There is not a single region in Italy that doesn’t produce amazing wine values, from the tip of Sicily to the northern reaches of Alto Adige. Whether from familiar regions and grapes (Tuscan Sangiovese, for example) or lesser-known places and varieties (Calabria’s Gaglioppo grape, to name one), there is so much to explore that it can be daunting. To help with that, here are 16 do-not-miss bottles to try.
7 great $25 or less Italian whites
2024 Sella & Mosca La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna ($14)
Sella & Mosca, founded in 1899 by two Piedmontese adventurers, is one of the most well-known wineries on Sardinia, and its expression of the island’s signature white grape is spot on: floral, citrusy, fresh, and a great match for seafood of any kind.
2023 Tasca d’Almerita Tenuta Regaleali Bianco ($15)
There’s likely not a single seafood restaurant in Sicily without this classic, grapefruit-inflected white on its list. A blend of Inzolia, Catarratto, and Grecanico, with a touch of Chardonnay, it’s been made by the Tasca d’Almerita family for over 60 vintages now.
2023 Scarpetta Pinot Grigio ($18)
Restaurateurs Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson make this lively nectarine- and melon-inflected Pinot Grigio using fruit from both Friuli’s gravelly Grave region and hillside “ponca” soils — essentially, layered marl and sandstone — in the Colli Orientali area.
2024 Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano ($19)
The Vernaccia grape has grown since the 1200s around the Tuscan town of San Gimignano; this classic version — intriguingly austere, with a stony edge to its brisk green-apple and pear flavors — gives a good explanation of its enduring appeal.
2023 Le Monde Friuli Pinot Grigio ($20)
A lot of Pinot Grigio underdelivers; this one flips that, offering impressive flavor for a fair price. From Friuli’s Grave region, it suggests jasmine flowers, melon, and white peach. Le Monde farms and makes wine sustainably, with 70% of its energy coming from solar cells.
2023 Pala Soprasole Vermentino di Sardegna ($22)
Sardinian winery Pala’s Soprasole bottling adds a little creamy richness to Vermentino’s brisk acidity and citrus flavors. It suggests peaches spritzed with lime juice, the flavors long and lingering, and would be superb with any firm white fish.
2024 Cà dei Frati I Frati Lugana ($25)
The slight green note on the nose of this northern Italian white is reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc, but in the mouth, the wine is richer and rounder, with flavors leaning more toward Meyer lemon and Ruby Red grapefruit. It comes from vineyards near the southern shore of Lake Garda.
Sangiovese grapes grown in Tuscany.
David Epperson / Getty Images
11 stellar Italian red wine values
2020 Monte Antico Toscana Rosso ($12)
Widely available and eminently affordable, this earthy Tuscan red — a blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon — packs in a lot of juicy red-fruit flavor. It was created by pioneering Italian wine importer Neil Empson, together with star winemaker Franco Bernabei.
2021 Di Majo Norante Sangiovese ($15)
When I tasted this red from the tiny Molise region, I wrote, “This tastes like it should be poured for dinner in an old house on an Italian hillside.” Think cherry liqueur, aromatic herbs, a little leathery rusticity, and a 100% affinity for something substantial like osso buco.
2021 Librandi Segno Librandi Cirò Rosso ($15)
Calabria’s Cirò Rosso wines, made from the Gaglioppo grape, can have an almost rosé-like transparency but — as with this classic version — are also full of peppery herbal notes, ripe strawberry-cranberry fruit, and fine, lightly grippy tannins. Early fall grilling? Bring it on.
2023 Tenuta Sant’Antonio Nanfrè Valpolicella ($15)
Tenuta Sant’Antonio makes acclaimed Amarones, but the estate’s lovely Valpolicella flips the style away from Amarone’s power entirely. This is a transparently ruby-hued red, modest in alcohol (12.5%), with a wildly aromatic nose of cassis, flowers, orange peel, and incense.
2022 Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ($16)
The lush blackberry–black cherry flavors of this steal of a red speak to the late Gianni Masciarelli’s belief that Abruzzo could produce remarkable wines at a fair price. Your local pizza place ought to include a bottle with every delivery. Seriously.
2022 Capezzana Barco Reale Di Carmignano ($20)
An elegant red at a modest price, from a Tuscan estate where vine cultivation dates back to Etruscan times, this blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Canaiolo offers dark berry and currant flavors framed by firm tannins.
2023 Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano ($20)
Tuscany’s coastal Maremma region is home to the Morellino di Scansano appellation. (Morellino is the local term for Sangiovese.) True to local form, this red has savory notes that suggest dried Mediterranean herbs and rose petals, with bright cherry fruit.
2023 Selvapiana Chianti Rufina ($22)
The Chianti Rufina appellation, northeast of Florence, is less well known than Chianti Classico; as a result, even its best wines are often terrific values. Witness this supple, rosemary-scented red, with fresh raspberry and light cola notes, from what’s arguably the top producer in the region.
2021 Tolaini Al Passo Toscana ($29)
An impressive Super-Tuscan for a non-super price — a rarity these days — this garnet-hued red, a full-bodied blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, delivers plenty of round, rich black-cherry and currant flavors, all of which linger on a woodsy cedar note.
Dining and Cooking