For most of 2020, we learned how exhausting it is to stay in one place. Now, our imaginations are alive with the possibilities of small summer gatherings.
To make al fresco gatherings easier, we’ve gathered a list of brands you can count on for good drinking at $20 or less. Each of them has outperformed the competition in our focus tastings over the last 12 months, with affordable wines gaining high accolades.
Here are 11 of our Value Brands of the Year, matched with a day-trip idea that we’ve been dreaming about, from our June 2021 Edition.
Start your world tour with the US leg here.
Mèze, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Scents of cedar, sage, rosemary, thyme, broom and other drought-hardy Mediterranean plants mix with the salt-water scents off the nearby Etang de Thau at Pépinière Filippi. A walk through these Mediterranean gardens is a master class in garrigue, a scent often found in southern French wines. —Tara Q. Thomas
Alma Cersius
France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Coteaux de Béziers
In August, with a plateau de fruits de mer, at a beach café.
- 2020 Coteaux de Béziers In Vino Erotico Blanc $15
- 2020 Coteaux de Béziers Gardian Chardonnay Sauvignon Vermentino $13
- 2020 Coteaux de Béziers Le Rosé $14
Wine Wine Situation, Signal Hill, CA
Domaine Paul Buisse
France | Loire
On deck, on a barge, cruising the Loire.
- 2019 Chinon Cabernet Franc $13
- 2019 Touraine Sauvignon Blanc $13
Cape Classics, NY
Argentina | Mendoza
Around a roaring campfire, on a cold night, sharing malbec.
Kobrand, Purchase, NY
- 2018 Mendoza Estate Malbec $20
- 2019 Mendoza Vive Malbec $12
Austria | Burgenland
On the banks of the Danube, at a picnic, with organically raised schnitzel.
Natural Merchants, Grants Pass, OR
- 2019 Burgenland Zweigelt Meets Pinot Noir $16
- 2020 Burgenland Naken White $20
- 2020 Burgenland Secco Rosé $20
Domaines Paul Mas
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
With lunch, on a sailboat, along the Côte Bleue.
- 2020 Pays d’Oc Vignes de Nicole Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre Rosé $20
- 2020 Pays d’Oc Vignes de Nicole Chardonnay-Viognier $20
- 2020 Pays d’Oc Mon Rosé $20
Volio Imports, Denver, CO
François Lurton
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Al fresco, at dinner, in Tautavel.
- 2018 Côtes du Roussillon Mas d’en Janeil Le Traou de l’Ouille White $20
- 2018 Languedoc Domaine de Nizas Le Clos Rouge $17
- 2019 Languedoc Domaine de Nizas Grand Vin Blanc $17
Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA
France | Burgundy
At Cluny, in the courtyard, after vespers.
Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., NY
- 2018 Bourgogne Laforêt Chardonnay $16
- 2018 Bourgogne Laforêt Pinot Noir $18
- 2019 Mâcon-Villages $18
France | Burgundy
On a wildflower walk, in Blagny, with a floral Burgundy.
Kobrand, Purchase, NY
- 2019 Beaujolais $13
- 2019 Bourgogne Steel Chardonnay $19
- 2019 Coteaux Bourguignons Rosé $15
- 2019 Aconcagua Costa Classic Sauvignon Blanc $13
- 2017 Colchagua Valley Twins Red Blend $17
France | Loire
At a lookout, in a Deux Chevaux, on the Breton coast.
Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL
- 2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie Les Clissages D’Or $18
- 2019 Vin de France La Petite Perrière Pinot Noir $15
- 2020 Vin de France La Petite Perrière Sauvignon Blanc $14
Argentina | Uco Valley
On a road trip, over the Andes, in view of Aconcagua.
Winesellers, Niles, IL
- 2019 Valle de Uco Q Malbec $20
- 2018 Valle de Uco Q Cabernet Franc $20
- 2019 Salta Serie A Torrontés $15
The wines in this newsletter were chosen by our editors, from the 2021 Value Brands of the Year in our June 2021 edition. After our editors made their selections, we offered wineries the opportunity to promote their recognition with a bottle image and brand links.
This story appears in the print issue of June 2021.
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