Even the smallest wine collection needs to contain some third bottle.
What is it? It's that bottle of wine you share with friends after you've already shared two really good bottles. By the time you get to the third bottle, nobody can tell the difference between a good wine and a great wine. That's when you need a bottle of wallet-friendly, palate-pleasing wine to keep the party going.
We first heard the term "third bottle" when we visited the Gustavo Thrace tasting room in Napa. Gustavo Thrace produces an excellent table wine that's simply called Third Bottle.
Incidentally, Gustavo Thrace has an interesting side story. The winemaker is Gustavo Bramblia. He was portrayed by actor Freddy Rodriguez in the movie Bottle Shock. The movie took quite a bit of creative license with the real story, but Bramblia really worked at Chateau Montelena.
Need help finding some good third bottle wines to add to your collection? You can browse our list of posts on under $20 wines or try one of our go-to third bottles:
Menage a Trois red table wine
Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir
Cupcake Red Velvet
Layer Cake Primitivo (their Shiraz is good too)
E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone