The Best Italian Red Wines to Buy Under $20
Italian wine is entering a golden era—and that includes bottles on the lower end of the price spectrum. [...] Read More... The post The Best Italian Red Wines to Buy Under $20 appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.
Italy’s red wines are among the most coveted bottles around the world, with top Barolos and Super Tuscans fetching hundreds (and even thousands) of dollars. If you’re able to drink like a king, congratulations; however, wine fans don’t need to have a regal budget to taste some of the best bottles that are available today.
“The best thing about Italian wine is that it’s not just a category that offers good deals, it’s a category where you know you’re always getting a good deal—at any price point,” says Danielle Callegari, a Wine Enthusiast writer-at-large who reviews wines from Tuscany and Southern Italy. “The quality of Italian wine is high across the board, so even when you’re not in the mood to spend, you can be sure that if you reach for Italian you’re getting wine that outperforms expectations every time.”
What that means is, it’s it’s good time to reach for affordable bottles.
On this year’s Best Buys list—Wine Enthusiast’s annual compendium of the top wines for under $20—there was a strong contingent of Italian reds. Two made it to the top ten list, including a mouthwatering $19 Lambrusco from Paltrinieri that clocked in at number two and a $14 red blend from Tuscany’s Renzo Masi with notes of strawberry fruit leather and hibiscus at number nine.
Read on for the full list of affordable red wines from Italy, all taste tested and approved by our expert reviewers. These bottles make excellent bulk buys, so you’ll always have something on hand for pasta night or when friends stop by unexpectedly.
Renzo Masi 2020 Contrappasso Red (Toscana)
The nose features a nuanced, slightly astringent sweetness, with aromas of strawberry fruit leather, cherry, roses and hibiscus, and a stony undertone providing balance. On the palate, oranges emphasize the strawberry notes, while the enduring stoniness adds a light salinity. Powerful tannins and acid hold everything together. 94 points. Best Buy. — Danielle Callegari $13.39 Fine Wine & Good Spirits
Piccini 2021 Poggio Alto Red (Toscana)
The dense, almost chewy dark fruit flavors of dried figs, dried cherries and plums with earth tones of soil and rocks and then savory aromas of old leather and bitter cocoa on the nose reveal the use of the Governo style, with more salted chocolate and dried red and black fruit on the palate for a decadent sip. 90 points. Best Buy. — D.C. $14.95 Empire Wine
Banfi 2022 Chianti DOCG Superiore Red (Chianti)
On the nose, tart fruit aromas of cherries, raspberries and blackberries are balanced by the cooling, metallic depth of topsoil and graphite. That balance continues on the palate, which is rooted in firm but pliable tannins and enlivened by acid. 90 points. Best Buy. — D.C. $12.99 Wine.com
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