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Best Red Wine under $30

Butler1000

Well-known member
Oct 31, 2011
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Whoa you guys know your wines.
So Skinny Girl white Zinfandel is not the right answer? :)
Uh no....

But if you want to try I nicer slightly lighter red with spicy overtones I would recommend Raven'swood Zinfendel from California.

It's not the pink crap but a real red. Excellent with say a Filet Steak added with Seafood.
 

GameBoy27

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2004
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And a great place for that...(regrettably but honestly) are the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs - surprisingly fruity for being a dry wine. i have purchases the oyster bay for $18 in an LCBO in canada and just wonderful. There are other NZ sauv blanc's you get get too that are also quite nice and even cheaper. Those are my go-to's on that...chardonnay Australia all the way, but california has great ones too. But remember I am biased in favour of Aussie wines (the fine fighting wines, if you know your Monty Python).
If you like like the Oyster Bay SB, I think you'll like this one from Chile for $12.95. http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/errazuriz-estate-sauvignon-blanc/263574#.Vrl4QfkrK00

There's also a Reserva version but I didn't think it was much different for $16.00. http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/errazuriz-max-reserva-sauvignon-blanc/273342#.Vrl4fPkrK00
 

kherg007

Well-known member
May 3, 2014
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How come that the same bottle of wine that costs $20-$30 here costs only 2 or 3 euros in Europe ?
Sometimes its the other way - I remember finding some arrowfield (an aussie winery) chardonnay's in a trader joe's in the usa for US$3...but that same wine was around$12 in Australia..turns out that 90% of their wine was for export only, thus when exclusively exported it thus avoided the various aussie gov't taxes etc etc.

I agree w the comment on italian wines I like them too but i can never remember them cuz someone else is usually buying them so it doesn't sit in your memory like it does when you crack open the wallet and sink in some cash....
 

notthemama

Banned
Jun 27, 2012
1,010
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38
On the road with Willy
If you dummies could only see the quantity of fungicides and pesticides used for growing the grapes.
In other parts of the world they use chemicals that we can't even begin to dream about using.
It varies from climatic area to climatic area but here in Niagara we use horrific amounts.
I've seen some of the more sensitive varieties be sprayed twice in a week.
The grapes get harvested looking like a sugar dusted donut with all the residue on the skins.
The machines suck it all in and turn it into a oxidized brown slurry. Don't think the pesticide residue is somehow magically removed.
I wouldn't touch that chemical soup if you paid me.
Don't get me started on Ice wine.
I know, I used to be involved in the industry.
I'd rather take my chances eating hot dogs and drinking soda.
 

LickingGravity

New member
Sep 9, 2010
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I have to admit , I was one of those people that believed expensive is wine, is the good wine. But after trying a french brand that was under $15. I was proven wrong. Does anyone know a good red wine. Drier the better, aged is good too. White wine, I have yet to taste one that doesn't make queasy..
http://www.vintages.com/circular/circ_main.shtml

Every 2 weeks the LBCO has a new release of vintage wines. There are many under $30 and some under $20
 

lomotil

Well-known member
Mar 14, 2004
6,475
1,329
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Oblivion
If you dummies could only see the quantity of fungicides and pesticides used for growing the grapes.
In other parts of the world they use chemicals that we can't even begin to dream about using.
It varies from climatic area to climatic area but here in Niagara we use horrific amounts.
I've seen some of the more sensitive varieties be sprayed twice in a week.
The grapes get harvested looking like a sugar dusted donut with all the residue on the skins.
The machines suck it all in and turn it into a oxidized brown slurry. Don't think the pesticide residue is somehow magically removed.
I wouldn't touch that chemical soup if you paid me.
Don't get me started on Ice wine.
I know, I used to be involved in the industry.
I'd rather take my chances eating hot dogs and drinking soda.
Please elaborate on the chemicals used in the pesticides and the potential health hazards.
 

GameBoy27

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2004
12,677
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Please elaborate on the chemicals used in the pesticides and the potential health hazards.
I think notthemama should do a little research before making such a claim. Unless you're consuming all organic grains, fruits and vegetables, you're likely getting far more pesticides/herbicides and fungicides than in any wine you consume sold through the LCBO. Let's not forget about all the hormones and antibiotics in meat and poultry.

