Great Second Label Wines To Consider

Great Second Label Wines To Consider

Many wineries offer two or more lines of product under the same winery label. These second label wines can sometimes be great buys.

Most of California’s larger wineries release second label wines, as a result of the acquisition of smaller wineries by larger ones, and second label wines also serve clientele unable or unwilling to support their more expensive premium line.

These second label wines may be the result of certain lots of estate fruit which a winery chooses to exclude from its first label releases; second label wines may be the products of subsidiary wineries owned by the parent company; second label wines may be made from fruit of lesser vineyards or may be wines made from purchased fruit specifically for a second label wine release.

In short, second label wines can be almost anything. Sometimes they represent poor value, especially in cases where the wineries premium label wines are priced only few dollars more. But in many cases, second label wines provide excellent and inexpensive alternatives to premium priced wines; they are often priced in the $10-15 range.

Here are some second label wines to look out for:

ŸBeringer/Napa Ridge

ŸCaymus/Liberty School

Ÿ J. Lohr/Cypress Point

Ÿ Markham/Glass Mountain

Ÿ St. Supery/Bonverre

Ÿ Smith & Hook/Hahn

Ÿ Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars/Hawk Crest

Ÿ Robert Mondavi/Robert Mondavi Coastal Classic

Ÿ Hess Collection/Hess Select

Ÿ Mirassou/Mirassou Family Selection