Best Buys $10 And Under

Organic

This dry Italian white is a great example of what Pecorino can achieve. A straw-yellow color with a subtle toasty element and lovely minerality on the back end. This has an elegantly floral bouquet with a touch of jasmine that is quite inviting. The racy acidity holds throughout keeping it fresh and bright. Hard to beat at this price!

This family-run estate is situated in Castel di Lama in the Ascoli Piceno region, in southernmost Marche, with vineyard holdings (45 ha) straddling the Abruzzo line. The main vineyard, in Offida, is hilly (280m-350m), with eastern exposure and a loose clay soil. First planted in the 1950s, the winery is managed today by proprietor/winemaker Quinto Fausti and his son Alighiero. The Offida DOC is Pecorino's key appellation – it is the only DOC-level appellation that allows varietal wines from the grape.

Tenuta De Angelis is one of a handful of Italian wineries that have gone through the laborsome process of getting their Organic certification. All wines are fermented with native yeasts and sulfur is at a minimum.

Cavicchioli Prosecco should be enjoyed as an aperitif; particularly suitable for appetizers, delicate first courses and fish-based dishes. Serving temperature: chilled to 40°F.

Offering white flower, nectarine, quince and passion fruit, the Feudi di San Gregorio 2021 Falanghina del Sannio is one of the estate's entry-level whites, but it shows that familiar focus and sharpness that we see in the top-shelf wines. This wine sees a brief four months in stainless steel and is etched and linear. It's an important production of 700,000 bottles. This is a versatile and well-priced bottle. - Wine Advocate

Made from 100% Sangiovese grown in the Ramitello and Martarosa vineyards and handharvested
in October, this wine is aged in stainless steel and large oak barrels for six months
to achieve greater smoothness and softness while preserving the supple fruit-forward
characteristics of Sangiovese.

Bright red in color, aromas of violets and red berries complement undertones of leather and
anise. On the palate, this wine is dry and mellow with smooth tannins that make for a crowdpleasing,
easy-to-drink red wine.

Off Dry sparkling red.
Fabio Lini's artisanal approach to sparkling wine production, their bright red fruit and berry
flavors are balanced by juicy minerality. Their clean but lingering finish makes them an ideal
pairing for a wide variety of cuisines.

90 points Wine Spectator
Fresh and stylish, with abundant cured tobacco, ground anise and white pepper accenting ripe black plum and currant fruit flavors. The finish shows a hint of tarry smoke alongside light, fine tannins. Drink now through 2025.

The name Redimore, or "king of blackberries," recalls the youthful aromas of its single varietal composition. 100% Aglianico grapes vinified with long maceration on the skins at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks. Aged in French oak barriques for 12 months.

Crafted from 100% Montepulciano. Vibrant Cerasuolo cherry-like color. Watermelon rind, lemon zest, and bright juicy cherry with intensity and verve. A tremendous value!

Today’s wine was a surprise at our 2023 Vintage Rosé Taste Off. It narrowly fell out of our top five wines of the day even though it was the least expensive wine in the tasting! That's right, not only did it contend with wines twice its price but was actually reviewed higher than most of them! The wine…. Cora Cerasuolo d' Abruzzo 2023.

Cerasuolo d’ Abruzzo is the rosé wine of Abruzzo – the region east of Rome on the Adriatic coast – and is made from the red Montepulciano grape. Cerasuolo translates as ‘pale cherry red’, a distinctive deep hue from a short maceration of 24 hours or less. This is in contrast to the fashionable lighter style of rosé, which is typically made by running the juice off from the skins immediately after pressing. Cerasuolo d’ Abruzzo is for wine lovers who are bored of the endless Provence-style rosés or for those who enjoy lighter reds.

Cora is fresh, fun, uncomplicated, overdeliver, and satisfying. Cora comes from a single winery in Abruzzo. They use 100% estate-grown fruit, including some older vines, and are certified sustainable farming. No herbicides, pesticides, or irrigation is used in the vineyards. Certified carbon neutral--all electricity used at the winery comes from 100% solar and wind power. Certified Vegan--no animal-derived products are used in winemaking.

94 points Wine Spectator
A dry and aromatic red, with accents of cured tobacco and pencil shavings to the flavors of baked raspberry, licorice snap and tarry smoke. Well-knit and balanced, this is full-bodied, with dense tannins firming the finish. Give this some time in the cellar to shine. Best from 2020 through 2031.

94 points Wine & Spirits Magazine
The Montemarano vineyard rises to 2,000 feet above sea level, where cool evening breezes tempered the heat at the end of the 2011 growing season to produce this intense riserva. The blackberry and plum fruit is loaded with notes of fennel and anise, the whole encased in rigid tannins and dark mineral tones, as well as vanilla notes picked up from 30 months in French oak barriques and Slavonian casks. Give this at least five years in the cellar before pouring with an aged strip steak.

94 points James Suckling
A beautiful red with blackberry, spice, oyster shell and hints of black pepper. Medium to full body, chewy tannins and a polished and pretty finish. Gorgeous. Made from aglianico. One of the best wines in years from here.

Mastroberardino, founded in 1878, is a protagonist in the story of fine wine from Campania in Southern Italy and of the region’s signature red, Taurasi, based on the Aglianico grape. Tenth-generation vintner Piero Mastroberardino helms the estate, working with winemaker Massimo di Renzo. Starting 20 years ago, the duo pursued a more robust style for their Taurasi, shifting gears again with the 2016 Radici Riserva to “the winemaking of my father,” says Mastroberardino. The focus here is on less extraction, with a relatively short, cool maceration of eight or nine days, followed by extended aging, including 30 months in large casks or used barriques and an additional three or more years in bottle.

