Farmstead Cheeses and Wines: Jeff’s Blog

I love Wednesdays - it’s when the newspapers publish their food sections. The best of the bunch is the New York Times’ Dining In/Dining Out section, featuring the always sensible Eric Asimov writing on Wine, Beer and Spirits.

This week’s column, entitled Toehold in Napa:Some Starter Bottles, was a summary of Napa cabs, priced at $50 and under.

The article confirmed what we’ve been saying at Farmstead all along - there’s no value to be found in Napa. (It also confirmed our choices in bargain Napa cabs, as we carry three of the ten wines they highlighted in the article - Rombauer, Steltzner, and Larkmead - with the Rombauer singled out as a Best Value).

My favorite part of the article was the last paragraph: “By most standards, a budget of up to $50 a bottle ought to buy you an excellent wine. But when you are buying Napa cabernet in this price range, you generally are not paying for a stellar bottle but for a stellar wine region.”

Don’t get me wrong, while we do carry a wide array of amazing, top Cabernets from Napa - Stag’s Leap, Shafer, Anomaly, and Showkett to name a few - when you think of bargain Cabernet look to Australia, the Columbia Valley of Washington/Oregon, Chile, and Argentina, where you can still find great cabernets at under $30 per bottle.