Choosing a good wine you enjoy can be complicated enough, but finding wine you enjoy that’s under ten dollars can be frustrating. TopTenz is here to help. The next time you feel like having a nice bottle of wine but you only have $10 to spend here is a list you can trust to find the best wine for UNDER $10. In other words what are the best cheap wines?
Every wine on the list was found, at least in one place, to have a purchase cost under ten bucks. Links were provided under the title of each wine to a site selling each wine under $10.00. This does not included shipping and tax, of course.
10. Voga Quattro
Click here to find a bottle of Vog Quattro -$8.54
A blend of merlot, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, and pinot noir (hence the name) from Italy, the unique bottle and price (ranging from 4 dollars to 9) will hook many buyers looking for an interesting bottle of wine that won’t break the bank, but the pleasant way the different varietals blend will certainly have you coming back for more.
9. Little Black Dress Pinot Grigio
Click here to find a bottle of Little Black Dress Pinot Grigio – $8.99
Great with seafood (especially sushi), this pinot grigio from California works best when allowed to sit briefly after uncorking to really allow the flavors to open up. The apple and grapefruit flavors are quite refreshing and will be great on a warm day.
8. Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
Click here to find a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling – $7.99
A great compliment to appetizers, this Riesling is sweet without being syrupy. The right hints of citrus make it refreshing and a great way to clean the palate before moving on to more complex food and wines during a party.
7. Bell’agio Chianti
Click here to find a bottle of Bell’agio Chianti – $8.99
The whicker wrapped bottle will catch many looking for a way to add ambiance to a nice Italian dinner, but this nice dry chianti will compliment most red sauces very well, and add a nice bite to a juicy steak.
6. Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz
Great for the shiraz lover looking to branch out into cabernets with a blend. Nice tannins, but a nice smooth finish. A great “gateway” wine into some of the dryer varietals for those looking to experiment outside of their comfort zones.
5. Clos du Bois Chardonnay
Click here to find a bottle of Clos du Bois Chardonnay $5.95
A Californian wine with a French name (the name means “enclosure in the woods” – the maker of the wine is named Woods), this buttery and well balanced chardonnay is medium bodied with pear, citrus, and vanilla flavors. Very refreshing and a great compliment to pork and chicken.
4. Yellow Tail Chardonnay
Click here to find a bottle of Yellow Tail Chardonnay $5.99
Very approachable for those looking to move to the dryer white wines. Crisp and clean from being aged in steel barrels as opposed to oak, there is still a lingering nuance of oak in the wine that is welcome to those that are familiar with Chardonnays aged in oak.
3. Twin Fin Pinot Noir
Click here to find a bottle of Twin Fin Pinot Noir $7.99
A dark oak and cherry nose are a quick lead into a wine that some say has a bit of an “alcoholy” taste, but is nice and rich the whole way through, making it a great compliment to pizza, steak, or pasta with red sauce. A great way to be introduced to pinot noir (unless you’ve taken to watching the movie “Sideways”).
2. Robert Mondavi Private Selection Sauvignon Blanc
Click here to find a bottle of Robert Mondavi Private Selection Sauvignon Blanc $8.99
Nice citrus flavors from the west coast, with hints of grapefruit that are the staple of the sauvignon blanc. Great on a hot day, with spicy fish (Thai style tilapia is a great compliment), and a wonderful alternative to the more expensive sauvignon blancs made in South America.
1. Ravenswood Zinfandel
Click here to find a bottle of Ravenswood Zinfandel $8.99
An excellent wine at a great price. Smooth with lots of flavor and a hint of pepperyness at the end that is quite enjoyable. Fairly dry, but a great find for the red wine lover on a budget that wants something they can really sink their palate into.
Honorable Mention
Evil Cabernet Sauvignon – a great cabernet sauvignon from Southern Australia.
Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz – found at most restaurants, this Shiraz is a testament to the Australian style of making quality shiraz.
Oak Leaf (multiple varietals) – The house wine for Wal-Mart, this label offers cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, and a chardonnay/pinot grigio blend. While none will change your view of that varietal, none are bad for their $3 price tag.
Submitted by George Perry
52 Comments
Turning Leaf used to be my go to until I found Rex Goliath.
