My wife and I recently went to Fredericksburg and did numerous tours but our favorite was Grape Creek,

The one catch is that...its expensive. And I dont really know anything about wines to begin with. Were both relatively new to drinking wine and getting any sort of enjoyment from it.

My favorite that we tasted BY FAR was their Bellissimo, would anyone have recommendations similar but more cost effective as well as more accessible, (Total Wine or Specs)

My wife's favorite was the Cab Blanc, I didn't mind it either. any recommendations here as well? She also liked their Riesling, I didn't mind it because it didn't seem as sweet as most Rieslings she has bought.

Id also love just some general guidance for someone just getting into the wine mindset. lower cost good options and also where should I store bottles or not store bottles. I dont plan to have a bunch on hand at a given time but I also dont want them just sitting on the counter constantly like they currently are

Cab Blanc? You mean Sauv Blanc?

do you recall what varieties are in the red you liked? is that sangiovese?

Do you recall any specific wineries you visited and wines you did not like?

bularry said:

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Cab Blanc? You mean Sauv Blanc?

do you recall what varieties are in the red you liked? is that sangiovese?

Do you recall any specific wineries you visited and wines you did not like?

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nope, I mean their Cab Blanc
Cabernet Sauvignon crafted as a ros-style wine with nuances of strawberry jam, loganberry and a hint of honeysuckle.


This beautiful Super Tuscan-style wine exudes a captivating blend of cherries, spice and toasted oak, with hints of vanilla.

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Merlot & Petit Verdot

helpful, thanks, and what price point you targeting?

For the Cab Blanc
Total Wine has this - Chateau Belingard Bergerac Rose for $14 and this is a French rose from Cab/Merlot so might hit the same flavors as that Cab Blanc.

I will say, this isn't a common wine profile, so replicating this might be tough. if the red fruit flavors are the big drawing card for you and your wife, you might be able to find a fresh, light and fruity red Italian wine that hits that same spot.

For the Super Tuscan you liked -
Also at Total Wine - Villa Antinori Toscana Red, 2018. Antinori is a large house with large production but generally good quality, too. $17.50 is the listed price. This is a Tuscan blend of Sangio, Cab, Syrah, Merlot... should be similar flavor profile.

There are likely other similar wines in this price range you can look at or ask about, too

For Riesling, I'd recommend Spec's, they generally have more dry options than what I've seen at Total Wine (varies, by location, obviously). The big Spec's should have some Kabinett German riesling for less than $20 that can be good. Australia is also a surprisingly good supplier of dry riesling, same for Austria, but you don't see much at the big stores (if any), but worth checking Total if you go to one.

If you are willing to go to specific shops, then maybe go to Vinology on Bissonnett or Houston Wine Merchant and ask them about a dry riesling for beginners and I'd guess they would have something around $20.


Happy hunting!

You'll be able to find affordable Chianti's or Tuscan blends. Look out for these terms on the label.

Toscana IGT - Probably your best bet for something similar to what you mentioned, I would just grab a few bottles of wines with this designation.

As for the Cab Blanc, it is tough to find many Cab-bases rose wines on the market. They are not common. Try out some rose from different regions. Tavel (France) will have a rounder flavor and deeper color like that Cab Blanc. Try some non-Provence roses, maybe rose of Pinot Noir from Cali. I think both of those will be closer to this wine than a Provence style rose.

bularry said:

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helpful, thanks, and what price point you targeting?

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Not sure. Like mid teens? From them it costs 28 for the cb 42 for the bellisimo

I will be getting both when we make our shipment order but I can't afford to drink that priced stuff consistently

I edited by post for more info.

Chipotlemonger provided good feedback, too

Are you a Costco member?

They have excellent private label wines at these price points. Many with the Toscanna variety.

We've done a few blind cheap wine tastings at our house with friends and wound up with these inexpensive wines that were consistently at the top of everyone's list.

