Pros and Cons of Inexpensive Oak Leaf Wines

Updated December 6, 2019
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Oak Leaf Vineyards wine is sold exclusively at Walmart and is quickly becoming a fast favorite for an everyday inexpensive wine. The wines are easy drinking and extremely affordable.

About Oak Leaf

Oak Leaf Vineyards wine retails for around $3 for a 750 mL bottle. With such affordable pricing, it's easy to see why Oak Leaf Vineyards wines are a popular choice.

Walmart Exclusivity

Currently, you will not find Oak Leaf wine on any other store shelves except in Walmart stores. Walmart touts the wine as its own "private label", and there is no word of if, or when, Oak Leaf will be offered at other retail stores around the world.

Oak Leaf Vineyards Wine Varietals and Blends

Oak leaf offers a number of red, white, and blush wine varietals and blends. All are non-vintage and sold in various bottle format sizes along with 3 mL boxes. Wines cost around $3 per 750 mL bottle or $35 for a case of 12 bottles.

Cabernet Sauvignon

This medium-bodied non-vintage Cabernet Sauvignon is full of forward fruit with a hint of vanilla and spice. It earns 3 out of 5 stars for ratings on wine-searcher. It's a solid rating for a wine that will cost you about $3 per 750 mL bottle.

Merlot

The Oak Leaf Vineyards non-vintage Merlot is light bodied with delicate fruit nuances and herbaceous undertones. Reviewers on Vivino find this a good wine, rating it 3 out of 5 stars and calling it pleasant and drinkable.

Shiraz

This is a full-bodied warm-weather Shiraz lush with flavors of blackberry and black pepper. Vivino reviewers give it a good 2.8 out of 5 star rating, while reviewers at wine-searcher rate it as a fair 2.5 out of 5 star rating.

Sangria

Oak Leaf Vineyard's take on the Spanish wine punch Sangria is juicy and lightly sweet with citrus and berry notes. Reveiwers on Influenster liked it; they awarded the wine punch just over four out of five stars.

Sweet Red

This non-vintage red is a blend of various wine grapes with a smooth, sweet flavor and notes of blackberries and raspberries. Reviewers on Vivino rate it a solid 3.1 out of 5 stars.

Wine bottles and glass

White Zinfandel

This blush wine is quintessentially American. It has flavors of strawberries and raspberries with a hint of sweetness that makes it pleasing to the palate. As with the other wines, reviewers tend to award this wine a solid 3 out of 5 stars, making it a great value for the $3 price tag.

Sauvignon Blanc

This crisp, medium-bodied white has classic Sauvignon Blanc flavor profiles with hints of herbs and clean flavors of melons and citurs. It's not a bad white; reviewers tend to award it between 2.5 and 3 stars out of 5.

Pinot Grigio-Colombard

This white wine blend is smooth and easy without a ton of complexity. Expect a refreshing wine with flavors of apples and peach. This is one of Oak Leaf Vineyard's most well reviewed wines. Consumers on Vivino offer it 3.3 out of 4 stars and call it clean and refreshing.

Moscato

Moscato is a great wine for people who prefer a fruitier, slightly sweeter white. Oak Leaf Vineyards' Moscato is light bodied with flavors of pineapple and peaches with floral aromas. Consumers rating the non-vintage wine on Influenster award it 4 out of 5 stars.

Chardonnay

This non-vintage Chardonnay is simple and clean with hints of apple, pineapple, and oak. It's a good, clean Chardonnay that consumers rate as good with 3 out of 5 star ratings on many consumer rating sites.

Positives and Negatives of Oak Leaf Vineyards Wines

Oak Leaf is popular for its affordability and consistent quality as a decent wine. For that reason, many people consider affordable wines like Oak Leaf as good daily drinking wines, but they aren't necessarily the best wines for a special occasion. It is a decent bottle of wine for $3.

Negatives

There are a few drawbacks to Oak Leaf Vineyards wines.

  • The wines are often a bit hot. In other words, there is a bit of alcohol burn some consumers complain about that isn't present with higher quality wines.
  • The wines are simple and lack any complexity found with higher quality wines.
  • You can only find the wines at Walmart, so if you shop elsewhere, you're out of luck.
  • These wines won't age. Drink them as you buy them.

Positives

However, if you're not seeking complexity and looking for an affordable, inoffensive, and sometimes even decent wine, then Oak Leaf Vineyards wines might just fit the bill.

  • The wines are extremely affordable - usually costing around $3 for a 750 mL bottle or $35 for a case of 12 bottles.
  • They have a variety of varietals, blends, and sweetness levels, so there's likely one you'll enjoy.
  • Because of their cost and consistency as a decent wine, they are good wines for cooking.
  • The wines have received critical recognition. According to Oak Leaf's marketing, their wines have won more than 200 medals in wine competitions.
  • If you shop at Walmart, it's easy to pick up a bottle -- or 12.
  • The come in large format bottle sizes and boxes, so if you need a larger bottle, they're easy to find.

Choosing Wines From Oak Leaf Vineyards

In the end, the choice is ultimately up to you, no matter what the reviewers say. Even if you are pinching pennies, there is no reason why you can't enjoy a decent glass of wine after a long day and not feel guilty for spending the money on it. Finally, don't concern yourself with what wine snobs have to say about inexpensive wines like Oak Leaf.

Pros and Cons of Inexpensive Oak Leaf Wines