Drinking inexpensive wine is easy on the wallet. You can also learn a lot by drinking wines below $13. But, you have to choose carefully.

There are three approaches to making inexpensive wine. One way is to run very high yields. However, that tends to produce proportionately low-quality wine. It also dilutes varietal and regional character. 

Or, be a very large producer overall, with access to vast acreage and economies of scale. This can create solid, tasty wines which please the vast majority of wine drinkers. But it’s hard, though not impossible, to make interesting or terroir-specific wines this way.

The third way to make inexpensive wine is the one that I’m enthusiastic about. Produce wines from regions, or grapes, most people have never heard of. Lack of familiarity means lower demand. Lower demand means the market can’t support high prices for the wines. Since financial returns are capped in that respect, the vineyard land, or fruit cost, is usually lower too. Thus, producers can make affordable wine and still get by.

My tips for finding and enjoying interesting, delicious wines that don’t cost much

1. Find a shop which has a quality focus and doesn’t fill its low-price shelves solely with big brands.
2. Set a maximum price.
3. Look for things you’ve never heard of. Ignore famous areas. Ignore famous varieties.
4. Bring the bottles home to enjoy with a wine reference book (or web browser).

The impetus for this article came from Justin Koury of BevFluence. He asked writers to try, then write about, wines below $13 per bottle at retail. Each writer picked a different store and was to try at least five wines.

I called dibs on K&L Wine Merchants for a few reasons. First, I have no professional involvement with them, so there’s no risk or appearance of bias. Next, I’m familiar with them, because I used to shop there a lot before I was in the wine business myself. Third, they’re fairly local to me. And, last but not least, the website shows their complete inventory and is easily searchable.

I tried six wines. All are good, some are excellent. They all represent great values. Beyond that, each offers a learning experience. Here they are, whites then reds, but in otherwise random order. (Note that the prices below are what I paid for them, not their official retail prices)

2019 Atance Cuvée No 1 Valencia DO Spain 88 13.5% 750ml $12.99

This wine is made by Bodegas Mustaguillo. Their normal wine is a Vino de Pago from El Terrerazo. Vino de Pago is Spain’s highest quality designation and is only for single-vineyard, estate producers. People often equate Vino de Pago with Burgundy’s Grand Cru. However, Burgundian Grand Cru aren’t necessarily estate wines. So, I’d Vino de Pago with classified growths in Bordeaux. Anyway, Vino de Pago is top drawer stuff.

Atance is the brand Bodegas Mustaguillo created for wines with fruit from outside that one vineyard. Cuvée No 1 is a white wine from DO Valencia, which is toward the middle of the Valencia province. That’s in the middle of Spain’s Mediterranean coast. Thus, the vineyards enjoy a Mediterranean climate overall, but those furthest inland have Continental tendencies—including cold nights and positively frigid winters.

Wines in that DO may use any of seventeen, particular white grape varieties. But, the signature white for the area is Merseguera. 99.99999% of American wine lovers have never heard of Mersequera. If you have, go to the head of the class!.

This particular wine is 70% Merseguera and 30% Malvasia, known locally as Subirat Parent. The grapes were grown organically. Cuvée No 1 is exactly what you’d expect from a Mediterranean white wine—medium-bodied and mineral with gentle fruit. The nose includes yellow apple, lemon, white flowers, and nectarine. The fine, silky palate is juicy and offers more of the same, with emphasis on mineral.

This isn’t a wine for aging, but I did find it’s best with some air. Straight out of the bottle, the minerality can be on the bitter side. With air, the fruit is more forward and the wine is quite nice. 

The Atance Cuvée No 1 is well suited to being an aperitif or, as I’d prefer it, a beach-side accompaniment to cheesy croquetas and grilled langoustines. At home, you might pair this with Made in Spain by José Andres. Then, whip up your own tasty snacks.

2018 Foris Pinot Gris Rogue Valley, OR 90 14.0% 750ml $12.95

Pinot Gris is Oregon’s most-planted white wine grape. And it’s a variety at which the state excels. Typically, Oregon Pinot Gris is appellated Willamette Valley, or just plain Oregon, but Rogue Valley is a good spot for it.

Within the Rogue Valley AVA, Foris is unique. It’s at the extreme southwest of the AVA. Foris is closer to the ocean than any other vineyard in the region, just 25 miles from the sea. With that, and 1,500 feet of altitude, it has the coolest climate as well.

The wine is pale lemon in color with a hint of gris blush. The nose offers underripe nectarine and lemon. The medium-bodied palate matches that, adding appetizing peach pit bitterness. It’s a focused wine with very long flavors. At just $12.95, it’s a tremendous value.

2019 Tahbilk Marsanne Nagambie Lakes, Victoria Australia 90 12.0% 650ml $12.99 

Tahbilk Marsanne is one of the most distinctive wines of Australia. Tahbilk began making Marsanne in 1860 and offers an old-vine version from vines that are nearly 90-years old.

This is an unusual style for Marsanne too—just 12% alcohol with sizzling freshness that is good right away but at its best after several years of age. Tahbilk recommends cellaring this vintage for eight-to-ten years.

The pale, lemon-colored wine is delicate on the nose, showing lemon, apricot, jasmine, and mango. Fine-boned on the palate, it still has a satisfying presence with slightly waxy texture. Flavors of lemon pith, mineral, and dried ginger surf on mouthwatering waves of acidity. 

Enjoy Tahbilk Marsanne as an aperitif, with oysters, seafood salad, fish and chips, or throw some shrimp on the barbie. And check out great, educational materials about all of Australia’s regions and varieties while you drink.

2017 Bodegas Olivares Altos de la Hoya Monastrell Jumilla DO Spain 91 14.5% 750ml $11.99

I’ve been enjoying the satisfying and oh-so affordable wines of Jumilla for more than 20 years now. Jumilla is a Mediterranean-influenced Denominación de Origen (DO) located 56 miles west from the Spanish coastal city of Alicante. The region is best-known for varietal wines made from Monastrell (aka Mouvedre).

Those wines sometimes include Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, or other red varieties, but must be at least 80% Monastrell. Jumilla managed to maintain old vines for until fairly recently, as it largely escaped phylloxera.  However, that changed when the pest finally ravaged the DO toward the end of the 20th century.

The growing season is potentially long, but very hot, because it is near both the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa. However, the region rises up to 2,700+ feet in altitude. The higher vineyards are cooler and better able to produce balanced wines.

Despite its low price, this wine from Bodegas Olivares hits all the marks and is a shining example of Jumilla Monastrell. The wine is from un-grafted, old vines in the highest vineyard of the DO at 2,706 feet. Viticulture and harvest are all by hand. The wine spent about six months in French oak barrels.

It’s inky purple in the glass with generous aromas and flavors of chewy blackberry, black pepper, dry herb, and dark roast espresso beans. It has the viscosity of whole milk and plenty of very fine, soft tannins for structure and satisfying presence. It will age nicely for at least five years. From a more sought-after region, customers would happily pay $40 for this. If you can find it, get a case. Drink it while perusing an atlas of Spain.

2016 Niepoort Rotolu Tinto Dao DOC Portugal 90+ 12.5% 750ml $11.99

The Dao is one of Portugal’s most important wine regions, making wines ranging from superb to very inexpensive, mass market stuff. The DOC is located in the northern part of the country, along the Dao River. Granite mountains surround it on three sides. This particular wine hails from 30-80 year old, Gobelet-trained vines growing in granitic soil.

Though not certified, the farming for this wine uses biodynamic principles and harvest is by hand. As with a majority of Portuguese wines, this Rotolu is a blend. There’s Touriga Nacional, Portugal’s top red grape, Jaen (aka Mencia, a somewhat Pinot Noir-like grape), Tinta Pinheira (aka Rufete), and Alfrocheiro (aka Baboso Negro).The maker is Niepoort, a Portuguese producer seemingly incapable of creating wine that isn’t delicious.

The purple-hued elixir offers leathery black cherry, candied plum, and dark mineral on the nose. It has medium body on the palate with very fine, light, well-integrated tannins and moderate acidity. Flavors include black cherry, blackberry, dark mineral, violet, unsweetened black licorice, black pepper, and black tea.

This wine is stupid good, especially for the money. It’s sophisticated from the first sip—seamless, long, effortless, and complete. Though not designed to age, you might still buy a case. I suspect you’ll make it disappear within a month or so. Drink it with Jancis Robinson’s Wine Grapes book at hand.

2020 Viña Maitia “Aupa” Pipeño Red Wine Maule, Chile 89 13.5% 750ml $12.99

20% of this blend is Carignane from 60-year old vines. The balance is 80% Pais (aka Crillo Chico and Mission), planted in 1870. That is not a typo. The vines are 150 years old. It’s all from a single, dry-farmed vineyard in the Secano Interior of Central Chile, where the very first vines of South America were planted.

Festive, day-glo purple in the glass, Aupa smells of grilled pork, smoky black berries, dark mineral, high-toned fruit candy, and dark flowers. The supple palate is medium-bodied with light tannins that offer a hint of grip. It tastes of charred berries on grilled pork.

Viña Maitia “Aupa” has a happy, Beaujolais vibe and is at its best slightly chilled. Drink it with carnitas, Vietnamese grilled pork, or a cheeseburger.

Copyright Fred Swan 2021. All photographs are the property of the respective wineries. All rights reserved.

About the author: Fred Swan is an Oakland-based writer, educator, and event sommelier. He’s written on wine and spirits for GuildSomm.com, Daily.SevenFifty.com, The Tasting Panel, SOMM Journal, PlanetGrape.com, and more. Fred teaches a wide range of classes at the San Francisco Wine School. He’s founder/producer of Wine Writers’ Educational Tours, an annual, educational conference for professional wine writers. He also leads seminars, virtual tastings,  private wine tours, and conducts tastings, dinners, and events for wineries, companies, and private parties. Fred’s certifications include WSET Diploma, Certified Sommelier, California Wine Appellation Specialist, Certified Specialist of Wine, French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Professional, Napa Valley Wine Educator, Northwest Wine Appellation Specialist, and Level 3 WSET Educator. He’s three times been awarded a fellowship by the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers.