The world of wine can be a daunting place, even if you’ve been drinking the stuff for years. And even if you know that you love a good sauvignon blanc or your go-to is a pinot noir, each bottle can taste wildly different depending on the region, the specific vineyard, and the year it was made. And while it might seem like opting for the more expensive bottle is the number one way to guarantee the quality of what you’re drinking, that isn’t always true.
That’s why we love Wine Spectator’s annual list, an expert selection of the top 100 wines of the year, which breaks down the publication’s favorite whites, reds, and sparkling wines along with detailed descriptions of their flavor profiles. The very best part? The new list for 2023, which was just published, features many bottles that are under $25—further proof that you don’t need to break the bank to stock your home with high-end vino.
Let’s start with the most affordable option included on this year’s list: Joel Gott’s 2022 California Sauvignon Blanc, coming in at #31 on Wine Spectator’s roundup with a list price of $12 per bottle—we’re talking Trader Joe’s prices. Wine Spectator describes this wine as “aromatic, juicy and fragrant” with notes of key lime, tangerine, lime sherbet, green apple, and ginger, and it should be pretty widely available, with 109,000 cases made.
Next up, Wine Spectator had a few options at the $15 price point: Adega Cooperativa Regional de Monção’s 2022 Vinho Verde Muralhas de Monção and Babich’s 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Black Label. Vinho Verde is a Portuguese wine with growing popularity in the United States, and this particular bottle has notes of apricot, blood orange, lemon, and ginger, with a “hint of saline,” if you’re into that. Babich’s $15 Sauvignon Blanc shares notes of ginger, apricot, and lemon but is on the sweeter side with mango, orange sherbet, sweetgrass, and jasmine finishing out this “intense and generous” wine.
At a $19 price point, lovers of red wine are in luck: Wine Spectator had two picks, one darker and richer in flavor while the other is medium-bodied, bright, and acidic. For the darker option with notes of black cherry and blackberry, you’ll want to try out Castello di Querceto’s 2020 Chianti Classico; for the lighter, strawberry, raspberry, and thyme flavor profile, they recommend Morgante’s 2020 Nero d’Avola Sicilia.
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In the $20 to $24 price range, Wine Spectator had another 18 options that can satisfy just about any flavor profile you’re looking for. Their preferred reds include include classics like barbera, pinot noir, malbec, and shiraz, alongside more unusual options, listing Pico Maccario’s 2021 Barbera d’Asti Lavignone ($20), Thorne & Daughters’s 2021 Pinot Noir Cape South Coast Copper Pot ($21), Bodegas Terrazas de los Andes’ 2021 Malbec Mendoza Reserva ($20), and First Drop’s 2021 Shiraz Barossa Mother’s Milk ($20) as well as Bela’s 2021 Ribera del Duero ($20), Miguel Torres Carignan Maule Valley Vigno Vignadores de Carignan 2018 ($21), and Alexander Valley Vineyards Zinfandel Alexander Valley ($24).
For white wine drinkers, options under $25 are most frequently going to be sauvignon blanc varietals, and especially those from the Marlborough region in New Zealand. These include Sarah Jessica Parker’s Invivo’s 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough X ($22), Astrolabe’s 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2022 ($23), and Greywacke’s 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough ($23).
For a more unusual white that still includes the sauvignon blanc grape, Wine Spectator shouts out Dominio del Plata’s 2022 Susana Balbo Signature Brioso White Uco Valley ($24). If sauvignon blanc is not your thing, they have a favorite chardonnay and riesling too: Diatom’s 2022 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County ($23) and Selbach-Oster’s 2020 Riesling Kabinett Mosel ($23). If you’re open to branching out from your typical white wine, Wine Spectator also recommends Bisci’s 2021 Verdicchio di Matelica ($24), a “lightly zesty” white with saline, Honeycrisp apple, nectarine, and ginger, Abbazia di Novacella’s “dry, tangy, and orangey” 2022 Kerner Alto Adige Valle Isarco ($22), and Jorge Ordoñez & Co.’s 2022 “dry, aromatic” Moscatel Sierras de Málaga Botani Old Vines ($22), featuring a “chalky underpinning” and notes of lime blossoms, grapefruit granita, and fresh tarragon.
Finally, if you’re picking up some sparkling wine for a special occasion, you can’t go wrong with these two options for under $25: one cava pick, Juvé y Camps’ 2018 Brut Nature Cava Reserva de la Familia Gran Reserva ($23) and one prosecco, Mionetto Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore ($20). Check out the full list of Wine Spectator’s top 100 wines in 2023 here, and rest assured—that $90 bottle of wine taunting you on restaurant menus could easily be less tasty than any one of these picks.
