We Asked 15 Wine Pros: Which Red Wine Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck? (2025)
The topic of red wine might bring to mind some of the great wines of the world: bold Napa Cabs, elegant Pinot Noirs from Burgundy, or structured Sangiovese from Brunello di Montalcino. But there’s a lot more to the category than these pricier heavy-hitters.
Here, we asked wine pros from across the country to share the hidden gem reds they look to when they’re searching for a good value. These wines tend to be from under-the-radar regions and made with lesser known grapes, but what they lack in prestige they more than make up for in value for the price.
From obscure Italian varieties to America’s best kept wine secrets, here are the red wines that offer the best bang for your buck, according to wine pros.
The best bang-for-your-buck red wines, according to wine pros:
Punset Barbera d’Alba
Common Wealth Crush “Family Meal”
Früg Zweigelt
Martin Texier La Boutanche Cinsault
Julie and Toby Bainbridge ‘Rouge aux Lèvres’ Groulleau
Venus la Universal ‘Dido’ Tinto
Under-the-radar Italian reds
California Syrah
Lambrusco
Wines from Liguria
Off-the-beaten-path varieties
Salcheto ‘Biskero’ Chianti
Two Shepherds Old Vine Carignan
Etna Rosso
Tenuta di Trinoro ‘Le Cupole’
“Piedmont, despite it giving us some of Italy’s most expensive wines, is still a perennial source of value. Nebbiolo will always carry higher price points, but the other Piedmontese red grapes are the first places I look to for a ‘bang-for-your-buck’ bottle. A go-to of mine is the Barbera d’Alba from Punset. It’s a wine with tons of character that speaks directly of its place, from a family committed to a particularly strict method of sustainable agriculture, that typically retails close to — or even under — $20.” —Stefanie Harris, head sommelier, Zimmi’s, NYC
“People don’t tend to recommend U.S. wines when talking bang-for-buck — the fact is, it’s often more expensive to make really good wine here. But they 100 percent exist! And for a few years consistently, the wines that most excite me, my staff, and my customers are from Virginia, especially Shenandoah. In reds, that can be a rich Cabernet Franc, tannic Tannat, or more often, a blend that includes native or hybrid grapes like Chambourcin. My go-to: “Family Meal” from Common Wealth Crush. Truly the ideal dinner party wine — a medium-bodied coferment blend of reds and whites that changes a bit annually, but always has juicy red and black fruit, pops of acidity, and moderate bright tannins. It can go with almost any meal or mood, and I don’t know a single person we’ve introduced it to who hasn’t come scrambling back for more bottles.” —Mickie Meinhardt, owner, The Buzzed Word, Ocean City, Md.
“Früg Zweigelt is a wine I always keep on hand — it’s delicious, easy to drink, and extremely affordable. Made by Pia and Josef Wurzinger in Burgenland, Austria, this liter-sized bottle is a house label for the importer Jenny & Francois. Josef is a third generation winemaker who farms organically and lets this wine shine with juicy cherries, plums, and just a hint of black pepper. It’s a wine that makes everyone happy and is perfect to drink anytime.” —Ryan Burkett, owner, Williston Park Wines & Spirits, Long Island, N.Y.
“For me, Martin Texier La Boutanche Cinsault 2023 is worth all of its $24 and more. Not only that, it’s a full liter so you can invite another friend. This wine is a chameleon — it’s seemingly light and full at the same time,funky and fruity, red and blue fruits. It’s all there with the acid to keep it buoyant. And lots of fun to drink!” —Sebastian Zutant, owner and beverage director, Primrose, Washington, D.C.
“My favorite bang-for-your-buck red is Anjou Grolleau. It’s a thin-skinned, big-cluster grape from the Loire Valley with bright acidity and herbal, stemmy goodness. Grolleau gained popularity in minimal intervention winemaking because it’s quite resilient and makes a killer light-bodied, crunchy red. The Julie and Toby Bainbridge ‘Rouge aux Lèvres’ is a wonderful expression.” —Gabi Gimson, owner and wine director, Liar Liar, Brooklyn
“I like to look for the best bottlings from underdog regions for modestly priced wines. You can find producers who really show up trying to compensate for the lack of their region’s market presence. One example is the Venus la Universal ‘Dido’ Tinto from Montsant, a really amazing Garnacha blend from just outside of Priorat. It’s their entry level bottling but blows me away with length and complexity. Another is the Mallea GSM blend by Justin Tyler Willet in Santa Barbara. I sell for it $23 and it outperforms any Côtes du Rhône that I’ve had at that price tier. ” —Jamie Crotts, owner, Limestone Wines, Savannah, Ga.
