90+ Point Wines $30 and under that are locally available.

So, if you're reading this blog you have probably watched Wine Library TV from time to time. Gary Vaynerchuk, the host, rates various wines and, in many cases, the highly rated wines sell out quickly on his site. Also, many of the wines he reviews are not available locally to most consumers and roughly 50% of the US cannot receive shipments from his, or any internet, site. So, what's a college drinker that loves the Thunder Show to do?

I went through the spreadsheet from winelibrarytv.com and sorted out the 90+ point wines for $30 or less that I also found available either at the local state liquor store or the Total Wine in Delaware - meaning I'd presume they are locally available at most nicer wine stores (the price range was the range I saw between the two stores and from other stores online, so it's my best guess at what you'd pay). Here they are:

2005 Ercavio Roble La Mancha Tempranillo 90 points GV, $8-9
2003 Castano Hecula Yecla Tempranillo 90 Points GV, $10-13
2005 Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel 90 Points GV, $12-16
2006 Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 90 Points GV, $12-15
2005 Step Road Chardonnay 91+ Points GV, $12-14
2005 D'Arenberg Hermit Crab White Meritage 91+ Points GV, $13-16
2005 Concha y Toro Chardonnay 90 Points GV, $14-17
2005 Thorn Ridge Shotfire Ridge Shiraz 92 Points GV, $14-17
2005 Santa Carolina Reserva Chardonnay 90 Points GV, $16-19
2004 Ben Marco Malbec 90 Points GV, $17-21
2005 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 90 Points GV, $20-23
2004 King Estate Signature Pinot Noir 91 Points GV, $22-25
2003 Silverado Merlot 90 Points GV, $23-27
2005 Ridge Ponzo Vineyard Zinfandel 90 Points GV, $24-32
2005 Ridge Geyserville Vineyard Zinfandel 91 Points GV, $26-34
2004 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon 91+ Points GV, $29-31
2004 Emilio Moro Ribera Del Duero 91+ Points GV, $30-33
2004 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points GV, $30-32
2004 Rustenberg John X Merriman Red Blend 90 Points GV, $30-32
2004 L'Ecole 41 Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points GV, $30-34
2003 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro (Gold) 90 Points GV, $30-39

Go and try some of these! These are commonly found, range in price from $8-30, and represent what should be amazing Quality-to-Price Ratio (QPR). I've tried nearly all of these over the past year or so and, while scores don't mean a ton, the only wine above I thought was a little overscored was the Ercavio, but it was still an amazing value for the $9 I paid!

In fact, go grab a glass of wine and watch my Penn Quakers take it to the Columbia Lions on Friday. 3-0 Ivy League, baby! Or watch a game you might actually care about like, I don't know:

WAZZU VERSUS USC! Senior laden team versus OJ Mayo? Pac-10 showdown. Possible bubble implications. Awesome. Prediction: Wazzu 68, USC 61.

Not from the West Coast? Don't give a crap about Pac-10 basketball? Try:

NOTRE DAME VERSUS MARQUETTE! Watch Luke "White Shaq" Harangody take on the Golden Eagles ridiculous back court. Prediction: ND 75, Marquette 69. No way the Domers go down at home after getting humiliated by the Eagles back in January.

Oh, but wait, the BIGGEST game of the weekend:

GEORGETOWN VERSUS LOUISVILLE! Roy Hibbert and his group of Freshmen guards are going to run into big boy David Padgett and Terrence Williams and it's not gonna end well. Prediction: Louisville 65, Georgetown 62.