Best Red Wines Under $20
I will not be linking any wine directly from this post- must be 21+ to take any recommendations and purchase in store
I’ve been asked by a college friend to make a post of all my favorite red wines because I’m always stocked up- so here you have it! I have a rule of thumb- always try a new wine that’s under $10 and only buy wine over $20 when it’s on sale for under $20 LOL.
Important note: I’m not going into what type of red these wines are unless mentioned in my Vivino screenshots below- I will tell you my opinions on different types of each brand below, which may differ completely from Google or other wine references, but these are just my own opinions of red types:
I prefer Shiraz, because I feel this type has more of a “bite” to it. Zinfandel is another personal favorite on nights when I want a little bit of a sweeter red. PInot Noirs and Merlots are okay to me- I prefer them with a meal and when it’s cold outside. Red blends are not my favorite only because they are much easier to drink and I prefer a stronger red taste! Blends are perfect for hosting and having guests over because they are almost always a people pleaser and a good house wine to have on hand at all times. Cabernet Sauvignon takes the cake as my favorite red wine type. This is the kind I always order if we go out to eat for an occasion because I almost always love it no matter the price tag! In my opinion, this is the better house red to keep on hand for hosting.
Also- the glass is very important! My favorite red wine glasses EVER are here and here.
Although this blog post isn’t in collaboration with Vivino (I wish it was!) I wanted to say you NEED this app. Every wine I taste and enjoy I take a photo of the label and add it to my wine list. You can wish list wines, rate them, and add your own personal notes to remember why you like certain wines. This comes in handy when trying to remember what you liked or didn’t like from your last grocery store trip. My favorite part of this app is that when you are at someone’s house and they serve a wine you LOVE, just whip out the app and take a photo of the wine label. Vivino will immediately find the wine and all of it’s characteristics, and you can favorite it right then and there!
Below are screenshots of some of the reds I have in my wine list in the app, but I’m going to list out some of favorites that immediately come to mind when I think about reds!
Banished Red- Any of the 19 Crimes brand are amazing. Under $20 and always so full of flavor.
Josh winery red is SO delish- I always find it under $20 on sale!
Apothic red is my “house” red- I always have this because it is such a people pleasure and a great wine to always have on hand for guests!
J. Lohr is another excellent red I would consider “house” as well!
Below are some screenshots of the red wines I buy over and over again:
