Cheap decent red wine

[Kenny202]

I don't drink but a Thai friend of mine asked me to recommend a decent cheaper red wine. I remember there used to be a flagon, or larger bottle of red they used to sell in Tesco I think at a reasonable price and apparently it wasn't too bad at all. Can some one refresh my memory?

 

[clivebaxter]

Rumours is a cheap Ozzie one 299 baht last time in Big C, then there is Hola, 219 you can just about call it wine. Wolf Blass at 399 is quite good 14% Shiraz

[ronster]

The mont Clair ones are drinkable but not brilliant . I can’t drink red wine here as it seems odd in the heat . Now cool white wine no problem.

[Salerno]

25 minutes ago, ronster said:

I can’t drink red wine here as it seems odd in the heat .

Have you tried them chilled?

 

Not suggesting that you do, but have bumped into a few that stick to the "room temperature" myth; which can lead to a less than pleasant experience.

 

https://www.decanter.com/learn/red-wine-serving-temperature-420885/

Edited July 27, 2021 by Salerno

[4MyEgo]

Cheap reds are for cheap Charlie's who don't appreciate a good red.

 

I see a good drop to the palate as a good looking babe I am about to enjoy.

 

Just under 1,000 baht for 3 litres, can also be bought in a 1 litre bottle for 339 baht I have read.

 

Castle Creek Bin 569 dry red, Aussie wine, half a wine glass with dinner is perfect, but never enough.

 

 

 

[millymoopoo]

One would question the motivation for acquiring economically priced wine.?

After all life is too short to waste it on cheap wine.

Quality costs.!

Would saving up to buy a decent bottle of wine for example once a week be better for enjoyment than five bottles of cheap plonk in a week.?

Or do they just want to get <deleted>.?

[topt]

 

15 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

half a wine glass with dinner is perfect, but never enough.

A glass the size in the picture would probably hold most of the bottle! ????

 

17 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Just under 1,000 baht for 3 litres, can also be bought in a 1 litre bottle for 339 baht I have read.

This is cheap - which is what the OP was looking for.

However everyone's taste is different and I find I need to spend at least 469 baht a bottle at the moment for something I consider drinkable - without having consumed several beers first...........

[seajae]

I was getting a Chile merlot that is very good & reasonably cheap, 500 to 600 baht a bottle, for a few hundred more you can get some really good merlot(merlot & gsm are my preferred reds)

[marin]

18 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

 I don't drink but a Thai friend of mine asked me to recommend a decent cheaper red wine.

That is a perfect example of an oxymoron. In Thailand there is no such thing. Spend just a bit more as has been suggested and get something palatable and that won't leave you with a massive headache.

[tonray]

Now this may not strictly fall into the cheap category...but 699 baht at most supermarkets here....quite good...I find it serves best chilled in the fridge but then taken out about 20 minutes before drinking.

 

[ChipButty]

Dont buy that Mont Clare thats just glorified plonk, Go to makro they have a good selection 

[Bangkok Barry]

3 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Dont buy that Mont Clare thats just glorified plonk, Go to makro they have a good selection 

Depends which Makro. My nearest one doesn't sell any alcohol at all as it's a few hundreds metres from a uni. The 7-11 directly opposite the uni, though, sells. Just one of those Thai things that make no sense.

[ChipButty]

10 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Depends which Makro. My nearest one doesn't sell any alcohol at all as it's a few hundreds metres from a uni. The 7-11 directly opposite the uni, though, sells. Just one of those Thai things that make no sense.

I didnt know that, both the ones we use sell loads

[Skeptic7]

Laughing Bird Dry Red 1.5l

 

Berri Estates Bin999 750ml. Better than Bin777 IMO. 

 

2 off the top of my head which meet the OP criteria. 

[toofarnorth]

Just yesterday at the off licence in town I bought a bottle of McGuigan Black Label Red.  Best Red I have drunk in LoS. 550 B.  They also do a Savignon Blanc for those evenings when the sun comes out.  So the Red for now.

[nickmondo]

49 minutes ago, tonray said:

Now this may not strictly fall into the cheap category...but 699 baht at most supermarkets here....quite good...I find it serves best chilled in the fridge but then taken out about 20 minutes before drinking.

 

i drink this one all the time when i am at my place in Spain.

Only costs 120 baht there though..........

I know they have to pay taxes, import costs etc.........but prices ridiculous here

[tonray]

2 minutes ago, nickmondo said:

i drink this one all the time when i am at my place in Spain.

Only costs 120 baht there though..........

I know they have to pay taxes, import costs etc.........but prices ridiculous here

Yes...120 baht ($4) in Spain, 360 baht ($12) in America, taxes and transport carrying costs

 

It's one of those things you accept living here, housing and most other things being sigificantly cheaper than USA, I find since I need the  other things daily but can ration my wine consumption it works out in my favor.

Edited July 27, 2021 by tonray

[ronster]

2 hours ago, Salerno said:

Have you tried them chilled?

