The best places to buy wine online will have a good selection of wines from lesser-known regions. Being armed with the knowledge to recognize quality is paramount, long-term, for deciding what you like and how to get value for your money. Before you can taste a lot of wine, however, it can be challenging to know where to get the most bang for your buck. To help you on your quest, here are a few of my favorite wine regions to find phenomenal value:
Lodi (California)
We are happy that Lodi's wine country has remanded a relative secret all these years. The anonymity has allowed the local wine quality to increase without a corresponding price increase.
When people do know of Lodi, they generally know about Zin. That means you can find amazing deals on any other varietal. Love Napa Valley Cabernet? You can find similar quality in Lodi at a quarter of the price.
Click here for a selection of Lodi wines at Wine.com.
Portugal
When most people think of Portuguese wines they think of Port; sweet, fortified after-dinner wine. Most don’t realize that Portugal makes a stunning variety of world-class dry wines as well, and at a fraction of the price of many better-known wine regions.
Barolo lovers should look for reds from Bairrada; those who like Bordeaux-blends may find the dry reds of the Douro region to be of interest; Sauvignon Blanc drinkers will adore the whites of the Vinho Verde region in the north.
Click Here | Buy Great Wine From Portugal
Loire Valley
If you love the French style of wine—minerality, elegance—Loire is a region that offers a huge variety of generally well-priced wines. From dry to lusciously sweet whites, rosé to red, the Loire Valley offers a lot. One tip: when buying Chenin Blanc, especially from Vouvray, it can often be hard to tell, based on the label, what the level of sweetness will be. Best to ask.
Click Here | Buy Top Wine From The Loire Valley
Beaujolais Cru
When many people think of Beaujolais, they think of fruity, bubblegum-ey Beaujolais Nouveau. This is a shame because another world of Beaujolais is out there called Beaujolais Cru! This wine comes from one of the ten Crus, or villages, of Beaujolais and tends to be made in a style more similar to red Burgundy, emphasizing the earth, structure, and complexity of the Gamay grape.
Click Here | Buy Top Beaujolais From The Brouilly Cru
Italy
Yes, Italian wines can be costly (think Piedmont, Tuscany). However, there is a dizzying variety of wine made in Italy—in fact, there are over 350 recognized grape varieties! Look outside of the well-known regions for value: Campania and Basilicata have robust, earthy reds based on the Aglianico grape; Lazio and Umbria produce some solid alternatives to Super-Tuscans, and Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia are loaded with aromatic white wines of incredible quality.
Click Here | Buy Great Italian Wines
Conclusion
It's often best to look beyond the popular regions and varietals for great wines at reasonable prices. Our list of the best online wine stores includes retailers with extensive inventories of wine from Lodi, Portugal, Beaujolais, the Loire Valley, and Italy.