Winemaker Notes:
Rich and ripe dark cherry fruit, along with attractive spicy, smoky notes. Fleshy and full, with surprising depth and length.

This wine is intended to be consumed in its youth and is a terrific complement to roasted meats, pastas and pizza - the ultimate trattoria wine.

Pale lemon-green. Aromas of ripe pineapple, citrus fruits, and white flowers. Notes of honeysuckle and toasted almond on the palate are lifted by lively acidity.

Harvested from the southeastern-facing Apice estate in Sannio DOC, on volcanic, mineral-rich, sandy-loam soils. Espalier-trained vines are Guyot pruned and sit at 350m a.s.l. Vines are planted at a density of 3,000 vines / hectare, producing an average yield of 8,500 kg/ha (7,580 lbs/acres) and 2.8 kg/vine (6 lbs/vine). Average age of the vines are 15 years. Hand harvested the last week of September. This unaged white is fermented in stainless steel to preserve its fresh fruit flavors. Refinement in bottle for at least one month.

Organic / Natural / Orange Wine

90% Malvasia/10% Ortrugo & Trebbiano Toscano. The different grapes are co-planted and the vines average 30 years in age. The fruit is picked together, destemmed and macerated with the skins for approximately a month (less time in warmer vintages, more in cooler ones); a cap of skins and seeds forms and is not broken but is kept moistened with the fermenting wine. Fermentation is with native yeasts only in steel tank; malolactic fermentation occurs naturally as well. The wine is aged for a year, half in stainlesss steel and half in used French oak, followed by two years in bottle before release. The name "Ageno" is in homage to the original owner of the estate, Giancarlo Ageno (a lawyer and wine enthusiast who brought French vine cuttings to Emilia in the 19th century)

Organic / Natural

Winemaker Notes:
60% Barbera/40% Bonarda (aka Croatina, not the same Bonarda found in Argentina). Trebbiolo is made from the youngest, most productive vines, aged 5-20 years and grown on the estate's gentle slopes and heavy clay soils. The fruit is organically farmed and harvested by hand. It is destemmed and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel with a 20-day skin maceration; the wine is aged in stainless steel. No sulfur at any point in the process. The name "Trebbiolo" is derived from the name of nearby river and valley Trebbia; if La Stoppa opted into the Italian appellation system, Trebbiolo would be their version of a Gutturnio Fermo DOC wine.

90 pts Vinous
Masses of crushed raspberries mix with wild herbs, dried roses and hints of underbrush as the 2019 Vino Rosso Trebbiolo opens up in the glass. It’s soft and round in feel yet bristling with energy as vibrant acids enliven its crisp red and blue fruits. Sweet spices, zests of citrus and hints of mint form toward the close as this tapers off nicely refreshing with medium length. You’d be hard-pressed to stop at just one glass. The Trebbiolo is a juicy and no-frills blend of 60% Barbera and 40% Bonarda.

This delicious red is the sweeter side of Lambrusco.

91 points Wine Spectator
This sleek, minerally white offers hints of grilled macadamia nut, which underscore and enrich a finely meshed flavor profile of tangerine, persimmon and chamomile. Racy finish. Drink now through 2027. 6,000 cases made, 250 cases imported.

The Montefusco vineyard is dedicated solely to the production of Nova Serra Greco di Tufo. It has a south-east exposure, with clay-calcareous soil and traces of volcanic ash along the profile. Positioned 550m a.s.l., the vines are Cordon spur-pruned and Espalier-trained, with a planting density of 4,000 vines/ha and a yield of about 6,000 kg/ha (1.5kg/vine). The vines have an average age of 15 years. Manual harvest takes place at the end of October. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. Refinement in bottle for three to four months before release.

The Argiolas "Costera" Cannonau di Sardegna is a bold red wine made from Cannonau (Grenache) grapes, a signature variety of Sardinia. Known for its rich and ripe flavors, this wine offers aromas of dark berries, plum, and a touch of spice. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, with balanced tannins and a smooth, lingering finish.

Organic

100% Negroamaro

100% Susumaniello vines planted in 2016. Being a late-ripening varietal, harvest takes place in early October. The Susumaniello grapes have a blue/black colour that produces deeply colored, almost inky wines. Fermented with native yeasts in concrete vats where 80% of the wine matures while 20% is transferred in used tonneaux.

A recent project started in 2016 by 4 friends, all veterans in the wine world, when an elderly farmer, no longer able to tend his land, decided to sell his 2 hectares of 50 years old alberello Negroamaro vines. The offer was impossible to resist and the first wine was released in 2019, only 4,000 bottles of it. An additional 2 hectares of Susumaniello were acquired, a local grape varietal that was widely grown but that for a number of reasons (late ripening, low yields soon after its vigorous first years of life etc.) had almost disappeared. The name Susumaniello comes from the local dialect expression for the Italian word somarello, donkey, an animal much needed to carry the heavy loads of grapes from the plentiful harvest from the young vines. We are in the sun-scorched Salento, in the Brindisi province, near the sea, along the ancient Roman Appian Way. A classic Mediterranean landscape, mostly flat, where olive trees and vines play the main role.

Organic / Natural

25% Malavasia di Candia Aromatica, 25% Marsanne, 25% Ortugo, 25% yet-unknown varietal.
A blend from 28-year old vines, this wine comes only from those at the bottom of the slope. Grapes are hand-picked and destemmed before fermenting naturally for more than one to two weeks on the skins. There are seven to eight pump-overs in the first few days, and the wine is both fermented and aged in stainless steel; the wine spends a total of four months on the skins. A minimal amount of sulfur is added at bottling.

This is Giulio Armani, the winemaker at La Stoppa, Emilia Romagna project.