In this article, we are going to discuss the top 20 wine brands in USA under $20. You can skip our detailed analysis of the wine market in America, sustainable winemaking in the United States, and a recent acquisition in the American wine industry, and go directly to Top 5 Wine Brands in USA Under $20.
Wine has often been perceived as a ‘foreign’ beverage in the United States, and prior to 1850, it was true that the vast majority of vino was shipped into America from the Old World. However, things took a turn after the California Gold Rush, which caused a huge influx of people from all over into the Golden State. These thirsty settlers soon realized that Northern California is an excellent place to grow Vitis vinifera – a species of wine grapes native to the Mediterranean region, often used to make the delectable European wines that they so deeply revered.
What followed was an unsurprising surge of massive investments into the region’s local viniculture and only in a few decades, there was already a well-established and booming wine industry in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Sutter County, and El Dorado. It didn’t take long for these enticing offerings from the West to take over the inexpensive table wine market in America, and by the 1900s, the Californian vintners were already exporting wine bottles, in their tens of thousands, to England, Australia, Asia, and Central America.
Wine Market in America:
As we mentioned in our article – 15 U.S. States that Produce the Most Wine– The United States was the world leader in the wine market last year in terms of revenue, at $52.7 billion. Although wine is produced in every state of the country, the majority of production takes place in the sun-soaked state of California, responsible for around 85% of the total U.S. wine production volume. With 22.4 million hectoliters of wine produced in 2022, the U.S. ranks among the Top Wine Producing Countries in the World.
Organic/sustainable wine is a trend particularly popular among the Gen Z, and to a somewhat lesser extent the millennials. While in Europe this trend is well-established, with a third of French and Spanish consumers already purchasing organic wine, in the U.S. it is just beginning to take hold. Organic/sustainable wine is currently an $8.6 billion market in America, but is projected to grow to $21 billion by 2030.
Sustainable Wineries in the United States:
When we talk about sustainable wine-making, it is usually about the entire process and not just the additives at the end. There has been a concerted effort across the entire wine industry to transition towards biodiversity and organic farming. This means no pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers, and an all-around effort to promote a variety of plant life in the vineyard. In short – growing grapes in a way that is harmonious with nature. This is an approach that a massive amount of wine producers have embraced.
Based in California, The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (NYSE:NAPA) makes wines and calls itself a manufacturing company, agricultural company, and marketing company all rolled into one. As one of North America’s premier producers, The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (NYSE:NAPA) is dedicated to implementing responsible, sustainable practice in its vineyards. The company releases an annual report that summarizes its continued efforts to improve its environmentally focused practices at its vineyards and wineries. Duckhorn has earned several key certifications, including LEED Gold certification at Goldeneye Winery, California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) certification for the estate vineyards on Mt. Harlan, and Fish Friendly Farming (FFF) certification at all of its North Coast Estate vineyards.
Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) is a leading premium wine company with a widely admired portfolio that includes Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, Blackstone, Estancia, Ravenswood, and more. The New York-based alcohol giant announced in June that it has acquired the luxury wine brand, Domaine Curry, from Coup De Foudre Napa Valley for an undisclosed amount.
Co-founded by Ayesha Curry & Sydel Curry-Lee, Domaine Curry was created with an emphasis on quality and dedicated to the women in their family and future generations of women. While the brand doesn’t have any vineyards of its own, it certainly boasts an impressive record of alluring the younger, more diverse luxury consumers to the world of wine. Domaine Curry is part of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)’s strategy to invest $100 million in Black- and minority-owned businesses by 2030, and will join the group’s The Prisoner Wine Company’s innovative house of brands.
Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) also made headlines this summer when its Mexican beer brand, Modelo Especial, dethroned Bud Light to become the Top-Selling Beer in America.
With that said, here are the Top Wines Under $20 in the U.S.
Top 20 Wine Brands in USA Under $20
A picturesque vineyard in North America with wine barrels in storage.
Methodology:
To collect the material for this article, we went to sources such as VinePair, WinePros, Liquor, and also explored various wine threads on reddit, looking for the Best Wines Under $20 in America. We picked wines whose wines made an appearence at-least twice in our research, assigned them a score based on their number of appearances, and ranked them accordingly. When two wines had the same score, we ranked them by the price (excluding tax) of their 750 ml bottles.
Note: We have gathered the prices from multiple sources, including Wine-Searcher, Total Wine & More etc. As wine prices can vary greatly across the United States, we can't guarantee their accuracy.
20. Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Insider Monkey Score: 2
Price: $18
Cabernet Sauvignon was the first wine Josh Cellars made. This is the wine that started it all, setting the exacting standards that they hold themselves to for all of their varietals.
Josh was at about 25,000 cases a year when Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits took it on in 2011, with nearly all its volume in the Northeast. The brand hit 150,000 cases in its first full year with Deutsch, and then began to double each year. Deutsch bought out the remaining 50% ownership in 2014 as growth began to explode, and now Josh Cellars is ranked among the Most Popular Wine Brands in America.
19. Summer Water Rosé
Insider Monkey Score: 2
Price: $17
Nationally recognized as a favorite across America, this wine is delightfully crisp, lighthearted, and guaranteed to bring the sunshine no matter the season.
Owned exclusively by Wince, Summer Water is the #1 selling ultra-premium domestic rosé in the U.S. market.
18. The Pinot Project Pinot Noir
Insider Monkey Score: 2
Price: $16
Internationally recognized for gorgeous, pure fruit combined with great elegance, California Pinot noir thrives among the state's cooler, coastal zones. The diversity in soil and climate from the Golden State’s various AVAs contribute to this wine’s remarkable balance and depth of character.
