Value wines

Listen, it’s entirely possible to enjoy quality “value wines”. And what do I mean when I say “value wines”? I mean wines with a high quality-price ratio; wines that won’t break the bank, but are still of high quality. People are very often under the impression that to be able to drink good wines, you have to break the bank. And sure, wine can cost quite a bit. But there are plenty of options out there that are on the more affordable side. So here are some of my favorite value wines from Piemonte, all under 300 NOK.

Wines under 300

In this category, there are tons of options. If you’ve never tried Nascetta, this is your sign to change that. I discovered Le Strette some years ago, and their Langhe Nascetta del Comune di Novello is one of my favorites! Moving on to reds, the Elio Altare Dolcetto is still under 300NOK! This probably won’t last very long, so here’s your chance! Another favorite is the Luigi Pira Barbera d’Alba Superiore, which is also still in this category. Two Langhe Nebbiolo’s that are frequently found in my wine fridge are Francesco Borgono Langhe Nebbiolo and Cristian Boffa Langhe Nebbiolo. The latter is basically a “Baby Barolo”, so it’s a frickin’ steal! Now, there are not that many Barbera + Nebbiolo blends available in Norway, unfortunately. But one of the few that are available is the La Vedetta Swanti.

Wines under 250

Moving on to wines below 250NOK. The number of quality wines available are reduced in correlation to price, but there are still quite a few good options here! Two good Dolcetto’s, one from Luigi Pira and one from Cristian Boffa. Both of them are what I like to call “stainless steel” Dolcetto’s, but the one from Luigi Pira is likely to be a bit “bigger” than the one from Cristian Boffa, mostly due to the location of the grapes. As for Barbera, there’s the one from Trediberri. Aged in stainless steel and cement. Very classic and delicious. The Mauro Veglio “Angelo” Langhe Nebbiolo is another classic. Named for Mauro’s father, it’s always been a very special wine.

Wines under 200

Here’s where it gets tricky. These days, it’s not easy to find a high quality wine under 200NOK. That’s just the way it is. But there are still a select few available in Norway. The Diego Morra Langhe Rosato is now available for only 179kr. And you might think a rosé wine is only suitable for the summer. But did you know that a lot of seafood is considered “in season” in the winter? Which is perfect, because this wine is what I consider a “food wine” that will go great with shrimp, crab, salads or white meat.

Two Dolcetto’s made it into this category, both good, but very different from one another. The Azelia Dolcetto is made from very old vines located in fairly high altitude, making it quite special. You also have the Francesco Borgogno Dolcetto, a “stainless steel” Dolcetto, very clean and fresh.  

There you have it. Hope you found some treasures in here.

PS: some of these won’t be available at these prices for long, so I’d act fast. Enjoy!