



If you are normally looking for wine in the sub-$20 wine realm (and maybe closer to $10) what wines are good in that price range? It used to be that you could pick up a bottle of Chateau Lynch-Bages (a 4th growth Bordeaux) or Ridge Zinfandel for well under $20, but those days are gone. No need to cry though, there are some new kids on the block offering mid-week wine buys. Want to get familiar with where all the great wine values are hiding?





12 Tricks to Finding the Best Cheap Wine

Here is some inspiration to keep in mind the next time you find yourself staring blankly at the wine aisle. Get better at finding the best cheap wines.

Tips for Getting Better Cheap Red Wine





Great Cheap Pinot Noir You can find great under $20 Pinot Noir from the Languedoc-Roussillon region in France, the Patagonia region in Argentina and from Chile. Occasionally a great sub-$20 Pinot Noir will pop up from Central Otago, New Zealand. Midweek ‘Champagne’ Cava and French Cremant can be found from $10-17. They’re both produced using the exact same technique as Champagne. Love Cabernet? Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Portugal offer super values. Try a Cabernet Sauvignon from these regions or, in the case of Portugal, a dry Douro red wine (with some Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca grapes). You can also seek out great Cab from the ‘Under the Radar’ regions in tip #5 Tuscany on a Budget? Italian wine values can be found in southern Italy and Sicily. Explore southern Italian wine regions including Umbria, Sicily and Puglia. Under the Radar Bold Reds Check out the lessor known sub-regions of California that are great for values on bold red wines. As a starting point keep your eyes peeled for Lodi, Lake, Amador and Santa Barbara. Secret to Rioja (a.k.a. Spanish Tempranillo) Just so you know, a Reserva Rioja under $20 is a crazy good deal. On the other hand, a $20 Crianza Rioja is not so good a deal. In order to know what to look for, learn more about the Rioja Classification system. If you can’t find a great Reserva, pick up a bottle of Ribera del Duero (also Spanish Tempranillo) Backdoor to Bordeaux Bordeaux has a lot of inflated prices due to the Growth Classification system, so look for top producers’ side projects. There’s Clarendelle a sub-label of Château Haut-Brion, Christian Moueix produces great valued right-bank Bordeaux wines under his name and Jean-Michel Cazes of Château Lynch-Bages has a great valued property called Villa Bel-Air.

Tips for Getting Better Cheap White Wine



