9) Kirkland Signature Series Columbia Valley Red Wine – Something Special. Its up-front and opulent character is held perfectly in check with fresh acidity and an herbal, pleasantly earthy note on the long finish. Gaglioppo (gah yhee oh’ po)  is a prolific, hardy variety that holds up well in Calabria’s warm, dry climate and has been cultivated in the region for centuries. If you love Italian reds, this is the perfect transition. Nonetheless, I always give it my best shot. Perfect with BBQ Chicken on a Tuesday night. 4.0 / 5 stars (266 Reviews) Paso Robles, CA- This smooth and well-balanced Cabernet represents the passion of 7th-generation grower Troy Javadi. No matter your income status, these wines will enable you to drink like an aristocrat. This wine is made in a plush, easy to drink style with soft tannins and bright acidity wrapped in a cashmere texture. @WineFolly, Stella-Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva, Tasca d’Almerita “Lamùri” Nero d’Avola Sicilia, Molettieri Irpinia Aglianico Cinque Querce, Masseria Li Veli Primonero Salento (IGT) from Puglia. At under $20, hard to … Pietro … Note – prices indicated are averages of national retail prices as of this posting. The Benuara is a blend of 70 percent Nero d’Avola and 30 percent Syrah that is aged for 6 months in steel tanks with 20 percent in large oak casks. The Best Italian Wine - The 2020 Reverse Wine Snob Picks! The Sardinians believe Cannonau, aka Grenache, originated in Sardinia and was later brought to Spain and then to France. A tripartite blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes that are fermented and aged in stainless steel vats for 8 months with an additional 3 months in the bottle prior to release. Tormaresca, “Neprica” 2014 (about $11) Following fermentation, the wine is aged in a combination of new oak barrels and large Slavonian oak casks for five months before bottling. Here are my 15 favorite inexpensive Italian dry red wines, the wines that consistently have the highest quality-to-price ratios of the many I’ve tasted in recent years. Regardless of who started it, in Sardinia, Cannonau is light-bodied and rustic with a ruddy-orange hue. Coppo, “Camp du Rouss” Barbera d’Asti 2014 (about $19) Dark and brooding in color, it is full-bodied and clocks in with 14.5 percent alcohol. Related story Your Helpful TV … Browse the top-ranked list of Best Red Wines Under 20 below along with associated reviews and opinions. 20 Under $20: Wines That Feed the Soul These 20 bottles — found online from 11 different countries, including some unexpected regions — offer values and pleasures in … Wine Enthusiast gives you the 20 best bottlings from various Italian appellations in vastly diverse styles. Nebbiolo Recommendations, Love Amarone? This Italian staple has had quite a bit of staying power over the years. Pick these up for your next party. Sounds great for us all, but for now they are very hard to find. Langhe Nebbiolo is best enjoyed with a lap cat and some Italian bread. The warm Puglian sun gives this Italian red plenty of dark, spicy richness. It produces deeply-colored, aromatic and structured wines with dark fruit flavors. It's an old vine Zinfandel, so actually tastes closer to it's ancestor, Primitivo. Guest Author | Dec 22 2020, 3:13 pm. Baccarossa is mad tasty. Over the past 20 to 30 years the Italian wine scene has changed dramatically. No wood barrels or casks are used in the production of Scaia’s Corvina. It is similar to Syrah with smokey pepper flavors. Some of the wines are so hardy and tannic they will dry out your mouth similar to the sensation of licking chalk. The tannin is so high, in fact, that they will age for up to 20 years (and taste better with at least 10 years of age). Typically it's used as a blending partner with other indigenous red varieties in the production of Amarone and Ripasso, two of the Veneto's most prominent wines. Poderi Colla. The best-known estates with the most expensive wines constitute a small fraction of Italy’s wine production. Cusumano, “Benuara” Terre Siciliane IGT 2016 (about $19) Zenato, Valpolicella Superiore 2015 (about $15) The grapes are harvested from the estate’s vineyards and then fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks to retain the flavors and elegance of the Corvina variety. Well-made wines from Lazio region are dark in color with notes of tobacco and licorice like Cabernet or Syrah. A little known grape from Sicily as an eye-opening single ... RIFF Pinot Grigio – In Tune. The easy tannins and inherent softness of Merlot complement the earthiness of Sangiovese and the austerity and structure of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a long, gratifying finish infused with herbs and balsamic notes that will keep you coming back for more. The Pontificis GSM from Trader Joe’s, $7. Mina Mesa Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a thoroughly engaging, fruity and food-friendly wine that will charm you every time. Vaucluse, France. Nero d’Avola ages for upwards of 10 years or more, so if you find something you like, buy a case. Let’s start with Red Wines in Italy. All wines are generally available and most well-stocked wine shops will carry some if not all the wines listed. I taste a lot of wine each year and my experience affirms that there are plenty of well-made Italian wines of substance and character and that, despite the irksome dollar-Euro exchange rate, still sell for $20 or less. But Italy is a large wine market with every one of Italy’s 20 regions producing some quantity of wine and much of it is good if not great. This is a crowd-pleasing wine with a very modest price tag that is hard to beat on a quality-to-price basis. In Piedmont, vineyards on North-facing slopes are disallowed from the elite DOCG classification. January 25, 2019, 6:11 AM EST 6:56. Get These Wines Delivered! Fontanafredda, “Briccotondo” Barbera Piemonte 2016 (about $15) Italy has 20 major wine regions from the tiny Aosta Valley (1,500 acres) to the massive Apuglia (264,000 acres). Drinkers have given Fonseca Bin 27 stellar grades at online sellers like Wine.com, Total Wine and Drizly, while the … It’s time to learn about these underrated regions that put out value. 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