Apothic Red (blend)

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc

G Martin 87 said:

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We've done a few blind cheap wine tastings at our house with friends and wound up with these inexpensive wines that were consistently at the top of everyone's list.

Apothic Red (blend)

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc

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Where do you get those?

aggiedata said:

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Are you a Costco member?

They have excellent private label wines at these price points. Many with the Toscanna variety.

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I am not, we are Sams members. Its closer and easier for us

Think about changing over. If you are getting into wine, Costco is awesome at quality and cost.

Let me ask you guys opinions for a wine rack...would building something above the fridge where a cabinet use to be work? Or would it get too warm if bottles stayed there 9-18 months

That is not a good place to store wine for long. I have a cabinet above our fridge that is closed off for my liquor, but even that I'm not a huge fan of. Heat rises and if you live in Texas that is going to not work, especially for wine.

You mentioned 9-18 months? What is the rate at which you think y'all will drink the wine? Both week to week and day to day. I hate when people store opened bottles upright in the kitchen for extended periods. Store in fridge once open, allow to warm up the next day or 2 when you want to drink.

You can find those wines the other poster mentioned almost anywhere. I personally would not touch Apothic with a ten foot pole.

Chipotlemonger said:

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That is not a good place to store wine for long. I have a cabinet above our fridge that is closed off for my liquor, but even that I'm not a huge fan of. Heat rises and if you live in Texas that is going to not work, especially for wine.

You mentioned 9-18 months? What is the rate at which you think y'all will drink the wine? Both week to week and day to day. I hate when people store opened bottles upright in the kitchen for extended periods. Store in fridge once open, allow to warm up the next day or 2 when you want to drink.

You can find those wines the other poster mentioned almost anywhere. I personally would not touch Apothic with a ten foot pole.

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That was kind of my thought as well but I wasn't sure if it would work for something shorter term. We have a fairly small kitchen so i might have to think about storage somewhere outside of the kitchen.

We don't tend to leave bottles open. cant really say much with experience though, I've probably bought 10 bottles of wine in my 36 years and probably 8 were in the past two months... so far we mainly drink it with others and finish bottles.

My thought is more just that id like to have something on hand when I do want to drink it instead of running to a store if I want something that night, maybe drinking wine like once a week?

Good info. I would look at Target or somewhere like that for a rack than can handle a dozen or so bottles and just throw it in an interior closet. For the whites and roses you can store in fridge, just don't do that for extended periods if you can help it (like 6+ months).

If you keep the house warm or if it gets/stays too hot during summer feel free to drop the reds temporarily in the fridge as well. Sounds like you just need throughput storage and no long-term, so I wouldn't worry about reds in the fridge for a couple to few months here and there.

Chipotlemonger said:

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Good info. I would look at Target or somewhere like that for a rack than can handle a dozen or so bottles and just throw it in an interior closet. For the whites and roses you can store in fridge, just don't do that for extended periods if you can help it (like 6+ months).

If you keep the house warm or if it gets/stays too hot during summer feel free to drop the reds temporarily in the fridge as well. Sounds like you just need throughput storage and no long-term, so I wouldn't worry about reds in the fridge for a couple to few months here and there.

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I really like building so id like to do something that look more built in and perminant....we also dont have much closet/storage space downstairs. Upstairs were well set but its an older two story home and always warmer upstairs than down

Lonestar_Ag09 said:

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G Martin 87 said:

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We've done a few blind cheap wine tastings at our house with friends and wound up with these inexpensive wines that were consistently at the top of everyone's list.

Apothic Red (blend)

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc

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Where do you get those?

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Pretty much any grocery store. They're both easy to find. Our local Albertsons and Walmart carry both.

In Texas you
Don't need a Costco membership
For the booze.

Wife and I are members of Grape Creek and we also absolutely love the Bellisimo. It's a blend of 3 different grapes: sangiovese, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. You could probably go to the wine guy at Spec's and ask for this combo. There are so many blends out there

But here's a link to some similar wines:

https://www.vivino.com/US/en/grape-creek-bellissimo/w/1699047