Playing "Moneyball" With Wines

Everybody likes a good bargain, and while I have never been a “coupon clipper” like my lovely sister-in-law “Discount Dee”, I do get excited when I find a really good $10 wine that drinks like one that’s twice the price. That’s what I call a value wine, and they are everywhere – here’s a short primer on value wines and how to find them!

Photo by Laurie Geis

The great movie “Moneyball” starring Brad Pitt tells the true story of how the 2002 Oakland A's assembled one of the lowest-salaried Major League baseball teams (their 2002 payroll was $40M, compared to $126M for the New York Yankees) using statistical analyses of player’s value. That team ended up competing well against teams with significantly higher payrolls, putting together a record 20-game winning streak during the season and winning the American League West title before losing in the American League Division Series. They got great value for the money, and who doesn’t love that?

The same goes for wine. I am in constant pursuit of “value” wines that “punch above their weight”. There are two factors I use to determine which wines are value wines – quality and price. Value wines are always high-quality wines that taste great and are well-balanced meaning all the components of the wine (i.e., acidity, tannins, fruit, alcohol, sugar, etc.) are in harmony and complement each other. In addition, these wines provide great value for the money; you would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite if you tasted a value wine alongside another similar wine costing considerably more. It’s also important to note that “value” doesn’t necessarily mean “cheap”. For example, you can have a $50 wine that drinks like a $100 wine – that’s a value wine even though it’s certainly not cheap.

To get you started, I’ve pulled together a list of five of my favorite value white wines with tasting notes for each. I set a maximum price of $20 since I wanted to highlight affordable wines that compete well with their counterparts that are 2-3 times their price. In a future post, I’ll provide the same for some of my favorite value red and rose wines.

• 2020 Tesoro Della Regina Pinot Grigio Valdadige Italy ($17). After Chardonnay and Viognier, Pinot Grigio is in my top 3 varietals for white wine. I love the crisp, clean and refreshing character of this Pinot Grigio (also known as Pinot Gris in the US and other New World countries). Light gold in the glass, this wine has aromas of wet stone and lemon peel. In the mouth, this wine is light bodied with crisp and lean acidity along with citrus and tangerine notes. In total, it’s a light refreshing wine that is a great deck sipper in warm weather, and a great companion for shellfish as well. By the way, this producer also makes a killer Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine) that makes a regular appearance in our home, especially when we are entertaining.

• 2019 Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling ($10). When I see a Riesling I immediately think about sweet German wines, and most Rieslings made in the US are sweeter wines as well. But this Washington State beauty is made in a dry style which is why I love it so much. This wine has the color of straw, with aromas of pear and floral notes. It bursts with bright fruit flavors on the first sip and leads you to believe it’s a wine with residual sugar, but it finishes completely dry. This Riesling tastes of orange, peach and lime and has a nice zesty acidity that keeps things bright and balanced. Light and flavorful this wine is a perfect match for Asian or spicy food and would also be a great addition to the Thanksgiving table to complement the turkey and other rich dishes.

• 2019 Talbott Kali Hart Chardonnay Monterey ($16). Monterey and Carmel Valley south of San Francisco is one of my wife Laurie’s and my favorite spots to vacation. Big Sur is just 45 minutes south and the Carmel Valley has beautiful resorts, along with fantastic restaurants and wineries. Talbott Vineyards is in one of our top two wineries for this area, along with Bernardus Winery. Like most wineries in cooler climate regions of California, Talbott specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and has numerous bottlings of each, including single vineyard bottlings. Their Kali Hart Chardonnay is their entry point Chardonnay, but you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t see the price – it drinks like a $40 Chardonnay and is a fantastic value for the price. Medium gold in color, this wine has aromas of light oak, vanilla, and peach in the glass. I taste nectarine, peach, and a hint of pineapple. The acidity is light, and the wine is medium-to-full bodied. The finish highlights vanilla from the oak treatment. This wine is a great match for roast or sauteed chicken with mustard cream sauce, or white fish with a beurre blanc sauce.

• 2020 Val Do Sosego Albarino Rias Balxa Spain ($17). Spanish wines are consistently good in terms of both quality and price. The whites are generally crisp and clean, with a nice backbone of acidity complementing the fresh fruit character of the wine. Albarino is my favorite Spanish white variety (it’s also grown in Portugal) because it’s so food friendly but also enjoyable on its own without food. Light gold in color, this wine has aromas of tropical and citrus fruit. Light bodied, it has a zesty acidic character underlying the stone fruit flavors. Saline and lemon zest along with tart acidity show on the finish, which is long and satisfying. Another great warm weather wine, this one would pair great with grilled shrimp or stone crab with mustard sauce.

• Gruet Winery Brut American Sparkling Wine New Mexico ($15). Laurie and I first tasted this wine in a restaurant, and we were intrigued because it was from New Mexico. That was probably 20 years ago now and this fantastic sparkling wine has become our “go to” wine for parties and happy hours with friends and family. It’s hard to find a better value than this beauty. Tight bubbles rise in a thin line in the glass, with scents of brioche and citrus fruit. Consistently scoring in the high 80’s and sometimes low 90’s (on a 100-point scale), this sparkler always delivers with a taste of pear and lemon along with nice acidity on the finish. A refreshing American sparkling wine that competes well with bottles twice the price. Perfect with a nice cheese and charcuterie plate with salty cheeses (parmesan and Manchego) and meats (prosciutto and speck).

What are your favorite value wines, and why did they make the list? I’d love to know so I can try them myself and add them to my list!