“Hey, Don Day, you drink a lot of wine. Where, in town, can I get the best prices?”

Yes, I do drink a lot of wine. I indulge in almost a full bottle on most days. And, along with questions about what do you recommend and what’s available where, I’m often asked about the cheapest place to buy wine in San Miguel.

Last week, my cramped little cava under the stairs looked like it belonged to Old Mother Hubbard. It was definitely time for a shopping spree. I made a list, checked it twice (Christmas is coming), let my fingers do some walking and then did the same with my legs.

There were five wines on my want list where I wanted more than one bottle so I used them to do my comparison shopping. There are six places where I occasionally buy wine. Four of them have physical stores in San Miguel, the other two offer easy on-line shopping. All offer free delivery if you purchase in quantity though, sometimes, you may first have to purchase something like a membership.

I was going to show the results for all five wines but with my technopeasant skills and, therefore, an inability to do tabs, the page was a muddy mess. But there was one wine where the prices were very representative of the rest and, seeing as it might be North America’s most popular red, I’m just showing the prices of Apothic Red. If you also want to know what I think of the wine, you can read about it here:

The red I’m drinking the most of these days. And what I’m drinking it with.

So here are the prices you’ll currently pay, in Mexican pesos, per bottle, for E. & J. Gallo Apothic Red:

Mercado de Vinos $318
Soriano $286
Cava Sautto $259
La Europea $276
La Comer $311
Costco $283

I felt good that my wine order went to a local hero, the San Miguel-based Cava Sautto. They didn’t win by much but remember the old adage: A penny saved is a penny more to spend on your next bottle of wine.

Cava Sautto is located at Codo #36 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The shop is open from Monday to Thursday, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm; Friday and Saturday, 10:00 am to 9:00 pm; Sunday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.