Cheap Living Guide - Drink Good Cheap Wine -- New York Magazine

Drink Good Cheap Wine

Satisfying your newly sophisticated wine palate may no longer be economically feasible. So we asked Morgan Rich, director of wine at Del Posto, to choose three of his favorite special-occasion wines, then propose bargain alternatives.

Published Nov 2, 2008

Instead of: Krug Brut Champagne Collection 1985 ($1,350)
Try: Gruet Brut ($13)

Gruet is produced by a French family that used to bottle Champagne and still uses the same labor-intensive process. But today’s Gruet is made in New Mexico, which makes this rich, solid sparkling wine an amazing bargain.

Instead of: Terlano Chardonnay 1995 ($225)
Try: Lamoreaux Landing Chardonnay 2006 ($12.99)

Lamoreaux Landing is made upstate near the Finger Lakes, and the cooler climate makes for a fresher, crisper, more elegant Chardonnay than what you’d typically get from California.

Instead of: Braida Barbera d’Asti Bricco dell’Uccellone 2004 ($125)
Try: Daniel Bouland Morgon Vielles Vignes, 2007 ($19.99)

This Morgon may not be as full-bodied as the Braida, but it is versatile, elegant, and its Gamay grape is similar to Barbera. It is a Beaujolais, which many people mistake as uniformly mediocre. This one’s not.

Annual Savings: $2,205 (Averaged from the three recommended bottles, four celebrations a year.)

Drink Only at Dives	Get a $14 Haircut
Swap Clothes	Slash Your Bills
Take Your Kids Public	Repair, Don't Replace
Surf the First Wave of Panic-Selling	Recycle Your Romances
Go Generic	Kick Your Cab Habit
Eat Like a Prince at Pauper’s Prices	De-Stress for Less
Trade Babysitting	Whittle Down Your Mortgage
Embrace Low Fashion	Switch Your Supermarket
Paint Your Own Damn Nails	Become Your Own Super
Caffeinate Efficiently	Negotiate Everything
Knock Off Your Favorite Suit	Drink Good Cheap Wine
Be Your Own Restaurant	Dodge the Broker's Fee
Have Fun Frugally	Trade In Your Dog for a Fish
Rent a Dress	Plus: Quick Savers!