These 10 quality whites wines should be on your budget wine wall
Having a go-to selection of white wines is essential, and with budget bottles for everyday drinking comprising a significant portion of specialty wine shop sales, it behooves retailers to offer interesting, value-oriented bottles. SevenFifty Daily spoke with retailers around the country to find out which crisp and delicious bottles under $20 they’re recommending to customers right now. From the Basque Country in northern Spain to the Yakima Valley in Washington—here are 10 unexpected bottles from fringe regions that purveyors say overdeliver.
2. Viña El Portalón Verdejo 2017, Rueda, Spain; $19.99
Recommended by Sande Friedman, wine buyer at DB Bottle Shop; Philadelphia
“I’m really enjoying the Viña El Portalón Verdejo, which we retail for $19.99 and get from David Bowler Wine,” says Friedman. Viña El Portalón translates to Big Door Vineyard. “Hailing from Rueda, the winery name comes from years ago,” she says, “when access to the vineyard was through a big stone portal. The Verdejo grape is a really fun alternative to Sauvignon Blanc—similarly light-bodied and fresh, with great acid to boot.” Friedman says this particular bottling shows notes of bright lemon and lime, with hints of fennel on the finish. “[It] pairs with everything from almonds to cheese to fish,” she says, “but is also clean and balanced enough that you can drink it on its own, preferably sitting outside somewhere.”