Owned by Skurnik Wines & Spirits, The Pinot Project is a family of award-winning and affordable American, French, and Italian wines.
The Pinot Project Pinot Noir is ranked among the Best Wines Under $20 on Wine Spectator.
17. La Crema Monterey Chardonnay
Insider Monkey Score: 2
Price: $15.5
La Crema Monterey Chardonnay is produced from vineyards in one of the coolest, longest growing regions in California. This is a fresh and light white wine with bright citrus and exotic fruit notes.
Established in 1979, La Crema Winery is part of Sonoma-based Jackson Family Estates, owned by Laura Jackson-Giron and her sister Jennifer Jackson.
16. Apothic Red Blend
Insider Monkey Score: 2
Price: $9
Apothic Red is the first daringly original blend of California-grown red grapes. This wine reveals intense fruit aromas and flavors of blackberry and dark cherry, layered with hints of mocha, chocolate, and brown spice.
The California-based Apothic Wines offers a range of red and dark wines to excite the taste buds. From rich red blends to a semi-sweet white and even a light rosé with dark secrets, Apothic makes wines that are anything but ordinary.
With the taste and quality to rival many of its high-end counterparts, Apothic is one of the Best Inexpensive Wine Brands in America.
15. A to Z Pinot Noir 2020
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $17
A true expression of Oregon Pinot Noir, this wine has complexity and depth resulting from diverse sourcing across Western Oregon’s dynamic growing regions. A pretty, versatile wine that will pair neatly with most proteins cooked in a wide variety of styles, as well as earthy, and rustic vegetables, and bright-red to black fruits like cherry, cranberry, or plum.
A to Z Wineworks was acquired by the Washington winery Ste. Michelle Wine Estates last year.
14. Decoy Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $17
A vibrant and aromatic expression of Sauvignon Blanc with lovely layers of mango and papaya, balanced by notes of citrus zest and orange blossom. Building on this foundation, Decoy has evolved from being a single wine that supported the Duckhorn Vineyards brand to being a renowned winery in its own right.
13. Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $15
This 100% barrel-fermented wine has been America's #1 selling Chardonnay for 31 years and counting. Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is fruit-forward, divinely complex, approachable, and exceptionally food-friendly.
In 2021, Kendall-Jackson also released a low-calorie version of its successful Chardonnay. The K-J Low Calorie contains only 85 calories per 5-ounce glass (compared to the original’s 124 calories) with 3 grams of carbs and no added sugar.
12. H3 Cabernet Sauvignon
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $13.5
This bold Cabernet Sauvignon delivers aromas of dark fruits and currants with a balance of earthy and deep berry flavors and a cocoa finish.
Originally created in 2008, H3 wine is named after the Horse Heaven Hills AVA located in Eastern Washington. The H3 Cabernet Sauvignon ranks among the Best Red Wines Under $20.
11. La Marca Prosecco
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $13
One of the world’s most popular and playful sparkling wines, Prosecco is a specialty of northeastern Italy, spanning nine provinces of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions.
Founded in 1968, La Marca is a cooperative representing 5,000 local wine growers who farm more than 17,000 acres in the Veneto region of northern Italy.
Grown between wild oceans, ancient river valleys, and towering mountains, then bottled at the winery in the crater of a volcano, Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc is an iconic New Zealand wine. With the crack of the screw cap, taste it for yourself as you unleash the essence of Marlborough and vibrant flavors of passionfruit and fresh Kaffir lime.
In a major shift, the Villa Maria owner, Indevin, plans to ship half of the brand’s production in bulk to the U.K. for bottling, bringing the operation closer to the source of its major market.
9. Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Price: $19.99
The Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet is a wine that is fierce, brave, and delicious. The French oak beautifully transforms intense hillside fruit into a wine with uncommon richness and smooth, luxurious texture.
Founded in 2018 as part of The Bogle Family Wine Collection, Juggernaut Wines grows grapes in extreme conditions to create wines of untamed character and unrestrained complexity. Earlier this year, the brand also introduced its Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, the newest addition to its portfolio of powerfully expressive wines.
The Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon is a Great Bottle of Wine Under $20.
8. Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Price: $19
Produced from 100% Syrah, Saint Cosme Côtes-du-Rhône is from the stony Villafranchian terraces of the Gard. The vineyards are known for their limestone sand, red clay, and pebbles, which give a freshness and intensity to the Syrah grapes.
Established in 1570, the Chateau de Saint Cosme is a beautiful winery located towards the north of the oldest wine region of France. It's one of the best budget wines.
7. Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Price: $15
Aged in French oak barrels, this medium to full-bodied red wine is a perfect blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The wine offers dark fruit aromas and flavors.
Combining Old World winemaking traditions with New World innovation, Chateau Ste. Michelle is one of the few premium wineries in the world with two state-of-the-art wineries, one for red and one for white. The brand sold over 3.1 million 9-liter cases in the U.S. in 2021.
6. Alamos Malbec 2021
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Price: $11
Alamos has been the number one selling Malbec in the U.S. for over a decade. Alamos grapes are grown at the foothills of the Andes Mountains for a Malbec with rich and intense flavors.
As the signature red grape of Argentina, Malbec soared in popularity over the past 20 years, and for good reason. Today, there are more than 134 million liters of this easy-to-drink wine sold in the international market annually. The Alamos Malbec 2021 sits among the Best Wines Under $30.
