiraz 08/09

Favourite Budget Sticky/Fortified
Not too much in summer, maybe the Vasse Felix Cane Cut Semillon?

[Teisto]

Favourite Budget Sparkling White (<$20)

Don't have a real special - only silly stuff like Brown Bros Zibibbo for hot summer days
Katnook Founders Block occasionally - not particularly serious

Favourite 'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)

Clover Hill
Chandon
Arras

Favourite Sparkling Red
Teusner
Seppelt

Favourite Budget White (<$20)

Pewsey Vale Riesling
Really any Riesling sub $20 tends to be pretty good
Dopff Gewurtztraminer


Favourite Budget Red(s) (<$20)

Teusner Riebke
Teusner Independent
Kalleske Pirathon

Favourite Budget Sticky/Fortified

Not sure how cheap but
Yering Station late harvest Pinot Gris
Paradigm Hill Finir
Frogmore Creek FGR and the Iced Gewurtztraminer

[rens]

Favourite Budget Sparkling White (<$20)
Don't routinely drink any white bubbles. When I do I make it Bollinger or the like.

Favourite 'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)
Bollinger/Moet but only about one a year.

Favourite Sparkling Red
Rockfords black. But a good cheapie is the Bleasdale Sparkling Shiraz (Great value at $19)

Favourite Budget White (<$20)
Tabilk Marsanne

Favourite Budget Red(s) (<$20)
2009 The Islander Shiraz (great cool climate stuff. about a 50/50 blend from Clare and Kangaroo Island) $12.
2009 Waipara Hills Pinot Nior (A shiraz drinker's pinot. Fuller bodied and a steal at $15)
2010 Mike Press Cab (Another steal at $12)
Turner's Crossing Shiraz or Cab (at under $20 great cool climate wines).

Favourite Budget Sticky/Fortified
The half bottles of Chateau Reynella 16yo Rare Old Tawny that they sell for $9 at one of the chain stores.

[sjw_11]

Favourite Budget Sparkling White (<$20)
Domain Chandon NV
Croser NV

Favourite 'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)
Sir James Tumburumba vintage
Pol Roger NV
Freycinet Radinet 2001

Favourite Sparkling Red
Primo Estate Joseph NV
Barossa Valley Estate Black Pepper vintage
Seppelt Original Sparkling

Favourite Budget White (<$20)
Pewsey Vale Riesling / Jim Barry Riesling / Skillogalee Riesling / etc
Jacob's Creek Riesling in the <$10 bracket
Tahbilk Marsanne

Favourite Budget Red(s) (<$20)
Wyndham Estate Bin 888 2008 (<$10)
Wynns Shiraz / Peter Lehmann Shiraz / D'arenberg Footbolt Shiraz
Yering Station "Little Yering" Pinot Noir

Favourite Budget Sticky/Fortified
Muscat de Lemnos
Chateau Reynella 16yo
Ex-Seppelts ports from the Cellar door clearances

...and random (very) back vintage auction bargain buys... some vinegar, some astounding... with xmas a perfect excuse

[Rossco]

Favourite Budget Sparkling White (<$20)
Janz NV


Favourite 'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)
Arras
Clover Hill Vintage (05 was sensational)


Favourite Sparkling Red
Majella Sparkling Shiraz (although i havent had Rockford or Seppelt yet)


Favourite Budget White (<$20)
Wirra Wirra 'Lost Watch' Adelaide Hills Riesling


Favourite Budget Red(s) (<$20)
Tahbilk Shiraz or Cab Sav....cant go wrong for ~$ 13 when on special
Palliser Estate 'Pencarrow' Pinot Noir - $17 its a fvking good drop for that!
Ringbolt cab sav

Favourite Budget Sticky/Fortified
Peter Lehmann makes a botrytis semillon thats about $ 16
De Bortoli has a 'Deen Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon' thats not too bad - depending on vintage about $13

[bacchaebabe]

Favourite Budget Sparkling White (<$20)
Janz NV

Favourite 'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)
Laurant Perrier NV
Lanson NV
Piper NV
They are all very cheap at the moment, making it difficult to drink sparkling really.

