Happy Thursday! As we head into the weekend, I’m sharing my go-to red wines from California. While I love nothing more than a juicy California cab, there are many other reds I love and buy regularly.
When I was 22, my dad took me and my sister to Napa Valley for the first time and ever since then, I have been obsessed with learning about wine. Over the past eight years, I’ve gone back to Napa a few times, the Burgundy region of France and have explored many Southern California vineyards with my husband. I love movies like Sideways and could not get enough of the Netflix documentary, Somm: Into the Bottle when it came out.
I’ve picked up a few tips through these trips and movies about buying wine. One thing I was told in Napa is that when you buy wine outside of a vineyard, it’s usually best to go to a reputable liquor store. In Texas, we are so lucky to have Spec’s. They ship the wine responsibly and are so well educated about every bottle of wine they sell that you can never go wrong making a selection there and you will walk away knowing a lot more about wine. Spec’s also does not price gouge. I can go to Spec’s knowing I will pay close-to, if not less than what I would pay for a bottle of wine straight from the vineyard or winery. Unfortunately, if you buy wines from a grocery store or convenience store, the integrity and quality of the wine *can* be compromised.
When I think of my go-to red wines, I think mostly of California wines because they are easy for me to get on any given day in Texas. Overall, the most accessible and most affordable red wine I regularly buy is Decoy Wine’s Cabernet Sauvignon or their Red Wine blend. Decoy is owned by Duckhorn, but unlike their parent company, Decoy is somehow able to offer an incredibly beautiful red wine for under $20 a bottle. In addition to Decoy, I’ve shared a list of my favorite every day red wines that range in price from $17-$72.
- Frank Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
- Summers Estate Wines Charbono and Cabernet Sauvignon
- Frog’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
- Reynold’s Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
- Kendall-Jackson Vitner’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
- Swanson Vineyards Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon
- Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
- Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon
- Grgich Hills Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
What are your favorite red wines? Leave me a comment and let me know if you try any of these and what you think!
XO,
Brit
BASICALLY BRIT 
I wrote a piece on the best Napa Valley Vineyards and named 4 of the same ones you did. There’s nothing like Napa for food and wine. Thanks for the great article!
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Thank you so much, Michelle! Hoping we can all go back soon!
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