It’s fall wine sale season. That time of year when wine distributors and liquor stores try to clear out the year’s juice to make room for the new stuff.
I’ve been overwhelmed with the emails and sale circulars arriving from my favorite stores. So, I decided to go straight to the wine buyers and the store owners, to get the real deal: the best buys on the best wines. Bookmark this list. Save it, share it—I guarantee you’ll save money and find great bottles.
1. Solo Vino Bottle Shop
All wine is 20 percent off until October 31.
Location: Selby Ave., St. Paul
Chuck Kanski recommends:
2017 Paetra Pinot Noir
Regular: $29.99
Sale: $23.99
2017 Paetra Pinot Blanc
Regular: $24.99
Sale: $19.99
“Billy Hooper [of Paetra wines] is a St. Paul native producing amazing wines in Oregon. With Thanksgiving around the corner, I’m always stating, ‘Anything and everything Pinot.’ Recommending Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc for the Turkey Day celebration is a very easy pairing. The 2017 Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc from Paetra are perfect.”
2. 1010 Washington Wine & Spirits
Sale runs until November 4. Check out the whole list.
Location: Washington Ave., Minneapolis
Don Hanson recommends:
Field Recordings Neverland Cabernet 2017
Regular: $29.99
Sale: $16.99
“Our favorite California Cabernet that gives you amazing aromatics and bowls of fruit on the ever-changing finish.”
Cordier Vielle Vignes Macon 2015
Regular: $29.99
Sale: $19.99
“Our best selling white burgundy that delivers a rich palate of lemon butter and apple fruit.”
3. Lunds & Byerly’s
All wines are on sale. Buy one at regular retail, get the second half off. Sale ends November 11.
Location: 11 stores, including a new spot in White Bear Lake
Bill Belkin recommends:
Nicolas Feuillatte (FOO-YACHT) Champagne
Regular: $39.99
Sale: $33.99
Two bottles average at $25.49 each
“Affordable luxury for everyone! Lighter in body and color, this is a crisp, clean wine that is perfect as an aperitif, special toast, or first-course champagne.” [Personal aside: This is one of my favorites.]
2016 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir
Regular: $29.99
Sale: $27.99
Two bottles maximize your savings at $20.99
“Winemakers and drinkers alike are looking for the Oregon terroir—higher and brighter acidity, less of a fruit bomb, with more elegance, balance, and black cherry-tinged earthiness. Scoring 92 out of 100 points from Wine Advocate, this beauty is a perfect foil for Thanksgiving and holiday meals.”
4. Haskell’s
Huge wine sale runs through November 11. Check out the entire catalog.
Beau Farrel recommends:
2012 La Rioja Alta, Vina Alberdi
Regular: $23
Sale: $19.99
“This wine from Rioja, Spain, is 100-percent Tempranillo and simply phenomenal. What really gets me excited about this wine is how creamy and velvety it feels in your mouth. It is pretty big and bold, perfect for these cooler fall temperatures. Stellar wine. Limited supply.”‹” [Personal aside: I’ve been to this winery in Rioja, and Vina Alberdi is top notch.]
2014 Amicone Cantine Di Ora
Regular: $17
Sale: $14.99
“The wine is very interesting, very rich, bold and spicy. Only the best grapes are hand selected and dried slightly and put through an additional drying process in controlled temperature environments. This allows for the unique nature of the wine and its deep dark concentration. At Haskell’s we have been referring to it as the “Poor Man’s” Amarone, & it’s one heck of a good deal! Cheers!”
5. ”‹Cedar Lake Wine Company
For all wine, buy one and get the second bottle half off. Sale ends November 3.
Location: Highway 55, Golden Valley
Rodney Brown recommends:
Due Mari Sangiovese
$9.99
Buy two during the fall sale, pay $7.50 a bottle
“Drinks like a Ferarri on a Fiat budget. Intense deep color with notes of dark fruits, cherries, and rich plums.”‹”
Anne Amie Cuvee A, Muller Thurgau
$14.99
Buy two during the fall sale, pay an average of $11.25 a bottle
“Muller Thurgau, from Oregon? Dry, crisp white with notes of apple, key lime, and honeysuckle. Our holiday dinner pick for 2018.”‹”
6. France 44
Fall sale runs later than most—through November 19.
Location: France Ave., Minneapolis
Karina Roe recommends:
Fable Pinot Noir
Regular: $17.99
Sale: $14.99
“This easy-going Central Coast Pinot Noir is wrapped in bright red and purple fruits, a hint of autumnal spice, and has a drinkability factor that’s hard to match at this price.”
Tenuta de Sesta Camponovo
Regular: $16.99
Sale: $14.99
“A Sangiovese-based blend from Tuscany that draws you in with its plush fruit, signature Italian herbs-and-spice aromas, and soft tannins on a long-lasting finish.”‹”
