15 stellar wines under $20 perfect for winter
Inflation may have eased in recent months, but the shelves of retail wine shops show no evidence of such economic calming.
Wines that used to fit comfortably in my under $20 series have shot upward in price like a teenager growing out of last year’s favorite jeans. Or maybe the selection I chose in early January had not fully recovered from holiday bingeing, when people buy far more wine than they do at any other time.
Either way, this list for winter 2023 looks different to me. Staples like cru Beaujolais? I could not find good bottles under $20. Bottles from Germany? Nope. The hardest hit country in my selection was the United States.
This winter list is weighted toward red, though whites and sparklers always have a place no matter what the season. Here are the my picks, beginning with the least expensive.
Maris Pays d’oc Rouge I.G.P. 2020, 14%, $14.99:
Pays d’oc is a region in southern France for wines that don’t conform to the stricter rules of the Languedoc or Roussillon appellations, which makes sense for Maris, something of a maverick producer that farms organically with careful attention to biodiversity and the environment. This bottle (70% merlot, 30% syrah) is juicy, focused and refreshing.
Bertha Cava Brut Nature Reserva 2020, 11.5%, $15.99:
Good cava is one of the best values you can find in sparkling wine. All cava must be made the same way as Champagne, with a second, bubbles-inducing fermentation in the bottle. Bertha is made from the trio of classic Catalonian cava grapes — xarello, macabeo and parellada — and it’s bone dry and a little bit creamy.
Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie Corbieres 2020, 13.5%, $15.99:
I’m drawn to Faillenc Sainte Marie because, in a world of overly polished wines, this is an old-school, rough and rustic red that reminds me of the bottles I used to find from the south of France when I was learning about wine in the 1980s. Call it nostalgia if you like, and maybe it is. But this bottle, an equal blend of syrah, grenache and cinsault fermented together, is a wine without makeup or artifice.
Pedro Parra y Familia Itata Vinista Pais 2020, 13%, $15.99:
Pedro Parra of
Chile has a day job, traveling the world as a terroir and geological consultant for an all-star roster of winemakers. But he is also an excellent producer in his own right, specializing in making wines from old vineyards in the Itata region, an area that has recently been threatened by forest fires. This one is from 100-year-old vines of pais, also known as mission, a grape brought to the New World by the Spanish. It’s herbal and refreshing with just the slightest sandpapery rasp to the texture.
Brigaldara Valpolicella 2021, 13%, $15.99:
Classic Valpolicella is a straightforward style, made without the added power and richness that comes with the increasingly popular ripasso method, in which the wine macerates with grape skins left over from Amarone production. Good classic examples, like this bottle from Brigaldara, are pure and easy, with floral aromas and flavors of sweet cherry that resolve with a refreshing bitterness. Pizza and Valpolicella is an excellent combination.
Luis Pato Portugal Baga Espumante Bruto Rosado NV, 12.5%, $15.99:
Luis Pato is one of the pillars of the modern wine industry in the Bairrada region of Portugal. This rosé sparkling wine, like the Bertha cava, is made with a second fermentation occurring in the bottle, producing the carbonation. It’s made of the region’s best red grape, baga, and is fresh and lively.
Gaia Retsina Ritinitis Nobilis NV, 12.5%, $16.99:
Retsina is a style, made since antiquity, in which wine is blended with the resin of the Aleppo pine. Serious retsinas, like this one, are great. Gaia uses mountain-grown roditis grapes and fresh resin to produce this fresh, sharp and savory wine. Try it with Greek or Middle Eastern food.
Michel Guignier Beaujolais 2021, 12.5%, $17.99:
I especially like the ’21 Guignier Beaujolais, which rises above the potential of the straightforward Beaujolais appellation, the lowest level of the region’s hierarchy of potential. This bottle, made with organically farmed fruit, has beautiful flavors of red fruit underpinned by earthy minerality that gives it unexpected depth.
Muga Rioja White 2021, 13.5%, $18.96:
This white Rioja from Muga, one of the region’s leading estates, is made of viura, garnacha blanca and malvasia, a traditional blend, and, though it’s aged in oak, it’s fresh and lively, with just enough of a rub of tannin to give it a bit of texture.
Giordano Lombardo Gavi 2021, 13%, $18.99: This energetic white, made with organically grown cortese grapes, has all the liveliness you’d expect in a Gavi, with the added bonus of lemon and mineral flavors and a satisfying weight to the texture. This is a good one for all manner of seafood.
Altos Las Hormigas Uco Valley Terroir Malbec 2019, 13.5%, $19:
This is one of the most reliable malbec producers in the Mendoza region of Argentina, with wines that are always balanced and tapered rather than sweetly fruity. Intended to express the character of the high-altitude Uco Valley, this bottle is intense yet fresh, lightly tannic and fruity.
Jasci Trebbiano d’abruzzo 2021, 13.5%, $19:
Jasci is one of a growing number of small producers who have turned Abruzzo into a great source for exciting wines. Its Trebbiano d’abruzzo is made out of the high-quality trebbiano Abruzzese grape, rather than the more run-of-the-mill trebbiano Toscano. The grapes are farmed organically and trained on overhead pergolas, a traditional method that many have rejected as out of date, though some thoughtful producers are finding that older generations might have had excellent reasons to prefer it. The wine is clear, pure, textured and refreshing.
Chateau Peybonhommeles-tours Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux Le Blanc Bonhomme 2020, 13.5%, $19.96:
Chateau Peybonhomme-les-tours is one of my favorite Bordeaux producers. The wines are always excellent, they are great values and they’re made from biodynamically farmed grapes. This terrific white, from the sandy soils of Blaye (45% sauvignon blanc, 45% semillon and 10% colombard) is uncommonly rich, deep and textured, yet dry and perfectly refreshing.
Chateau de Chaintres Saumur Champigny Les Sables 2020, 13.5%, $19.96:
This is the first bottle I’ve had from Chateau de Chaintres, but it will not be the last. The 2020 Les Sables is an excellent Saumur Champigny red, made entirely from biodynamically farmed cabernet franc grapes.
It’s rich yet focused, with earthy flavors of dark fruits and flowers, and it has just enough tannic structure to stand up to a steak or juicy roast.
Orto Vins Montsant Les Argiles d’orto Vins 2019, 14.5%, $19.96:
Montsant is often a great source for value in rich, structured wines from Catalonia in northeastern Spain, and Orto Vins is one of my favorite Montsant producers. It farms biodynamically, practices regenerative agriculture and makes its wine carefully. Les Argiles is mostly garnacha with about 10% carignan grown on clay soils, which gives the wine volume and power. Nonetheless, it’s fresh and tapered, and would go well with roasts and stews.