Now if you feel better eating hot dogs and drinking soda, then have atter!

The question

Which countries’ wines have the least amount of pesticides?

The answer

It’s hard to generalize, because pesticide use varies from region to region, not just from country to country. Suffice it to say that the drier the region, the less likely growers are forced to rely on heavy pesticide use.

The word pesticide is sometimes thought to refer only to chemicals that destroy or repel insects, but environmental agencies and consumer-protection groups generally intend it as a catch-all to include herbicides and fungicides as well – which thwart a variety of living organisms that do damage to plants, even bacteria and viruses. I’m assuming that’s your intent here.

Where wines are concerned, much of the attention has focused on fungicides because grapes are particularly susceptible to rot from such mouldy invaders as powdery and downy mildew. Fungal diseases are strongly associated with humid environments, which may be one reason France has become something of a whipping post for consumer groups that have been lobbying to effect change.

Humid places like Bordeaux and Champagne rely heavily on chemical spraying with things like copper-based anti-mildew preparations. Such dependence has been called out by various critics over the years. Two years ago, for example, the French consumer organization UFC-Que Choisir tested 92 wines from around France and found pesticide traces in every bottle. The group singled out Bordeaux and Champagne, in particular, noting that wines from drier regions in the south, such as Provence and the Rhône Valley, tended to be less loaded with pesticides. It also said France’s wine industry accounts for just 3.7 per cent of the country’s agricultural land yet uses 20 per cent of the country’s pesticide volume. And France is a heavy user of agricultural pesticides over all, reportedly ranking behind only the United States and Japan globally. It bears noting that pesticide residues are not unique to wine grapes; chemicals are used throughout the agricultural sector wherever fruits, vegetables and grains are grown.

Another study, in 2008, by researchers at Kingston University in London, also found heavy metals in wine from 15 countries in Europe, South America and the Middle East. While the metals may or may not have come from pesticides (it’s impossible to be certain, because the metals may have been resident in the soil or come from elsewhere), the researchers published a list of the worst-offending countries, which included Hungary, Slovakia, France, Austria, Spain, Germany and Portugal. Among countries faring best were Italy and Argentina. (The United States and Canada, among others, were not part of the study.)

I’m not aware of a comprehensive study that has ranked pesticide residues across the global wine industry, and the allowable production limits in many countries in any case apply only to harvested grapes, not to finished wine. (There can be a big difference between the two measurements, in part because some residues collect and remain mainly in grape seeds and stems more than in juice, and because fermentation has the beneficial effect of scrubbing away some pesticides.)

Bleak though some selective studies might seem, there’s heartening news. Perhaps the best barometer of all is here at home, where the LCBO in Ontario performs a chemical analysis of every wine sold in the province. The liquor board’s executive vice-president, George Soleas, a PhD scientist, tells me that, while pesticides were an issue many years ago, the lab now rarely detects residues. And generally those concentrations fall significantly below the LCBO’s guidelines, which are stricter than government limits.

Soleas says that while fungicides are the most commonly detected family of pesticides, they vary depending on the climatic conditions within the growing region. In other words, a wet season may require more fungicide spraying than a dry one, and less residue will make it into the final product if the spraying is conducted well before harvest.

So, if I were seeking out wines with relatively low residue levels, my inclination would be to focus on regions with dry climates, notably the drier zones of Chile, Argentina and California. But if you’re not too worried about all those pesticides on your apples, strawberries and bell peppers (among the worst offenders in your shopping cart), I wouldn’t panic about the pinot noir.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/wine/which-countries-wines-have-the-least-amount-of-pesticides/article26474846/
 

Autumn-desilva

Toronto's Natural Ebony Beauty
Jan 18, 2016
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Toronto
www.autumndesilva.com
[h=1]Socré Barbaresco 2011!!!![/h]http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/socre-barbaresco-2011/305284#.VrkzyebgS-A

This wine is from Piemonte region of Italy, where the Barolo wines come from. In fact, this wine is made from Nebbiolo grapes, just like Barolo, the wine of kings and the king of wines (at least from Italy). I had a bottle of this stuff last weekend, and it fully developed after letting it breathe for about half an hour. It worked very well with the grilled steak I cooked.

