Award Winning Wines You Can Buy For Cheap

Wine is one of those things that can be a bit intimidating. Those who are into it can be really, really into it, and when you think of someone swirling their glass, holding it up to the light, and sniffing it in a way that can't help but be pretentious, it just makes it that much more daunting when you're faced with a wall of bottles at your favorite wine outlet. How do you know what you're going to like? How do you know what's worth your hard-earned dollars, and what's not?

And what about cheap wines? There's a massive misconception that spending just a few bucks on a bottle of wine is going to net you some undrinkable swill, and that's just not true. There are plenty of award-winning wines out there that aren't going to cost you a huge amount of money, and just to prove it, we've put together a list of those award-winning wines that are going to cost you less than $20 a bottle. In fact, there are even some that are less than $10. So shop with confidence, because you don't have to spend a ton to get a really, really good wine.

Note: The following prices were accurate as of April 2019, but they're always subject to changes over time and by location.

Pick up a bottle of Ruffino's Chianti for less than $10, and you'll be getting much, much more than you probably expected to get at that price point. MonteCristo says that the Ruffino winery — located just outside Florence, Italy — was one of the very first wineries to export Chianti to the U.S. It was founded by a pair of cousins who had made it part of their mission statement to increase the wine-making reputation of the Tuscany region, and more than a century later, they're still winning awards.

According to Wine Searcher, they've taken home medals from the Los Angeles International Wine Competition, the International Wine & Spirit Competition, and the San Francisco International Wine Competition, among others. They note that this wine goes particularly well with lamb, but Total Wine says this versatile red with hints of raspberry, cherry, and rose petal is a great choice for any meal where you're looking for something not overly dry and not overpowering — but still with an impressive pedigree.

Boxed wine used to be frowned upon, but in recent years, they've shed much of the stigma that was attached to them. That's in large part thanks to companies like Black Box, who don't exactly sell boxed wines at bargain prices, but they sell award-winning wines... that just happen to come in boxes.

They're serious contenders when it comes to serious wine, boasting more than 50 gold medals in competitions they've entered across the country since 2003. They're adding more and more wines to their repertoire, too, including a pinot noir in 2014. When that one hit the shelves, the official press release specified that the 3-liter boxes were going to be retailing for around $24.99. That's higher than our $20 cutoff, but here's the important thing: that 3-liter box contains the equivalent of four bottles. It's a ridiculously good deal now, isn't it?

There's other bonuses here, too. Once you open the box, it'll stay fresh in your fridge for six weeks. And if you're as concerned about the environmental impacts of products as much as everyone should be, you'll be happy to know that the boxes are completely recyclable and have about half the carbon footprint of glass bottles. It's a complete win.

If you're looking for a riesling that's fun, funky, and as affordable as it is award-winning, this is the wine for you. Wine Enthusiast says Kung Fu Girl from the Charles Smith winery retails for around $13 a bottle, and calls it a light, flowery, slightly dry wine.

Charles Smith is one of the largest winemaker-owned wineries in Washington State, says Business Insider, and he's not just about size, but quality. Named Wine Enthusiast's Winemaker of the Year in 2014, Smith built his business on the idea that everyone — no matter what their budget — should be able to go out and buy a really good bottle of wine. It's earned him the status of "rebel winemaker," and he's sticking to his guns.

Wine Spectator has named Kung Fu Girl among their best-value and top 100 wines, and Wine Searcher says it's also won awards at the International Wine Challenge and the Decanter World Wine Awards. Even Better Homes & Gardens agrees that they're well-earned honors, calling it one of Trader Joe's best wines and singing the praises of this light, fruity white.

When Fortune reported that Walmart was going to be selling the award-winning Chilean La Moneda Reserva for just $7, the tone was a bit incredulous. That's partially because of the seller, partially because of the price tag, and partially, it seems, because the super-affordable bottle has been given major wins at the Decanter World Wine Awards, scoring "platinum best in show" and "2015 Best Red Single-Varietal Under £15." And there was a ton of competition for that last honor: 16,000 bottles of competition to be exact.

Walmart suggests pairing the wine with dark chocolate, lamb, pork, or barbecue, and let's be honest — the world needs more wines that go perfectly with a BBQ. It's described as being filled with the flavors of vanilla yogurt and not just black fruits, but "freshly crushed black fruit," along with a hint of pepper.

You don't even need a corkscrew, because this screw-top wine proves that not all incredible, award-winning things come in fancy, expensive packages. Keep in mind that this elusive bottle disappears quickly once it hits shelves, so if you see it, grab it — you never know when it will be back in stock.

According to their website, Dreaming Tree Wines sells each one of their varietals for $15 each. They have something for you no matter what kind of wine you like, and chances are also pretty good that whatever bottle you choose has won some awards. Take their pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, and red blend: Each won a medal (a platinum and two golds, respectively) at the Los Angeles International Wine Competition.

The name might sound familiar, and anyone who grew up in the 1990s might know that it's a winery founded by Dave Matthews. Once you know that, it's also not surprising that there's more to Dreaming Tree than just great, affordable wines: In 2017, they announced they had crossed the million-dollar mark when it came to charitable donations. Most of those donations went to The Wilderness Society and Living Lands & Waters, both organizations working toward goals involving conservation and reforestation.

They've also been involved with Earth Day initiatives like the one in 2018, where every bottle sold during Earth Day weekend meant one tree planted. Award-winning, affordable, sustainably made, and behind massive charitable donations? It's a total win.

It was big news when Aldi's award-winning Exquisite Collection Cotes de Provence Rose hopped across the Atlantic and made it to shelves in the U.S. There's good reason for that excitement, too, says Fortune: The wine, which was sold across Europe for several years before going stateside, not only won a major award — best value rose — from the International Wine Challenge, they won two years in a row. That's not bad for a wine that costs about $8 a bottle.

But how good it is, really? Refinery29 did a blind taste test between Aldi's rose and a $20 bottle. The results? They couldn't tell the difference without the price tag. They say both had the same sweet notes of strawberry and spice, and that sounds like the perfect beverage for a sunny, summer afternoon.

This one comes with a caveat, though: There's another Cotes de Provence Rose that's also for sale at Aldi, and while that one is also described as having the same hints of strawberry and red fruit, it's not the award-winner. You're looking for the one with the blue top, not the white one, so when you do see it, grab it.

Trinity Oaks is another winery that has something for everyone. Pick up a bottle of pinot grigio, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, or pinot noir for just about $9 a bottle, and let's talk awards. Wine Searcher says they've taken home wins at the Los Angeles International Wine Competition and the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, among other national and international competitions, so you know you're getting a bottle of award-winning wine. But you're also getting something pretty priceless: the knowledge you're supporting a great cause.

The winery has a "One Bottle, One Tree" initiative that promises exactly that: to plant one tree for every bottle sold. They've been doing it for a long time, and between the program's start on July 1, 2008 and early 2019, they had planted more than 21,000,000 trees in partnership with Trees for the Future, who has planted more than 80 million trees since 1989.

So, if you want something delicious and affordable that you can really feel good about drinking, here's your winner — no matter what your wine of choice is.