A vineyard in Santiago where many affordable top quality wines are produced.
Putting together a best-value list is in some sense totally subjective. It is not as simple as finding all the affordable wines out of the more than 22,000 we rated this year and ordering them by score. Nor can price be the only factor in this kind of comparison, even if we used the industry standard of WineSearcher. When a one- or two-point difference is worth the extra money is always going to be personal preference. And the whole exercise assumes that pricing follows a regular pattern around the world — which it often doesn’t.
Nevertheless, in compiling our first ever top 100 best-value list (a similar article published in 2016 only included 50 wines), our collective view was to prioritize score. All the wines in this selection can be picked up at $30 or less at least somewhere in the world. But given the choice between a $20 93-pointer and a $30 95-pointer, we favored the latter, especially for wines with really high scores. In other words, our price/quality scale wasn’t linear; or, as James’s mantra goes, “Life is too short to drink anything but great wine.”
However, our list below is not just an exercise in pseudoscientific number crunching. We also took into consideration availability, diversity and what we personally enjoy drinking every day. A great value bottle should be a really exciting household staple, so the names below are all wines James and I as well as Stuart and Nick regularly consume (or would like to!) at home.
One thing we didn’t do was give more leniency to wines from better-known regions. A 95-point chardonnay at $15 from Argentina can offer exactly the same value experience as a $15 95-point white Burgundy. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, there aren’t any such wines from Burgundy, and the region, along with California, doesn’t make it onto this list.
Best value New World wines
Our Best Value Wine of 2018 is El Enemigo Chardonnay Mendoza 2016, which retails for less than $30.
The good news is that there are excellent-value wines being made all over the world at the moment. Argentina and Chile are prime examples. Every year, when the JamesSuckling.com team visits the two countries, we are astounded by the number of superb wines being offered at absurdly low prices. I still remember James’ bewilderment a few years ago after a wine producer from Chile told him the $95 price point for a particular malbec blend was for a case, not a bottle!
Mendoza was this year’s hotspot in South America, delivering almost a dozen super value wines. Of more significance is the fact that it wasn’t all about malbec. You only have to look at our Best Value Wine of 2018, the El Enemigo Chardonnay Mendoza 2016, which retails in the States for less than $30. Joint partner Alejandro Vigil is behind El Enemigo and he is one of the continent’s most talented winemakers. He is also behind Catena’s White Bones and White Stones, and his mastery of chardonnay is indisputable. Their chardonnay is famous for its flor character, and the 2016 vintage shows a touch more than usual. This, combined with a cool growing season resulted in a killer combination of wonderfully complex flavors but scintillating freshness and precision.
Australia and New Zealand are also among the New World countries putting in a strong showing for top value wines in 2018. Some of our all-time favorite producers lead the way such as S.C. Pannell, Head Wines, Shaw + Smith, Dog Point and Escarpment. Many, particular in Southern Australia, are already champions of the restrained, terroir-focused styles we believe the two countries are becoming better known for. Australia is in such a good place right now when it comes to making consistently outstanding wines at attractive prices, and New Zealand is catching up fast.
Best value Old World wines
Tasting some quality value wines in Mendoza Province, Argentina.
But it would be wrong to assume Europe is falling away from value finds. A total of 24 Italian wines feature below, more than any other country. And while a Brunello or Barolo less than $30 is almost impossible to come by, if you look hard enough, even in traditional regions, you can find great buys. The Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Berardo Riserva 2015, which should just about be available for less than $30 when it comes out in full force on the market, had to place highly in this list. At 98 points, it’s one of the best from Castello di Bossi and encapsulates a sense of completeness quite foreign to most Chianti Classicos.
Given the extraordinary 2015 vintage for Chianti Classico, as we have already reported on extensively, it’s hardly surprising the appellation also boasts the second best-value Italian wine of 2018. The Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 2015 is rated 96 points and can be snapped up for as little as $20 in the US. It amazed both James and me when it came up in our 2018 Italian blind tastings. In fact, we had to keep coming back for more as we revisited it over a period of about a week last summer — all in the interests of score accuracy, of course! It just wouldn’t give up and certainly needs a good decanting before serving.
Perhaps the most interesting value discoveries in 2018 were from Spain. Though Rioja makes a prominent appearance, it’s the quirky indigenous varieties, made in areas such as Galicia, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia and Navarra that really shine. These previously forgotten grapes are making a comeback thanks to the efforts of a group of valiant winemakers who are restoring old parcels, practicing more environmentally sustainable techniques and seeking to better express Spain’s rich natural heritage and biodiversity. We suggest you jump on the bandwagon quick!
Whatever your views on what make great value wines, there should be something for everybody on this list. From up-and-coming American states to inexpensive Bordeaux to the German Rhine, there are plenty of great wines here, and all at prices less than $30. Enjoy. — Jack Suckling, Executive Editor