Alternatively, you could also try a San Pio Valpolicella Ripasso at only $18.00 a bottle. Very nice, almost like a full-fledged Amarone.

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/fe...a-classico-superiore-2013/181446#.Vrk1AubgS-A
Italian and french wines are my favorite.
 

Timbit

Tasty and Roundish
Jan 7, 2002
1,696
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In Ecstacy
There are lots of decent Portugese reds out there for $15-18/bottle. I find them to be perfect for drinking in the winter - they are full-bodied, tend to be higher in alcohol content and very flavourful.

Just stay away from anything cheaper than $12 as I find them to be very plummy and overbearing.

Timbit
 

bassetto87

New member
Mar 29, 2014
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I know this thread is about reds, but if you'd like to try a white, Ontario actually makes some very good whites. Trius and Inniskillin both produce very good Rieslings, and in particular the Late Autumn Riesling is my favourite. They cost only around $20.

It's also nice to support the local Ontario economy, as these wines are made in the Niagara region.
 

Jessica S

Well-known member
Nov 17, 2012
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Downtown
Often you can find good Aussie reds for well under $30...hardy, wolf blass, and so forth all make very good and affordable cabernet savignons and shiraz'...(sorry gotta put a plug in for the home team) ...if you wanna go real cheap and still get a likable red...think chilean reds. BTW Jessica - holy crap that new picture is wonderful!! I mean...I can almost feel you through that imagine. My goodness, you are one lovely lady. You too Autumn - so very lovely!
Thanks. :) I have to upload my signature picture again, once I have access to a computer.
 

GameBoy27

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2004
12,677
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I know this thread is about reds, but if you'd like to try a white, Ontario actually makes some very good whites. Trius and Inniskillin both produce very good Rieslings, and in particular the Late Autumn Riesling is my favourite. They cost only around $20.

It's also nice to support the local Ontario economy, as these wines are made in the Niagara region.
In order to be sure it's actually "Ontario" wine, look for "VQA" on the label. Otherwise it may contain a small percentage of local wine. Some use the term "Cellared in Ontario" which means it can contain up to 70% foreign wine.
 

bassetto87

New member
Mar 29, 2014
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In order to be sure it's actually "Ontario" wine, look for "VQA" on the label. Otherwise it may contain a small percentage of local wine. Some use the term "Cellared in Ontario" which means it can contain up to 70% foreign wine.
Hmm I had no idea people did that.

I went on a tour of the Trius winery in Niagara a few years ago for a corporate event. Really nice place, great wine, and run by great people. That region would be great for a weekend romantic getaway too.
 

John Henry

Active member
Apr 10, 2011
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I know this thread is about reds, but if you'd like to try a white, Ontario actually makes some very good whites. Trius and Inniskillin both produce very good Rieslings, and in particular the Late Autumn Riesling is my favourite. They cost only around $20.

It's also nice to support the local Ontario economy, as these wines are made in the Niagara region.
I used to buy only wine that was 100% Ontario grown but not anymore . A large number of Ontario Wineries are foreign owned so why bother . Gretzky winery , Dan Aykroyd to name a few . They live in the US , profits go states side . Forty Creek Distillery in Grimsby was 100% Canadian and doing well but was sold to a foreign investor . Supporting the local business is nice but when they do well they get sold to foreign investors . Another one is Lakeport Beer . Sold to a large beer company that is foreign owned and over 80 jobs were lost.

My holiday money is spent in Ontario . Not down south or some Caribbean Island or even some European country . So when I buy a bottle of wine from Chile or Argentina it doesn't bother me a bit . Just the cost of one trip down south is a lot more money gone south than what I would spend buying foreign wine in a year.

Supporting the local economy sounds nice but many do not when spending big money taking holidays south of the border .
 

Shakeandbake

New member
Jul 28, 2010
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My picks are :

Best reds for under 30 are J'Lohr , Sandbanks Baco Noir , Apothic Dark and Cupcake Red Velvet
Best whites for under 30 are Sandbanks Dunes, Cave Springs Riesling , Tawse Riesling , and Cupcake Chardonnay
 
Ashley Madison
Toronto Escorts