How to recognize good wine in a supermarket
If you live in certain states, you can find wine at the grocery store, which helps to make a stop on your grocery list on a busy day. I mean, we’re certainly not skip the wine, is that us? Supermarket wine gets a bad rap for being generic, boring, and all-around basic, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some weird bottles to be found among the hard iced tea and boozy seltzer.
To learn the intricacies of good supermarket wine, we enlisted an expert in the field. “You can find good wine in the supermarket,” says Jade Palmer, wine manager at Hop City Craft Beer and Wine in Atlanta. “There are plenty of producers who have big production,” the kind that allows for consumer-friendly prices, “but their production is done well,” she says.
The key here is knowing what to look for in “over-delivery,” that is, wines that are priced well above their price point. Palmer offers several tips and tricks for finding wines in the grocery store that are more than worth serving on your dinner table.
(Oh, and if you’re wondering whether you should refrigerate that opened red wine to keep it fresh, we asked an expert for advice.)
1. Know which wines to avoid
Knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to look for.
While supermarkets and other grocery stores typically have a wide selection of good wines on their shelves, when it comes to wine it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff (the grapes from the seeds?).
Palmer suggests a few keywords to avoid when buying bottles. “I would avoid any wine that has the word ‘sweet’ in the title,” she says, “which typically means the wine has been artificially sweetened to make it more palatable.”
If you prefer a wine with a slightly sweet taste, look for the words “semi-dry”. These better indicate that it is a classically made wine, where some residual sugar is intentionally left after fermentation.
Also, wines with other “natural flavors” or wines aged in bourbon barrels are sometimes just gimmicks that mask the honest flavor of the wine. “That’s why we drink wine,” says Palmer, “because we want to taste the flavor of the grapes.” (Leave the bourbon barrels for the bourbon.)
2. Skip the mass market brands
Brands with large marketing budgets prefer to invest their money in this rather than in wine production.
Sorry, Barefoot, Yellowtail and, yes, even Josh. They may claim the most shelf space in supermarkets, but you’ll have to dig deeper for better wines. “The production of these has gotten so big that I don’t think the quality is there,” says Palmer. “I understand the price is attractive, but when we’re looking for cheap wine, we’re also looking for quality,” she says. In general, you should be skeptical of any wine that’s been oversold to you. (I’ll throw Whispering Angel under the bus here, too, while we’re at it.)
Read more: Budget Bottles: An Expert Reveals How to Find the Best Value for Money
Brands with big marketing budgets would rather put their money there than in making wine. Here you’ll probably find wines with a pronounced oak flavor that doesn’t come from oak aging, but from oak chips stirred into the wine to shorten the process. (Yes, that’s a thing.)
3. Certain regions are known for their value: Portugal, Chile, Washington
Keep a few high-value wine regions in your back pocket, like Portugal, Spain, and Washington State.
Among wine professionals, certain regions are known for keeping quality high and prices low, like the Iberian Peninsula. “Portugal is really good at that,” says Palmer. “Vinho Verde is such an accessible style of wine, and you can easily find it for under $15.” Spain also has some great finds: “You can find some really good Tempranillo-based blends that aren’t necessarily Rioja. You can also find some good Garnacha-based blends,” she says. Spain also offers a less expensive alternative to Champagne. “Cava is just a good, traditional sparkling wine that you can often get for under $25.”
Read more: Best Wine Apps to Help You Choose the Perfect Bottle
According to Palmer, Washington state wines, both red and white, are gaining popularity because of their value. And if you love Napa Cab but hate the sticker shock, “Paso Robles is a great place for Cab,” says Palmer. “You can still get the richness, the fullness, all the layers of flavor that you can get from Napa and Sonoma, but at a more value-driven price point.” These are regions of the U.S. that are so prevalent that at least a few should end up in your local grocery store.
Think about South America, too. “Argentina and Chile are also great places to find value,” says Palmer. “You can find incredible Malbec for under $20 — a supermarket hero — and you can find really good Sauvignon Blanc, particularly from Chile, and they’re great value.”
4. Most New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a safe choice
Any supermarket that sells wine should have at least a few New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs to choose from.
Speaking of Sauvignon Blanc, if you haven’t jumped on the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc bandwagon yet, jump on it. If you have, stay on it. It’s one of the most popular styles of wine sold in the U.S., supermarkets and liquor stores, and for good reason. “It’s a safe bet,” says Palmer. “It’s pretty straightforward. I know what I’m getting when I buy a $15 bottle, and you get all the great fruity, grassy aromas that you expect.”
5. Don’t be afraid to take a chance
On the other hand, there are so many grapes in the world, and we collectively drink so little of them, and you can find a great deal if you’re willing to try something new. Even the biggest supermarkets have some big discounts in their selections. “I have bottles in my store where people say, ‘OK, why is this wine $12? I’ve never heard of this before,’” says Palmer. “I think it’s a low-risk, high-reward situation,” she says. “People should go out and try something different, like a Picpoul or a Bonarda.” And if you find something unusual and love it, you can be the tastemaker among your friends or family.
The same goes for countries or states you may not have known made wine. Uruguay, for example, has been exporting more and more wine to the U.S. over the past 10 years, and there are some great Tannat-based reds and refreshing Albariños available for under $15. Look for them among the more famous South American wines.
6. Two big names to watch out for: Louis Jadot and Mary Taylor
Louis Jadot’s signature old-fashioned labels are easy to spot on supermarket shelves.
Louis Jadot wines have a French, classic looking label that you can find at many major retailers, but it’s not quite the same as the mass market brands that you’re better off avoiding, and that has to do with what the negotiator system. “Negotiators like Louis Jadot buy grapes and make wine, so they’re not necessarily a grower,” Palmer says. “It’s a class of producers that allows people to enter the market without owning vineyard land,” she says, a much more common practice in winemaking than people realize. Not having to own real estate is a way for winemakers to keep their costs down and pass savings on to the consumer.
Mary Taylor wines are easy to find and priced above average.
In the same way, by Mary Taylor line of wines, available at many retailers, is a hand-picked collection of European vintages that offer great value. “Her wines are so approachable and she does a great job of highlighting producers who use relatively unknown grape varieties,” says Palmer, another voice for unknown grapes. “The price is insane, because they’re all under $20, and the brand exposes consumers to a region they never would have tried wine from.”