Barefoot is good. Rex Goliath is another. Oak Leaf should not just be an honorable mention. Very good for that price and easy to find.
i am totally satisfied with this ranking …..Ravenswood Zinfandel is always number 1 nice post like it thanks for sharing it keep it up
which is the cheapest wine out there??
I am not crazy over the Yellowtail. For a cheap Chard I prefer the Down Under
Chard @ $2.49 a bottle. My two favorite Chards @ $5-6 are the Bare Foot
or Fallen Leaf.
I meant Turning Leaf…Not fallen Leaf. The 2008 Turning Leaf
Chard. is an awesome wine. Found it on sale for $4.98 a
bottle. The 2007 vintage is not near is good.
Yellowtail and Ravenswood are jokes. I dont get why people are so fascinated by these 2.
Rosemont and Mouton Cadet are upgrades from the former.
What? No Columbia Crest? One of the best inexpensive wines. Won many awards.
I cannot take this list seriously at all. It has not one, but two bottles of Yellow Tail. So no, A for effort, but no points for the Yellow Tail. There are plenty of wines out there with more thunder in the same range.
I have to say Bare Foot wine is the ultimate buy. I like white wine and highly recommend their Chard and Sav. Blanc. I can't believe Yellow Tail is on here twice. Gross! Rob Mondav. is delicious. There's even a white at Wal-Mart that's getting incredibly popular. $3.97/bottle and I kid you not, it's delicious. I think it's Oak Leaf or something like that.
Under $10 amazing wine: try finke-hesse cab (my spelling may be off).
old dover old vin zines. trentatre rosso (trader joes). many riojas and temprenillos are quite tasty under 10. do not have titles handy but trial and error may find you your favorite!
the Chianti is drinkable, but barely
I buy the Ravenswood at Costco for $8.99. I love it. It is very versatile. It has enough character to stand up to nachos watching football yet it is smooth enough to drink with a filet.
I can't abide yellowtail at ny price. Undrinkable swill in my opinion.
"Double Dog Dare" isn't bad for a Chardonnay at $3.99. Yellow Tail Riesling, Chard, and Cab are all good.
Ravenwood is excellent. I like Gabbiano's chianti also.
That Ravenswood isn't bad
Has anyone else tried Barefoot? The run around $5.99 and are pretty dang good.
Unfortunately the Yellow Tail bottles are over 10 dollars here in Canada… damn liquor taxes.
The Chateau Ste. Michelle riesling pictured is actually "Eroica", which is a team effort from CSM and Dr. Ernst Loosen, and is NOT $7.99 a bottle, more like $20, give or take a couple of bucks depending where you are. But it IS an excellent riesling. Oh, and take those Yellow tails off the list, will you? They barely qualify as table wines. If you want a better Aussie wine, try a Black Opal or Jacob's Creek.
I agree with your suggestion in regards to Black Opal. The Black Opal shiraz is much better than Yellow Tail's version of the same, though not as easily available.
Shocked that you would include swill on your list when so many better wines are available. Yellowtail has made my WORST list for many years now.
I am surprised so many people loathe some of these wines, well, except for the Yellow Tail. Those are not the best cheap wines to choose from. I do like the Little Black Dress Pinot Grigio though. Hidden gem.
If you do try any of these wines, please come back and leave a comment. I would love to know what people think who haven't tasted these wines before.
Great list! I'm always looking for great wines that are within my budget. I'm keeping this one bookmarked and will definitely be picking up some on my next trip to the wine store!
I have had each of these wines and they are all excellent for cheap wines.
I'm very happy with the responses on the list, both the positive and negative comments. It only goes to show that we all have different tastes and opinions. I personally didn't like the Bell’agio Chianti but my wife loved it.
I am probably a novice compared to most here when it comes to wine but I have had my share over the years. Ravenswood's offerings are consistently good and their entry level zinfandel deserves to be at the top at this price point. On the other hand, I have sampled several offerings from yellow tail (I have never tried the chardonnay) and was not the least bit impressed even considering their cost.
Rename is to: 10 Wines to Avoid at All Costs
Awesome list. And best of all I can afford more than one bottle.
Good list! I wish we can pay those prices up in Canada! The white Voga, Pinot Grigio, is really good too. (14.95$ cdn).
With the exception of the two yellow tails, this is a great list. Lots of familiar favorites here. Does Bonny Doon's Big House Red and Big House White get an honorable mention? They are just a smidge above the $10 mark.