Favourite Sparkling Red
Joseph
Rockford
Seppelt Original
Seppelt Silverband
Seppelt Reserve
Sparkling Duck
I love them all.

Favourite Budget White (<$20)
I need guidance in the area and my cellar is seriously deficient but
Brookland Valley Chardy
Houghton sem sav blanc
Mount Pleasant Elizabeth
I quite like Albarinos and Moscatos - good with Thai food in summer

Favourite Budget Red(s) (<$20)
Brookland valley Cab Merlot
Woodlands cab merlot
Ringbolt cab
There's a lot of very good value WA cabs and blends under $20 from awesome vintages of late. Couldn't have said this a few years ago.

Favourite Budget Sticky/Fortified
It's very hard to go wrong with any muscat or tokay from Rutherglen. Morris in particular offer outstanding value. Not really for summer though.

[ticklenow1]

Favourite Budget Sparkling White (<$20)
Can't drink the stuff in all honesty

Favourite 'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)
Ruinart
Piper is OK for what the big guys are selling it for at the moment.

Favourite Sparkling Red
For us there is only one:
Rockford Black Shiraz

Favourite Budget White (<$20)

Bellarmine Chardonnay
Hoddles Creek Chardonnay is just incredible VFM and would still be good at double the price
McCleish Estate Hunter Semillon
Too many Clare and Eden Rieslings under $20 that are just amazing value after a few years in the cellar.

Favourite Budget Red(s) (<$20)
Some great value in this bracket nowadays
Noon Twelve Bells, is always a favourite
Head Red
Cirillo The Vincent
Domaine des Espiers Côtes du Rhône - the best sub $20 Frenchie
Kalleske Clarry's
Laughing Jack Shiraz
Gee there are so many at the moment....

Favourite Budget Sticky/Fortified
Don't drink the stuff.

Cheers
Ian

[Lucas Formosa]

Favourite Budget Sparkling White (<$20)
La Cheteau Cremant de Loire

Favourite 'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)
Ca dei Frati 'Cuvee dei Frati'

Favourite Sparkling Red
Craiglee No.6 'Sparkling Red', or a cheapie: Morris Sparkling Shiraz/Durif

Favourite Budget White (<$20)
Tahbilk Marsanne
Tim Adams Riesling

Favourite Budget Red (<$20)
La Vendetta Barbera/Nebbiolo
Monredon Cote du Rhone

Favourite Budget Sticky/Fortified
Josef Chromy Botrytis Riesling

[dingozegan]

Sub-$20 isn't so easy for real interest (and jumping to sub-$30 opens up vast possibilities for superior quality and wider range), but here are some I believe worth considering (not all necessarily "favourites" for me though):

Budget Sparkling White (<$20)
At sub-$20, I would go for beer instead!

'Budget' Champagne (or higher end sparkling)
For budget Champagne (over $20), definitely go for independent growers (Voirin-Jumel,Francis Boulard, Jacky Charpentier, Launois come more immediately to mind, but there are plenty of others around).

Sparkling Red
I agree with the Rockford suggies, but assuming the $20 limit holds for this entry too I'd suggest Rumball (preferrably with some age).

Budget White (<$20)
Riesling (e.g., Pewsey Vale Contours, Petaluma Hanlin Hill, mesh, Knappstein)
Tyrrell's HVD Semillon
Pieropan Soave
Gaia Estate Notios
Chateau St Jean Chardonnay (if you like fat buttery Chards, but cheating at $23)

Budget Red(s) (<$20)
Thierry Puzelat Le Telquel (if you like light, acid driven reds)
Domain Day Sangiovese/Lagrein

And if I could cheat with just a few more dollars:
Pirramimma Petit Verdot ($23)
Chateau Pierre Bise Anjou Villages Sur Schistes (if you appreciate Loire Cab Franc; $23)
Fairbank Syrah (if you appreciate structure, grip and savouriness; $25)

Budget Sticky/Fortified
Rutherglen Muscat (Stanton & Killeen)
Sherry (e.g., a half of Lustau Fino/Manzanilla/Amontillado)
Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling ($33 though)