Think of just about any major world wine region, and chances are you can find a passable (if not world-altering) example for $20 or less. Except maybe Nebbiolo.
A $15 Bordeaux, for example, like this tasty item from the Right Bank, may not be a match for a $962 jug of Chateau Margaux,, but you can enjoy it with pleasure and discern that it’s a Bordeaux. Similarly, you could pay $7,451 for Romanee-Conti La Tache, but you’ll still sip a recognizable Burgundy if you go for a Bourgogne Pinot Noir in the upper teens.
It’s the same story in Tuscany, where Chianti was once viewed as a cheap red wine sered with pizza in wicker-wrapped bottles that could later be repurposed as candlesticks. Nowadays you’ll find plenty of Chianti in the upper double-digit range at retail, with prized bottles rising well over $100. But there’s also still plenty of very good, cheap Chianti that’s as good – and probably even better – than those old pizza wines.
But turn north from Tuscany and look at Piemonte’s rolling, hilly vineyards in Northwesterm Italy’s Alpine foothills where the red Nebbiolo grape reigns supreme, and we see something different …
Support The 30 Second Wine Advisor with your paid-tier subscription. For $5 per month or $50 for a year (a 17% saving), you’ll receive additional wine notes funded by your subscriptions, gain quick direct access for wine-related questions, and receive other benefits to come.
