12 Budget-Friendly Wines to Love on Valentine’s Day
Whether you're looking forward to a romantic dinner, a girls' night out, or a quiet evening alone, a great bottle of wine is the cherry on top. Here are some delicious, budget-friendly picks for the week to come. Image: Champagne Billecart-Salmon
Today’s article comes to us from Amy Beth Wright, a wine, food, and travel journalist most often contributing to Wine Enthusiast, Garden & Gun, The Cheese Professor, and of course, StyleBlueprint. Amy is working towards her certification with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET). These are the budget-friendly wines she’s excited about right now!
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No matter what form your Valentine’s Day takes, February 14th is a day to savor connection — whether that’s over a romantic dinner, a fun night with the girls, or a quiet night alone. And a beautiful wine is the perfect accompaniment! To that end, I’m sharing a diverse range of wines to capture Valentine’s Day’s different moods and grooves.
These selections — all of which I personally have tasted and love — are available at consumer-friendly price points and can be found at most local wine shops and online retailers. The first nine picks can usually be found under $20, but in the spirit of indulgence, I included some slightly higher-end splurges, too. Enjoy!
SPARKLING WINES
Wines with bubbles are fermented twice — first, to craft a base wine, and then again (in the bottle or a steel tank, depending on the method) with yeast and sugar. During a second in-bottle fermentation, Champagne and Cava develop bready, brioche-like flavors that impart savoriness and depth.
Cava is produced mainly in northeast Spain’s Catalunya (Catalonia) region and a few other authorized Spanish growing regions, from indigenous Spanish grape varieties like Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada, and Grenache (Garnacha), and some traditional Champagne grapes, like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Ana Fabiano, author of The Wines of Rioja, recommends pairing Cava with white fish, oysters, and shellfish-forward entrées like shrimp scampi.
Reserva Heredad of Segura Viudas
Reserve wines typically age longer, developing more flavor complexity than younger wines. This refreshing reserve Cava has aged in the bottle for over two years and pairs readily with sorbet, oysters, and shrimp cocktail. It also makes for a lovely aperitif. Segura Viudas Brut (a dry Cava that is not a reserve wine) ages for a shorter time and expresses bright acidity.
Adami Garbél Brut Prosecco DOC Treviso
From the romantic Italian city of Verona (recall the setting for Romeo and Juliet?), this Prosecco is dry and puckery, expressing prominent acidity. The winery dates from the 1920s and prioritizes sustainability. Vineyards within a “DOC,” or Denominazione di Origine Controllata (a Controlled Designation of Origin), reflect a smaller growing region with strict guidelines to ensure consistency and quality. In Treviso, vineyards are 130 to 160 meters above sea level. Fun fact: Glera is the grape variety cultivated for Prosecco in northeast Italy’s Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions.
SPARKLING ROSÉ
Vilarnau Rosé Delicat Brut Reserva
Why stop sparkling, and why leave Spain? Vilarnau began Cava production in 1949 in Sant Sadurni D’Anoia, the epicenter of Catalunya’s Cava production. This wine is luscious and aromatic, mingling flavors of flowers and red berries. “The complexity the aging brings, and the wine’s creamy texture, can dance with a soft cheese, like a whipped goat cheese with crushed walnuts,” says Author and Wine Expert Ana Fabiano.” She also recommends pairing it with a red berry fruit tart or petit fours. This reserve Brut rosé is made with organic Garnacha and Pinot Noir from Vilarnau’s estate vineyards, which are 200 meters above sea level.
WHITE WINES
Pazo de Lusco Albariño
Albariño, another Spanish grape variety, thrives in the Rías Baixas DO (denominación de origen) in northwest Spain, in Galicia. Albariño tends to express salinity and minerality, reflecting the influence of coastal growing conditions. It often has a beautiful, lemony hue. Pazo de Lusco’s Albariño combines grapes macerated cold for various intervals, some parcels for as long as 12 hours, some for much shorter intervals. The 2022 vintage is bright and refreshing, with aromas of apple and peach in concert with the grape variety’s characteristic saline properties.
Fetzer Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a very versatile grape variety, capable of embodying lightness and acidity as well as butter and oak. Wine critic James Suckling recently described Fetzer’s 2019 Chardonnay as having a ” fruity nose of sliced apples, pears, ripe nectarines, lemons and honey.” The 2019 vintage also yielded exceptional Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. Winemaker Margaret Leonardi is the first woman to lead Fetzer’s winemaking enterprise, and she is intent on continuing the company’s foundational commitment to sustainable practices, which dates from 1968.
