Good wines for under £30
Finding great value wine is especially satisfying in those months when we’re not feeling particularly decadent.
We have put together a collection of wines for £30 and under that tick the box of interesting, well-made wines, that remain within the low-mid range price bracket.
2021 Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Trenitno Alto Adige £16 per bottleOne of the best value white wines we have come across in a long time. Made by a successful cooperative in northern Italy, the wine is made with good quality fruit by highly skilled wine makers. Clean, full of minerality, with good texture and a lovely, long finish.
2021 Pietradolce Etna Bianco Sicily £19 per bottle
Made from the Carricante grape, native to Sicily, and grown on the volcanic soils of Mount Etna. This grape is usually recognised for its tropical notes but Pietradolce have done well to shift the focus onto the unique mineral characteristics garnered from this region.
2019 Le Volte dell’Ornellaia £23 per bottle
The simplest wine in the Ornellaia portfolio but top quality nonetheless. A blend of Carbernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese this is a wine designed to be drunk young whilst it is still fresh and vibrant.
2020 Produttori del Barbaresco Nebbiolo di Langhe £23 per bottle
Always a firm favourite with us for the sheer enjoyment that comes from a simple wine made exceptionally well. The 2020 vintage is fuller and more generous than the more rustic 2019. Both are good but the 2020 may be a more crowd pleasing offering.
2018 Viña Haras de Pirque Galantas Gran Reserva Cabernet Franc £25 per bottle
A Chilean wine estate now owned and operated by Antinori (of Tignanello fame) Haras de Pirque are a good bridge between old and new world wines. The Galantas is a Cabernet Franc with a touch of Carmenere that has all the power and fruit one expects from a new world red yet has a softer, more classic rounded feel that brings it back down to earth.
2009 Viña Tondonia Bosconia Rioja Reserva £26 per bottle
A Rioja Reserva with the right amount of age behind it for a reasonable price. It goes very well with a myriad of dishes but is also a lovely wine to drink by the glass. The tannins have softened and the oak has melded with the fruit to create a soft, easy going wine.
2019 Francesco Rinaldi Barbera d’Alba £29 per bottle
Francesco Rinaldi is an old established family run winery in Piedmont that has done well to remain quality conscious throughout it’s expansion. They are also very good at the underrated art of creating simple yet high quality wines. The Barbera is classic and simple but perfectly formed.
2019 Passopisciaro Passobianco Terre Siciliane Bianco £30 per bottle
A decandent, generous and opulent Chardonnay from one of the top producers in the Etna region. Not the usual white grape variety grown in these parts, but Passopisciaro have done a wonderful job of marrying the creamy, texutred characteristics of Chardonnay with the minerality that comes from the volcanic soils in the region.