“I know this might not be a shocking answer coming from Macchialina, a restaurant that’s offered an all Italian wine list — with the exception of Champagne — since 2012, but I still think Italy is the best bang-for-your-buck. Now before you go shouting about the price tags of Barolo and Brunello, that’s not what I’m here to hype. It’s the smaller, lesser known regions that embrace the local, indigenous varieties. Let’s celebrate the farmer who didn’t rip them out and replace them with a more recognizable grape; thanks to them Italy has over 500 native wine varieties! A few that excite me that often get overlooked because they might be hard to pronounce are Schioppettino from Friuli, Cesanese in Lazio, and Cannonau in Sardegna.” —Jacqueline Pirolo, managing partner, Macchialina, Miami
“The best wine my favorite producers in California make is generally their Syrah. The market hasn’t caught on to this yet so there is still great value. Syrah from Jolie-Laide, Arnot-Roberts, La Onda, Enfield, Frenchtown Farms, and Minus Tide are some of the best red wines currently produced in California in my humble opinion, and way less expensive than Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon from similar sites.” —Andrew Paul Nelson, owner, Golden Sardine, San Francisco
“For us, if we’re crushing red on the cheap ($20ish), it’s Lambrusco. We pour Denny Bini or Famiglia Carafoli by the glass and it feels ‘in season’ pretty much year round being in the Carolinas. ‘Brusco justifiably got such a bad rap there for a bit, but small growers and good Grasparossa grapes have brought it all the way back.” —Matt Green, owner, Substrate Wine & Vermouth, Charlotte, N.C.
“Maybe it’s the fact that spring is only a couple weeks away, but I can’t stop thinking about Liguria and how delicious and quality-driven the seaside wines are, especially for the money. Across the board, reds and whites are verdant and cooling with grapes like Pigato, Vermentino, and Rossese; exactly what I want to be drinking come late March. And, when you consider that the top producers — Punta Crena, Ka Mancine, Ottaviano, and Bruna — can all be found in the $30 to 40 range (some even less), it’s pound for pound one of the best places to be pulling corks.” —Chris Leon, owner and wine director, Leon & Son Wine and Spirits, Brooklyn
“I think off-the-beaten-path wines offer the best values. Try varieties that aren’t usually front and center like Carignan, Mencia, Ruche, Vespolina, or Alicante. All offer great value and also something interesting to drink and talk about. You can find a hidden treasure and then explore other wines from the region.” —Diane Gross, owner, Cork Wine Bar and Market, Washington, D.C.
“My pick is Salcheto ‘Biskero’ Chianti. Notes of bright cherry and plum with lively acidity balanced by earthy Tuscan tannins with hints of anise and cocoa nib. It’s certified organic and biodynamically farmed for $18 — it drinks way above that price point and is ridiculously good for the price.” —Bridget Michalski, owner, Savannah Wine Cellar, Savannah, Ga.
“When I think of wines that drink beyond their price range, Two Shepherds is the first to come to mind. William Allen is one of my favorite producers from the West Coast as he is incredibly intentional in the cellar. He focuses on lighter extraction and highlighting the delicate, complex side of grape varieties. While I believe he should be charging more for his wines, I’m always incredibly happy how easy it is to get them into people’s hands. The Vermentino and old vine Carignan are my two favorites!” —David Conner, manager and buyer, Henry & Son Wine Shop, Minneapolis
“Right now at Little Blackbird we are very excited to feature Sicilian and Sardinian wines which are both versatile and complex. Etna Rosso wines from Sicily are layered and are a wonderful study of soil type, as the volcanic soils are prevalent on the palate. We also feature a Sardinian red, a variety called Monica that provides a great light-bodied, but more structured, alternative to Pinot Noir. It’s a perfect red wine pairing with fish.” —Sara Peregoff, general manager, Little Blackbird, Washington, D.C.
“Tenuta di Trinoro ‘Le Cupole’ is the perfect ‘bang-for-your-buck’ red wine. Made from vines planted in the early 1990s in the village of Sarteano by renowned Tuscan wine maker Andrea Franchetti, Tenuta Di Trinoro produces world class Bordelais-style wines imbued with southern Tuscany’s authentic sense of style, history, and terroir. Le Cupole is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, the percentages of which change depending on the vintage. With a sumptuous and rich fruit body, Le Cupole offers the luxury and breadth of Bordelais wines without the price tag common to that region.” —Lynn McKenzie, co-owner, The OX, Brooklyn
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