5 Wines Under $15 That Could Sell for Twice the Price
No-nonsense wine buying advice from an expert
You don’t have a to spend a bundle to get a great glass of wine; you just need to know what to buy. Wine expert Carolyn Evans Hammond drives home this point with her new book, Good, Better, Best Wines: A No-Nonsense Guide to Popular Wines. The groundbreaking book ranks the bestselling wines in North America by grape variety and price up to $15 – with bottle images to help you find them on shelves.
Evans Hammond says tasting wines for the book revealed some serious finds including these five sub-$15 bottles that could sell for twice the price. Discover them below.
Bogle Vineyards Chardonnay | California
Enticing aromas of crème brûlée draw you toward the ripe, crisp, full-on attack of juicy pear, cooked apple, and cream. Hints of vanilla, caramel, oak, and nutmeg add interest to this complex, concentrated thriller with considerable length. This wine might just become your new favourite crush. Medium- to full-bodied with 13.5% ABV.
19 Crimes Cabernet Sauvignon | Limestone Coast, Australia
With thunderclap intensity, this wine explodes with dark fruit flavours – blueberries, blackberries, dried plum, and sultanas. Then, after the initial attack, it continues to unfurl considerable complexity – fruitcake, cigar box, pencil shavings, mint, gravel, and espresso notes that linger. Big, bold and brawny expression with a velvet mouthfeel. Incredible value. Full-bodied with 14% ABV.
Gnarly Head Pinot Noir | California
Although this is richer and more meaty tasting than most Pinot Noir, it’s got instant appeal. It starts with black raspberry aromas, along with warm mocha, before exploding with voluptuous avors of poached plum, raspberry preserves, black pepper, and charred wood. Powerful and dense style of Pinot Noir with a satisfying raspberry-vanilla nish. Full- bodied with 13.5% ABV.
14 Hands Winery Cabernet Sauvignon | Columbia Valley, Washington
A seductive, warm berry perfume draws you in. Then intense flavors of macerated cherries and blueberries stitched with black earth, toasted almond, nutmeg, and clove notes offer depth while the plunging acidity and plush tannins hold the fruit in place. This is an iron-fisted, velvet-gloved wine of personality and substance. Medium- to full- bodied with 13.5% ABV.
Estancia Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon | Paso Robles, California
Lovely, powdery scents of talc, dried currants, and black cherry lead to a classy and smart-tasting expression. Layered flavors of red berries, damson, cocoa, violet petals, cassis, sage, and warm gravel unspool slowly. Then the finish leaves a discreet note of salt, sage, and stone. Doesn’t drink like an under-$15 bottle! Medium-bodied with 13.5% ABV.
About the Author
Two-time bestselling wine writer and media personality Carolyn Evans Hammond is an internationally recognized wine expert. She appeared on broadcast outlets internationally including CNN International and GoingGlobalTV.com; she has been a guest on radio stations all over the U.S.; and she has written for such top publications as Wine Spectator, Decanter and Wine & Spirit International and others.
Her message is simple: Living well doesn't have to be pricey or pretentious. Just takes a little know-how, and maybe a corkscrew.