2022 Inama Vin Soave, Soave DOC Classico
Soave is a lovely, light-bodied white wine made from the Garganega (gar-gah-ne-ga) grape, which thrives in northeast Italy’s Veneto region. Soave is refreshing, dry, and not typically barrel-aged. You’ll likely notice apple, pear, citrus, and peach flavor profiles. Time in the bottle can lead to sweeter apricot and caramel flavors. Inama is a third-generation winery in Verona dedicated to Soave production; Vin Soave aligns minerality and gentle floral notes. The 2022 vintage has scored consistently well in reviews from James Suckling and earned a score of 90 from Wine Enthusiast.
RED WINES
2020 Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec
Trivento is a top-tier Malbec producer and a certified B Corp. Like Vilarnau’s Cava, this is a vegan wine. Grapes are sourced from old vines in Luján de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, and vineyards in nearby Vistalba, Las Compuertas, Agrelo, and Perdriel. The wine is aged for 12 months, with 85% in French oak barrels and 15% in French oak foudres, which are large casks that hold twice as much wine as barrels do and offer a more subtle oak expression. The wine is then bottle-aged for 12 months. The 2020 vintage has scored in the 90th percentile from many wine.com reviewers, including Decanter magazine and The Wine Advocate. You can anticipate smooth tannins, pronounced aromas of blackberries, and hints of violets.
2019 The Paring Red Blend
This artful blend from coastal Santa Barbara comprises 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot, and 7% Petit Verdot. It has received a score of 91 from Wine Enthusiast, a reflection of the high-quality grapes produced in Santa Barbara County’s diverse cool-climate terroir. Complexity is further influenced by barrel and bottle aging— wood and earth notes adjoin characters like blackberry, black currant, and herbs. This one can also age for a bit longer and become ever more complex.
1000 Stories Bourbon Barrel Aged Zinfandel
Zinfandel is California’s second most planted grape variety, thriving in many challenging microclimates. Zinfandel wines are exciting and full-bodied, with pepper, spice, jam, blueberry, plum, cherry, and smoke flavors. As bourbon barrels are narrower than traditional barrels and made from toasted new American oak, the wood informs additional flavor layers like prunes, almonds, and herbs. 1000 Stories began producing bourbon barrel-aged Zinfandel in 2013 (ahead of the trend), and it is also recognized for Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Red Blend, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. The winery‘s revolutionary philanthropic emphasis has led to partnerships with The Wildlife Conservation Society, the Bison Project in Yellowstone National Park, and the Academy of Country Music.
SPLURGE-WORTHY PICKS
The three wines I’ve included below are available at a slightly higher price point of $30-35 (depending on the retailer) but are certainly worth the mild splurge if you’re celebrating!
2020 Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz
This wine is at a slightly higher price point (currently $32.99 on wine.com), but take a peek at the reviews, and you’ll discover it’s worth it. Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape, known as Syrah in France and Shiraz in Australia, where it’s often planted in warm growing regions. This Shiraz, however, is produced in a cool-climate mountainous area known as the Grampians in Victoria, in southern Australia. While warm-climate Shiraz is unmistakably fruit-forward, this cool-climate Shiraz has acidity, tannins, and characteristic pepper flavor alongside lush red cherry and raspberry flavors.
The Vice, Orange Wine of Gewurztraminer and Viognier
Orange wine is also known as “skin contact” wine. In traditional white wine production, grapes are pressed, and the subsequent juice is fermented; in red wine production, they are fermented with their skins, contributing tannins, color, and structure. To make orange wine, white wine grapes are fermented with their grape skins — grapes known for delicate floral flavors and acidity take on more color, tannin influence, and structure in dynamic, surprising wines. In truth, all of The Vice’s wines, crafted by Malek Amrani, are extraordinary. Amrani serves on the Board of Directors for Napa Valley Vintners.
2022 Frank Family Carneros Chardonnay
This is a special, beautifully balanced wine. Carneros’s clay soils elevate acidity levels, while time in new and once- or twice-used French oak barrels contributes a subtle counterbalance of oak. Flavors range from preserved lemon and apple to vanilla, oak, and caramel. The technique of “bâtonnage,” where yeast cells are hand stirred during barrel aging, creates even more depth.
No matter what wine you choose as your pairing partner, cheers to a festive, happy, and meaningful Valentine’s Day!
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Amy Beth Wright
Amy Beth is an essayist and freelance travel writer, with an emphasis on art, architecture, food, spirits, and public lands. She also contributes to Wine Enthusiast and Fodors Travel, and teaches writing to undergraduates at Purchase College in New York. Visit amybethwrites.com to read more of her work.