A Dozen High Quality, Highly Discounted Wines Under $20

 Looking for truly outstanding wines under $20, wines that you can enjoy on a daily basis without compromising your standards?

Not to worry: we got big news for you.

This week, wine.com has gone all out to offer wines for under $20 that have been rated 90 points or more. If you act fast, you may be able to enjoy a special one cent fee for shipping a case or some other promo.

This website is ideal for one stop shopping. However, not all the wines are as good as they sound and not all are discounted. It is a long laundry list with over 900 wines.

However, we are happy to make your life easier by slogging through the list and highlighting the best of the best.

And we are happy to share a few buying tips to make the process less bewildering.

First, after going to “Wines Under $20” on wine.com, click on the sort by “Savings” feature to find the biggest discounts.

Our rule of thumb is buy wines online that are at least 20% below average retail. Otherwise, you might be better off at a supermarket or a Wal-Mart or Costco.

A good way to check prices, if you are concerned, is to go to www.winesearcher.com which is the best for showing average prices.

Also, try to obtain a special shipping price. Without it, you can end up paying $35 or more to ship a case. That likely wipes out any discounts.

What wines are most likely to deliver in the under $20 category?

Start with Argentinian Malbec, a no-brainer, but you still can get burned with a lightweight style. For instance, I’ve been disappointed recently by the Norton Malbec. Dont overlook Cabernets and red blends from Argentina.

Otherwise, for Cabernet, consider those from Australia and places like Paso Robles and Lake County before automatically thinking Chilean. Washington’s Columbia Valley Cabs can be fabulous deals. It is possible to find tasty and on point Bordeaux, especially from 2015.

For white wines, check out those from Russian River, New Zealand of course, and also Pinot Gris from Oregon and Gruner Veltliner from  Austria.

Finding quality, discounted Chardonnay is a real challenge. Of the 86 listed on wine.com, only two appealed to me, the MacRostie and Terlato Family.

If you want wines with those tiny bubbles, Gloria Ferrer is still reliable but see our selection of Alsatian sparkling wine, surprisingly rich and delicious.

As for vintages, go with 2015 for wines from France, Italy, and Spain. Avoid those from 2011 and 2013.

Dont forget old favorites, tried and true places. For instance a 2015 Moulin-a-Vent, Cotes de Rhone, or Bordeaux Medoc can come through as super deals.

A word about point scores and critics.  Honestly, a wine rated 92 is not better than one rated 90.  Rating wine has become a silly game not to be taken too literally.

With these things in mind, we have cherry picked the lengthy list of under $20 wines offered by wine.com.

All of our top wines are sold for at least 20% below retail.

Our list is a mix of whites and reds, and one sparkler to enjoy this Spring. These are wines to buy and enjoy.

Our Recommended top 12 Under $20 wines from wine.com

  • 2012 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Red, Columbia Valley $7.98
  • 2016 Giesen Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ  $10.99
  • 2015 Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia $11.98
  • 2015 Torres 5G Garnacha, Spain $12.98
  • 2014  Antinori Villa Toscana  $14.98
  • 2016 Domane Wachau Gruner Veltliner, Austria $14.99
  • 2014 Vinacious Raconteur Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Australia $15.99
  • 2014 Terlato Family Chardonnay, Russian River, $14.99
  • 2016 High Valley Zinfandel, Lake County  $16.99
  • NV Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut $18.99
  • 2014 Vina Robles Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles Estate $19.99
  • 2013 Seven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $19.99
Unknown's avatar

Author: robywine, norm roby

My career as a wine journalist/critic began in 1975 when my article about California Petite Sirah was published. My focus remained on California as I edited a monthly wine magazine and then moved on to The Wine Spectator in 1982. Over the following years, my column appeared under the banner of “Stormin’ Norman, and I also wrote articles about wine collectors and wine auctions. Without getting into a year by year bio, let me try to summarize here. During my time with The Spectator which I enjoyed immensely, I taught wine classes at a culinary school and at other venues in San Francisco. Before venturing into wine, teaching was my thing, English Lit and Rhetoric. After The Spectator I was the U.S. Contributor to Decanter Magazine, writing mostly about California, but also expanding into Washington State and Oregon. My Decanter years began in 1992 and after buying a summer home in France in 2000, I traveled throughout France and eventually published articles about St. Emilion, Castillon, Bergerac, Minervois, Roussillon, Luberon, Provence, and Alsace. Also, around 2000, my wife began working for Cousino-Macul in Chile, so we tasted and traveled our way through Chile and, of course, managed to fly over the Andes and explore and taste our way through Argentina. As travel lovers, we have also spent many interesting days visiting the wine regions of Spain, Italy, Portugal, Scicily, Greece, and New Zealand. And to come to a close, I was Director of Winesong, a Charity Wine Auction for 20 years, 1992-2000 that benefitted a local hospital. That brought me in contact with wine collectors and to the auction scene. And finally, I co-authored a book, The Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine published by Alfred A. Knopf. It went through 4 editions and sold over 500.000 copies.

Leave a comment