5 Refreshingly Cheap White Wines
Big red wines are comforting against winter’s chill, but they just don’t work as well when summer’s heat starts taking hold. Reds’ higher serving temperatures and often higher alcohol content and tannins can clash with summer’s lighter foods. This is where a good white wine comes in.
Here are five summer whites that are all easy to enjoy and pair well with the warm-weather dishes I love — fresh produce, lighter grilled fishes and meats. They’re easy on the wallet, too! –Gregory Dal Piaz, Snooth.com
2007 Beyond Sauvignon Blanc, Buitenverwachting, South Africa
South African Sauvignon Blancs offer a good balance between the lean, mineral styles popular in France and their more intensely fruity and chili-laced cousins. Sure, the winery name is complicated, but this wine has a pure, refreshing fruit flavor.
Price: $10
Suggested food pairings: lighter fish dishes (try it with sushi!), pasta and veggies, avocados
Echeverria Chardonnay, Chile
In summer, unoaked Chardonnays give buttery flavor without the richness that might be too heavy for hotter days. South America is becoming a great source of budget-friendly whites, and the unwooded Chardonnay from Chile’s Echeverria vineyards is no exception. The bottle bursts with a fine blend of crisp, subtle fruit tones.
Price: $10
Suggested food pairings: richer fish dishes, pork, fruity olive oils (drizzled over grilled meats and veggies)
Dry Creek Chenin Blanc, California
This wine, one of my long-time favorite domestic whites, is on the lighter side and sports pineapple and passion fruit flavors. Its modest alcohol levels won’t leave you feeling dizzy in the summer heat either! Enjoy it on its own or as the start to a pitcher of white sangria.
Price tag: $10
Suggested food pairings: spicy grilled chicken or fish, curries
Clean Slate Riesling, Germany
Riesling grapes produce a surprisingly broad range of wines, from bone-dry Trockens to decadently sweet Eiswein. The flavors in this Clean Slate version add just a touch of sweetness and accentuate the contrast between its light mineral tones and rich lime and peach fruits.
Price tag: $9
Suggested food pairings: spicy dishes (try it with your favorite Thai takeout), salsa, salads that combine fruits and chiles
Col Vetoraz Prosecco, Italy
I couldn’t imagine going a whole summer without a bubbly Prosecco! These are soft, easy wines meant for celebrating life, and the Col Vetoraz, with its drier floral style, is one of my favorites. Around my house, Prosecco is a standard brunch wine as well as a versatile cocktail-hour choice. Its relatively low alcohol content – usually around 11 percent – won’t dull the senses either.
Price tag: $18
Suggested food pairings: summer salads, heirloom tomatoes, brunch
MORE IDEAS: Check out my favorite summer drink mixes featuring Prosecco.
Wine Glossary:
Tannin – Bitter or astringent flavor from the grape skins, seeds and stems
Unwooded/Unoaked – Wine that is not fermented in a wooden (usually oak) barrel, which gives it a nutty flavor
Mineral – Earthy or smoky scents and flavors
Acidity – Tart, sometimes sour, flavor that varies in strength depending on the type of grape used
Gregory Dal Piaz, community manager at Snooth.com, has worked in the food and wine world for more than two decades. Check out the Snooth.com forums to read his reviews, wine musings and join the discussion.
On of my personal favorites for cheap wines are the Charles Shaw Wines (Two Buck Chuck) at Trader Joes…$2-3 per bottle depending on what state you live in! The Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon have won numerous awards. I love the Sauvignon Blanc as well!
I've been pretty happy with the bottles of wine I get from my local farmer's market. I get to talk to the employee about their growing practices and the bottles of wine are often around the $12 mark. One favorite I actually get to pass on my daily short walk with the dog, so I know I'm supporting a direct neighbour.
And when we are feeling broke we do enjoy the trader joes wines.
I'm intersted in knowing the calories of wine and also bottled drinks like Mike's hard leomonade. I drink the Mike's light because it says the calorie amount…..Also my favorite for a sweeter white wine is New Age from Argentina. At 9$ per bottle it's fabulous!!!!
I'm a big fan of the Portuguese Vinho Verdes (quite literally "green wine"), which are light, low in alcohol content, and very inexpensive (7-10$). They have a very crisp peach/strawberry/melon essence, and are slightly effervescent because they are so young (green) which makes them perfect on a hot summer afternoon! Famega is my current fave.
I agree with Jane……that New Age is fabulous. Try it over ice with a squeeze of fresh lime, sounds weird for wine but it is really great!
Hi Jane,
A bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade contains 222 calories and 38 grams of sugar. As for a glass of wine (considered 5 fluid ounces)–is around 125 calories. Here's a post of mine on lighter summer cocktails and some ideas on making white wine cocktails.
Enjoy!
Hi Jane,
A bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade contains 222 calories and 38 grams of sugar. As for a glass of wine (considered 5 fluid ounces)–is around 125 calories. Here's a post of mine on lighter summer cocktails and some ideas on making white wine cocktails.
Enjoy!
There are some really great sparkling moscatos as inexpensive prices. They make wonderful wine coolers and wine sangrias.
My wife and I can't get away from Columbia Crest Chardonnay. It goes for 13.99 for a 1.5 bottle in KY. Have tried others but this has been the best for the money.
Dave
I usually buy the white wine from "The Thousand Island Winery" . They are located in Alexandria Bay Upstate New York.
I love the wines.
You can get sweet or non sweet ones.
Price range is around 10 or 12$.
I prefer the "Niagara" one.
It is an inexpensive way to support national winery's!
I also love the Charles Shaw wines from Trader Joes.
Other favs or Fish Eye and Barefoot
Most white wines are around 100 calories for a 4 ounce glass..or…as I like to think of it, 2 weight watchers points..
On the WW plan I have 35 bonus points to use per week…so if I save all for alcohol I can have 17 glasses of wine….wootwoot..
spaced out of course!!
Oak Leaf ( I've only found it at Walmart) is very good whether pinoit grigio chenin blanc, chardonnay, or a merlot only $2.97 a bottle you should give it a try.
I REALLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING MUCH ABOUT WINE IAM NOT A DRINKER OF ANY ALCOHOL BUT I HAVE BEEN HEARING LATELY THAT DRINKING WINE IS REALLY GOOD FOR YOU IN MODERATION OF COURSE, SO IF THIS IS SO, CAN ANYONE DIRECT ME TO A GOOD WINE FOR A BEGINNER? I WOULD PREFER IT TO HAVE A LOW ALCOHOL CONTENT AND TO BE KINDA FRUIT/PEACHY FLAVORED. OF COURSE, IT HAS TO TASTE GOOD. THANKS WAITING IN MISSISSIPPI.
Mississippi, we are new wine drinkers too, we love the SUTTER HOME Moscato which is a sweet, white wine and cheap too ($6?)! Red wines are better for your health, but I haven't found a sweet one I like yet. Can anyone recommend?
Oliver Red a simply delectable sweet red wine.