Introducing the Ten Spot: New Year, Better Wine, Cheap Prices

If you work in the wine business long enough, you get accustomed to the kind of phone call I got yesterday from my sweet mother -- paused in front of her local grocery store wine shelves, she wanted to get a few inexpensive bottles for a lunch with friends at the house. Perhaps because yours truly is a fancy-pants sommelier, she didn't want to buy something icky to foist off on her friends, but she also didn't know where to start. Was there ANY decent wine at this Giant superstore in Virginia, as she just didn't have time to make a special run to the wine shop? Was there anything drinkable?

This is one of the most popular questions I field from friends, family, and consumers. While opening legendary wines in glamorous restaurants has its place, the real economic energy of the wine industry is concentrated in buying moments like my mother's. Grocery stores have rightly earned their reputation for buying plonk in bulk. I myself have had moments of desperation where, armed with the laundry soap and the light bulbs I needed, I realize I also need a bottle of wine for something and have been utterly stymied by the crap lining the shelves.

No more! The good news in grocery stores these days is better wine. As more and more Americans swap Uncle Ben's for arborio or Velveeta for Vâcherin, retailers are also forced to stock something other than jug wines. And because they do buy in bulk, the savvy consumer can often pick up some decent bargains IF you know what to hunt for. The real giant in this new game is Costco. For those of you who might turn up your noses at purchasing wine in the home of monster mayo jars, you ought to reconsider. I am continually amazed at bottles that show up at Costco, and at what prices. This sometimes isn't good news for winemakers who, saddled with too much juice in a saturated market, face a Faustian dilemma: Stay in business by doing business with retail giants, or maintain brand elitism and face bankruptcy. But for the rest of us, this trend ultimately means better wine at cheaper prices, which is always a good thing!

So welcome to 2007 and welcome to a new GMG series called "The Ten Spot." Each of the wines profiled in this series will have an average bottle cost of about $10.00 and will be available in a major grocery store or national retailer. I will do my best to target chains around the country, as states still vary widely in what they stock. I will also try to explain as we go why some wines are such a bargain of deliciousness, while others that cost exactly the same wouldn't even make good sauce. Resolve to spend less AND drink better wine...it can be done! I am here to help, with thanks to my thirsty brothers for all their research assistance over the holidays.

Coming up on the Ten Spot...

Trader Joe's: Channeling Indy Jones, not Charles Shaw
Costco: The Wine Giant Awakens and Roars
Cost-Plus World Market: Voyage of Wine Discovery
Bristol Farms: Fancy, Fancy, Fancy
Vons: Trusty Finds
Whole Foods: Whole Paycheck Foods and Wines?
Wegmans: Why I Want to Live Here
Ralph's: Help Wanted