Updated December 2021
Best of wine.com
Drink up buttercup! Holidays are here and you want to buy wine for a friend, family or coworker. You want a good bottle that won’t be a stinker, but don’t want to drop a house payment. We got you!
We combed through thousands of listings of wine.com and found the best buys.
Note: we are not affiliated with Wine.com and do not receive compensation for referrals. These are solely our opinions.
Red
Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley – Soumah $29
Australia is more known for warmer climates but there are some hidden cool-climate gems in Yarra and Tasmania. Yarra is a wonderful little region to try and a great bang for the buck.
Pinot Noir, Monterey – Wrath $48
After working a harvest in the Santa Cruz Mountains, we believe this region is one of the best value in California for Pinot Noir. We’ve written about Wrath’s bold winemaking style in our guide to Carmel-by-the-sea.
Malbec, Mendoza – El Enemigo $25
Malbec in Argentina’s Mendoza region is colluded with large scale, cheap juice. However El Enemigo stands up as one of our favorite and most reliable producers. Their cab franc (often sold out) is one of the best in the region.
Tempranillo, Rioja – Muga $28
Rioja in general is a great value region. We mentioned how the classification system works in our post on the Haro Wine Fight Festival; to get a Reserva for this price is pretty lovely.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Western Australia – Vasse Felix $25
One of the best regions for Cabs is still doesn’t get the love it deserves. That’s fine, we’re happy to keep Margaret River low key to preserve the low prices.
White
Chardonnay, Burgundy – Bouchard $48
On the pricier side for our best buy recommendation list, but still a good value for Burgundy.
Chardonnay, Willamette – Evening Land $38
We highlighted Evening Land as one of our favorite producers in Dundee Hills; they are our favorite Chardonnay producers in the entire Willamette Valley.
Chardonnay, Chablis – Fevre $27
As we pointed out in our guide to Chablis, Chardonnay from here just hits different. Buy for the Sauvignon Blanc fan who swears they don’t like Chardonnay.
Riseling, Alsace – Schlumberger $22
Most think of Germany for buying Riesling, but Alsace is where you can find a lot of great value buys.
Sparkling
Cremant de Bourgogne, Burgundy – Gouffier $33
When talking value, Champagne is not often in the conversation. However, Cremant de Bourgogne is made with the same grapes, via the same method, in nearly the same region for a fraction of the cost.
Sparkling Brut, Carneros – Domaine Carneros $32
This producer is a little more into the “look and frills’ vs. what we’d typically gravitate to. But for the money, this Napa Valley bottle is a steal.
Dessert
Madeira, Portugal – Malmsey $49
Although Portugal’s Douro Valley is known for Port, one of our favorite dessert wines in the world is the less-sweet cousin called Madeira