Great article, I love the Australian sparkling reds.
I LOVE TWIN FIN PINOT NOIR!!!! But I haven't been able to find it in over 8 months. I have been told so many different stories as to why, but I still haven't find anything I like as well.
HELP!!!!!
I have to agree with the Ravenswood, but I have never found it that cheaply. I agree it does vary significantly. The Rosemount Shiraz-Cab blend is also exceptional. A recent discovery of our is the Argentinian Malbec- there are a number on the market, but for well priced and delcious, the Argento Malbec 2007 Mendoza is fantastic. It does improve with a little time to breath, but in a blind tasting our group of friends judged it to be excellent and one of the top choices among far more expensive wines.
"unless this is a list of cheap wines from trader joe’s, there are many, many better wines to choose from.
quattro mani (italy) – $9.99
la vieille ferme (france) – $6.99
pinot evil (france) – $5.99 "
Why are these wines better? Having a pretentious name and being from Europe doesn't automatically make a wine better. These wines (which I've only had in passing) have a certain stale European stench. If you like things that smell like trash, maybe the wines you mentioned are better, but I doubt it.
Every wine on the list was found, at least in one place, to have a purchase cost under $10. Links were provided under the title of each wine. This does not included shipping and tax, of course.
i must agree with Scott on May 30th, 2008 11:52 pm, if you have any basic knowledge about wine you can find even better and cheaper wines.
a suggestion, in many cases wine cost is influenced by cost of transportation and bottling, if you are really looking to get cheap and good wine the best way is to go directly to the producer, each one of them usually has a couple of different varieties, ask to sample them and buy a minimum of 6 bottles at a time, sometime if you go with friends and buy more you can even get a good discount.
if you live in the states you probably never heard of how many different wine grapes there are, i only see here the most world wide famous, these are the most known but there are many other species that offer beautiful wines.
oh and just an observation about n°7 Bell’agio Chianti, take it from an italian, chianti and Bellagio (yes it's a whole word) have nothing to do with each other making me think they are only putting together two famous Italian names to suggest better quality, i would be careful there…
the crappy thing is that state by state the wine prices will differ. although i won't deny that many of these are swell and cheap not all are under ten depending on where you are. i am assuming that these are bulk buy prices? i've never seen voga below ten in pennsylvania, even on sale.
Cellar Number 8 has a Cabernet, a Melot, and a Zin each for 9.99. A great bottle of wine!
There is plenty of great wine for under $10 and you're picking the commercial wine? "Let the pinot grigio open up for an hour?"
Excellent list! I've always wanted to give Voga a try. A couple wines on my list: Barton & Guestier have two of my personal favorites for a sweet (often dessert) wine, Barton & Guestier's Vouvray and Beaujolais Gold Label. Each under (or at) $10! I'm also a fan of Hess Select Cabernet, however it is just over the $10 budget mark.
…hmmm unless this is a list of cheap wines from trader joe's, there are many, many better wines to choose from.
quattro mani (italy) – $9.99
la vieille ferme (france) – $6.99
pinot evil (france) – $5.99
those are all waaaaayyyyy better than ravenswood and yellow tail. just to name a few…
what about Charles Shaw (two buck chuck) Cabernet Sauvignon?
Evil is an honorable mention because it's hard to find – I've only received it as a gift and haven't managed to find it in any store near me. Hard to recommend a wine that even I can't find.
Nice thoughts and good effort George! Would have loved to see some wines from Rhone and Portugal and a few more outside the box wines! Stay well!
I love the Ravenswood, I buy it all the time their cab is also good!
Evil Cabernet Sauvignon gets an honorable mention? IMHO it should have been somewhere in the middle of this top ten list. Great, inexpensive wine. Nice list, keep up the good work.
Two wines from Yellow Tail? Are they really that good at making cheap wine?
No, they are not. I am not a wine snob in any sense of the term. I am a college student with a small budget but yellow tail wine is in my own opinion the natty ice of wine.
I disagree. Yellow Tail is an excellent brand as it is produced in Australia, a country that is well known for its high quality, yet affordable wine. Due to the trade agreements with the US, it sells in an affordable price range due to the reduces tariffs/duties. I love the Cab.
A wine list that I can relate to and one that fits my beer budget!