 

Not suggesting that you do, but have bumped into a few that stick to the "room temperature" myth; which can lead to a less than pleasant experience.

 

https://www.decanter.com/learn/red-wine-serving-temperature-420885/

Yeah I just can’t drink it unless I’m sitting in a room with air con and the wine has just sat out before opening . Also putting ice in beer and wine is just criminal !! ????

[peleid]

20 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

Rumours is a cheap Ozzie one 299 baht last time in Big C, then there is Hola, 219 you can just about call it wine. Wolf Blass at 399 is quite good 14% Shiraz

Wolf Blass is the best one I have tasted recently, from large Tescos

[Salerno]

2 minutes ago, ronster said:

Yeah I just can’t drink it unless I’m sitting in a room with air con and the wine has just sat out before opening .

Try it chilled once, you might like it.

 

3 minutes ago, ronster said:

Also putting ice in beer and wine is just criminal !!

There was a time that could almost lead to fisticuffs , now I don't mind (personally not much of a beer drinker anyway, 3 or 4 Singha before moving onto spirits, but if having a tall bottle with lunch or dinner in an outdoor setting for instance I have gotten used to the ice thing).

[cjinchiangrai]

When in Thailand, make sangria. The red wines are poor and overpriced and it is too damn hot. A little sangria over ice on the porch is very nice though.

[wwest5829]

As has been observed individual palates/tastes' differ. while I have enjoyed very nice red wines in my travels, I have been reduced to the Aussie Mont Clare box wine for the "house" wine. That said, I have a few bottles of Eagle Creek Merlot and Shiraz which I find affordable and good for my taste. I left two bottles of Margaux wines with my Sons in the US to drink upon learning of my demise ... those bottles are now priced in the hundreds (USD).

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, topt said:

 

A glass the size in the picture would probably hold most of the bottle! ????

 

This is cheap - which is what the OP was looking for.

However everyone's taste is different and I find I need to spend at least 469 baht a bottle at the moment for something I consider drinkable - without having consumed several beers first...........

I have loved red for many decades, and this particular one is the one for me, unless I want to spend big on say a bottle of Penfolds Bin 389 Cab/Sav, but not here at 4,500 baht, back in Oz about 1,500 baht.

 

I find this Castle Creek Bin 569 to be better in my opinion and much much cheaper, go figure.

[huangnon]

Thanks for a few decent tips / brand recommendations in this thread. ????

 

I never usually bother with anything between Mont Clare or Penfold's here, tbh. Usually a disappointment, and fit only for cooking. My local used to stock Paul Masson brand which was drinkable, but now gone.

[recom273]

21 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

Rumours is a cheap Ozzie one 299 baht last time in Big C, then there is Hola, 219 you can just about call it wine. Wolf Blass at 399 is quite good 14% Shiraz

Hola is fruit wine - it’s alcohol with added fruit juice - I had a bottle and posted here for info - I gave it away in the end. 

[Jonnapat]

1 hour ago, nickmondo said:

i drink this one all the time when i am at my place in Spain.

Only costs 120 baht there though..........

I know they have to pay taxes, import costs etc.........but prices ridiculous here

Absolutely true

[BobinBKK]

Mad Dog 2020 comes to mind...

[kwonitoy]

I buy this at Villa for 850 baht. Better than the Mont Clare IMO

[HarrySeaman]

I love a glass of wine with dinner or before bed while soaking in my Jacuzzi (Don't get excited, I wouldn't have it if it hadn't been there when I rented the house, it is outdoors in a courtyard, and it is unheated so only useful about 6 months of the year.) 

I gave up on boxed wines as a bad idea after trying a number of them.

Next I gave up on bottled "fruit wines", i.e. wines diluted with fruit juices.

I couldn't afford the cost of good wine every day in Thailand so I just buy a good bottle of red and another of white once a month.  I trade quality for quantity.

 

As a side note, wine and other spirits are affordable in Cambodia.  Since there is no import duty sometimes the cost is less than in the country where they were bottled.  A drinkable table wine can be had for $4 or less.  You can legally bring back a bottle of alcohol to Thailand without paying duty so, before COVID-19, I usually brought back a bottle of an expensive spirit that cost about 1/3 of the Thai price.  That plus savings on medications, that are significantly lower than I pay at Thai pharmacies, would pay a good part of the travel costs.

[DBath]

3 hours ago, tonray said:

Now this may not strictly fall into the cheap category...but 699 baht at most supermarkets here....quite good...I find it serves best chilled in the fridge but then taken out about 20 minutes before drinking.

 

I’m a beer lover, so I don’t know a lot about wines, I prefer a good cabernet every now and then. I’m moving the La Rioja region on Aug 1st and have heard good things about the wines produce in that part of Spain. Can anyone here summarize what are the key differences of these wines versus what you might find at the upper middle of the range produced in the US? I’ve heard one can get good wine very cheap in La Riojas, particularly in Logroño. 

Edited July 27, 2021 by DBath