+2 on this one.
Back away from the crappy Pinot Grigio and seek out Feudi San Gregorio, Mastroberardino, Terredora di Paolo, Donnachiara, etc.
Don’t leave Benito Ferrera off the list. Probably my favorite Greco.
I was going to post Muscadet (my favorites are Luneau Papin and Marc Ollivier) and La Vieille Ferme Blanc (the red is less interesting). Both bat way above their price point.
So many to drink… good thing it’s hot and humid.
2015 Blason Macon Village, $8 at Trader Joes. Sipping on it now, yes it is White Burgundy for $8! Drink on the warm side of chilled.
Adding to the chorus on this. Especially Fiano for me. Or go north in Italy and try Arneis or Soave, but only Soave Classico (and there are some great Gavis if you are careful). Italian whites get a bad wrap because of tons of plonk Pinot Grigio on the market but are delicious and affordable.
Yes. If nothing else, just get this one wine. Available widely in Italian restaurants, as well. Can’t miss it, really.
For real? It’s legit?
Picked up a bottle of the Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina for $13, and just grabbed another bottle next to it for $11, a Azienda Agricola Andrea Felici Verdicchio which I opened first. Very different.
Legit. Not stunning but satisfying and clearly French in origin. Best lightly chilled and needs some air to open.
Not sure if the any of the trader joes near me sell alcohol. I know the one closest does not.
Alas, cheap italian whites are a dime a dozen and its not easy to find those with enough character to distance them squarely enough from ubiquitously mediocre white girl staple, pinot grigio.
There are some interesting suggestions here but still i find that the spectrum of these highly acidic, modestly flavored wines is so narrow, the line between cheap 9 dollar magnums of PG and better 20+ dollar whites becomes increasingly blurred after a few chilled glasses in.
Further, some regions seem to do a better sub 20 dollar white better than others because of economy and climate so it seems a no brainer to look to places like new zealand for SB.
Still, all that said, we wouldn’t be wine berserkers if we didn’t at leat make some attempt to seek out wines of distinction and interest regardless of the price point and region. At least for me, a cool wine beats a pedestrian one any day.
My current go-to/do-all ITALIAN white is Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino. It beats out many lifeless whites at double the price but is not a cloying supermarket fruit bomb. Hits the spot at only $14 and is readily available.
Also Arneis can be good too. I see it in the $20 range from Giacosa, Vietti and Fenocchio fairly regularly.
Also, check this old thread for essentially the same info.
Continuing the “cheap Italian white” vein…had a Grecanico from Sicily (Sikelé) a few weeks ago that absolutle floored me. It’s made in an oxidative style. Loved it. Paid $17 and change at Eataly in Manhattan so, if available, it should be in the low to mid teens anywhere else. Ha.
For some reason, the Andrea Felici Verdicchio classico superiore I had last night, reminded me a lot of the LdH Vina Gravonia with more acid. Not bad, but a little too much acid for sipping chilled without food. The Feudi will be next.
Glad somebody else said this, because I too have struck out more than a few times with inexpensive Italian whites.
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I like the inexpensive Italians with a slight oxidative note… One which I restocked on lately that I enjoyed hugely is the 2013 Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Fiore. Great match with anything containing chickpeas.
Assyrtiko from Sigalas, Argyros, Hatzidakis, or Gaia. They are great wines, inexpensively priced only because the wine world hasn’t discovered their excellence.
When the heat is on, I unapologetically love NZ Sauv Blanc, almost all of which are well below $20.
Casa Ferreirinha Planalto Reserva
About $13 and usually gets good scores year in and year out. Good structure and plenty of crisp acidity. My go to summer white due to high quality/low price. Best part is now in screw cap so way easier to open at home and when taking a bottle somewhere.