Top drops $20 or less

The prices may be low but the quality is still high in the quaffing department. We savour 20 of the best budget-priced whites and reds. There are also three ‘splurges’ for a special occasion.

Just because a wine is cheap doesn’t make it good value: this implies that you are getting better quality than you might expect at that price. That principle helps guide the choice of wines under $20 for Money Best of the Best.

There will be times, especially as Christmas comes nearer, when you’ll be happy to splurge, and so we’ve added our three standout wines – a bubbly, a white and a red – that will gladden the hearts of any who receive them.

The list contains plenty of familiar names as well as wineries that you may not have come across. The supermarket chain Aldi is on the list as it has made quite an impact on this segment of the market. The wineries mentioned here and in the monthly column in Money magazine are worth following both because of the individual wines we feature and because they tend to offer good quality across the board. Australia is fortunate with its largest wineries, many of which produce budget-priced wines of good quality: Angove, the Brown family, the Calabria family, Casella, De Bortoli, Houghton, Jacob’s Creek, Peter Lehmann, Lindemans, Oxford Landing, Yalumba and Wolf Blass.

Reputable wine writers – who make their living from giving considered, impartial advice about which wines to buy – are worth following. So too are knowledgeable local retailers. Buying in either six packs or dozen lots give you the best deals. The supermarket chains have regular 30% discount sales, which may be a good time to stock up.