Good suggestions so far. Agree with keeping this to California offerings for maximum recognition, and would also suggest 2 be Chardonnays. Something else makes the mix interesting, but for crowd appeal Chardonnay is it and so that should be the majority IMHO.
Only name I would add to the hat is Sonoma-Cutrer.
And a strong second for someone’s earlier suggestion of Ferrari-Carano. That is one I have selected many times in the past for serving at small gallery openings when I dabbled in that world. Nice modern label and it still carries some of the prestige from when it was a really hot item in the late 90s.
A lot of the California Chardonnay listed don’t meet Sarah’s requirement that “we just have to find something that doesn’t taste awful.” Most of the really popular California Chardonnay listed really taste awful. Now, if we want to remove that requirement, I would go with Sonoma-Cutrer, which has a nice cache among the target audience that it is more upscale than many of the other wines listed. My lowest price level California Chardonnays that would meet the requirement of not tasting awful are about $40, not $30, like Ridge and Stony Hill (which also does not meet the widely available criterion).
I continue to appreciate the suggestions here, thanks all. It’s a challenging question for a real wine person to choose for non-wine people, when the usual criteria are turned on their heads like this. In our opinion, nothing German or Austrian or Alsatian wold work and even French is hard in this situation. As for the “has to not taste awful” - that’s more our desire than a necessary criteria. This has been very useful - thank you again!
Ha! Those are literally the 2 exact wines I was going to mention as well. Good stuff buddy.
The Merry Edwards would obviously be more enjoyable for you Sarah…but you cant really beat Rombauer for the name recognition. I’d probably run with that.
It’s amazing how many people are responding with wines that completely miss on the “widely appealing, made in quantity, and have name recognition” criteria in the OP. Scoff all you want at Rombauer but LOTS OF PEOPLE LOVE IT. Far more than the >5%-10% of wine drinkers WB represents.
I don’t like either wine, but there’s an enormous quality difference between these two. Rombauer is much, much, much better than KJ.
I’d probably go with Stag’s Leap Karia or Stag’s Leap Winery Chardonnay and Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc.
Can you buy these wherever you want? Retail prices obviously vary quite a bit. There are other good suggestions here, but some of them are far more than $30 at a lot of retailers. What state are we talking about?
If you were looking to offer differing styles of whites I’d chose these three:
Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Les Baronnes ($20-26 in most places): Well known and high quality for the $
Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Santa Barbara County ($22-25 in most places): For those who NEED Cali Chards it might offer them some balance.
JJ Drum Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett (Just barely under at $29-30 in most places) : Well known and iconic German producer of Riesling
Rombauer. In a single word. Incredible recognition (they are in multiple ads for resorts, hotels, etc.). Many people recognize the blue and yellow label, and the name.
I went to Koerner Rombauer’s memorial recently. None of the lofty Napa Valley winemakers were embarrassed to be drinking this widely-recognized chardonnay with their colleagues nor with anyone else. It is a natural choice for the event you are talking about.
Sarah, is it just one wine or can you offer a selection?
I am thinking about Robert Mondavi or Chateau Sainte Michelle. Gallo meets the criteria of being well known and not Ptrid Swll, but for this venue I would say that their general reputation precedes them in an unfair but unacceptable way.
With Chateau Sainte Michelle, you can probably afford a Reserve level Chardonnay and definitely a Reserve level Sauvignon Blanc.
With Mondavi, basic Napa Chardonnay or “Fume” Blanc are in your price range; I assume Reserves are not. But with Mondavi you get drinkable wine, one of the most famous and historic names, and Napa Valley. With Chateau Sainte Michelle, you get a well known name, probably better quality with Reserves for the same money as Mondavi Napas, and people at the venue who own tobacco stock, so will be appreciative.
For the crowd you are describing, I have to give my opinion that names like Gary Farrell, Heitz, etc probably are not in the wheelhouse for most people attending a sporting event in a private box.
Widely appealing with name recognition? Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio.
I wouldn’t want to drink it and I’m sure you wouldn’t either. It’s well-known and, apparently, well-liked. If you could buy a second bottle of white (perhaps Chardonnay) I’d do so.
Thanks again everyone. As I wrote in the original post, we’re looking for white wines (plural) 2-3 options, to stock in the box. Lots of great suggestions - I’ve passed them along to my better half, who is ultimately the one responsible for choosing, but doesn’t participate here.
I agree with others about the appeal of California chardonnay. Rombauer makes a lot of sense at your price point. I wouldn’t choose a “high-end” label from a producer that also sells a much cheaper wine (e.g. Beringer PR vs. regular), because it wouldn’t impress folks who recognize the brand but are unfamiliar with the specifics.
Since you need 2-3 choices, Sancerre would be a great complement (Frenchie, ABC crowd, higher acidity, etc.). For many people, Sancerre is a strong brand unto itself, more so than specific producers. But I would consider Vacheron, unless one of the Cotats can be found for a good price.
Regards,
Peter