Love a bargain? These are the bottles crowned ‘best value’ in the Best in Glass Wine Awards.
It’s no secret that wallets are doing it tough right now (we promise we won’t bring up petrol prices), so if you’re on the hunt for a bargain, you’ve come to the right place. We know great wine often comes with a hefty price tag, but hey – we have a pretty impressive collection of drops that are damn good and offer serious bang for buck. And lucky for all of us, it’s awards season – the Best in Glass Wine Awards, that is – so we’ve got the whole gang on the case to find the best of the best bargains.
The criteria? This category isn’t called ‘best value’ for nothing. Every wine had to come in at less than $20, which included My Dan’s offers at the time of tasting. Hot tip: if you’re not a My Dan’s member, now’s the time to sign up. It’s free to join, so that’s what we think is a no-brainer.
This year’s Best in Glass judges include Dan Murphy’s wine merchants, wine buyers, drinks specialists, category managers and writers, so you can trust these people in the know to point you in the direction of great wine. And the best news about these winners? They start at as little as $10 right now and won’t cost you more than $20 – $17 if we’re being specific – which means you can drink great wine for less.
So, let’s get into it – here are the 14 Australian and New Zealand wines that were crowned best value in their sparkling, white, rosé and red categories.
Member Offer
$11 eachNon-Member: $14.99 each
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1. Best value riesling
- Wine: Tolley Clare Valley Riesling
- Region: Clare Valley, South Australia
- What to expect: Riesling? Two words: Clare Valley. The region knows its stuff when it comes to rizza. You know who else knows their stuff? The Tolley team. This baby has racy acidity, lots of lemon, lime, green apple and a little sweetness that tastes like lemon curd.
- What to pair with it: Riesling is food friendly and loves spice, but we’re serving up chicken schnitzel with a goat’s cheese salad.
Member Offer
$10 eachNon-Member: $12.99 each
2. Best value sauvignon blanc
- Wine: Tangaroa Sauvignon Blanc
- Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
- What to expect: A tenner won’t get you much anymore, but it will get you this bottle of NZ sauvy b. Expect crisp texture, tropical flavours and passionfruit – and it’s an absolute steal.
- What to pair with it: We’re ordering in – Thai green curry, coconut rice and a large pad see ew (and don’t forget the roti).
Member Offer
$10 eachNon-Member: $11.99 each
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3. Best value white blend
- Wine: Evans & Tate Classic Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
- Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
- What to expect: The team at Evans & Tate has been making wine in Margaret River for more than 50 years, so it’s no surprise they’re offering a solid semillon and sauvy b blend (AKA SSB) at this price. This SSB has notes of cut grass, fresh stone fruit and lime leaf, along with acidity that will make your mouth water (as it should). And did we mention it’s 11 bucks right now?
- What to pair with it: We’re taking Evans & Tate’s advice and pulling up to the beach with fresh seafood and some salty chippies, too.
Member Offer
$11 eachNon-Member: $14.99 each
4. Best value sparkling
- Wine: Yarra Burn Premium Cuvée Brut
- Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria
- What to expect: Bargain bubbles? Don’t say we never give you anything. You’ll smell strawberries, citrus and a little bit of yeast (microorganisms that convert grape sugars into alcohol during fermentation). Flavours? Brioche (yes, the bread), mushroom and sea brine (think savoury, briny notes).
- What to pair with it: Fresh oysters will match the briney flavours in the fizz. We don’t mind a prawn or two, either.
Member Offer
$12 eachNon-Member: $14.99 each
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5. Best value other white
- Wine: Elephant In The Room Phenomenal Fiano
- Region: South Australia
- What to expect: New to fiano? If you like whites like pinot grigio or chardonnay, we think you’ll love this (and not just for that $12 price). Think citrus, florals and a texture that can be described as chalky (but in a good way).
- What to pair with it: Fiano is a food-friendly wine, so it’ll match almost anything, but we love it with spicy Dan Dan noodles (homemade or ordered in, that’s up to you).
Member Offer
$12 eachNon-Member: $13.99 each
6. Best value cabernet sauvignon
- Wine: Wynns The Siding Cabernet Sauvignon
- Region: Coonawarra, South Australia
- What to expect: Despite having a reputation as a ‘Dad’s wine’, cab sauv is so much more. For starters, it’s loved for its drinkability and cellarability, and Wynns does it so well. Expect ripe cherries, dark berries and cedar flavours, with Coonawarra’s signature woody spice and famous terra rossa soils (they’re red and clay-like) on show. A bottle of Wynns at this price? More like a ‘win’.
- What to pair with it: An Aussie icon like Wynns deserves an iconic Aussie dish like roast lamb with all the trimmings.
$12.60 each
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7. Best value grenache blend
- Wine: Cat Amongst The Pigeons Barossa Grenache Shiraz Mataro
- Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
- What to expect: Stick your nose in a glass of this wine and you’ll smell licorice and dark chocolate (yum). Have a sip and you’ll taste juicy red fruits, plums and dark berries (also yum). And it’s only $13 for My Dan’s members (even more yum).
- What to pair with it: Hosting a group? You can’t go wrong with a big serving of paella with chorizo.
Member Offer
$13 eachNon-Member: $15.99 each
8. Best value shiraz
- Wine: Gemtree Dragon’s Blood Shiraz
- Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia
- What to expect: This wine is loaded with notes of olives, dark chocolate and plum, along with a little earthy character. FYI, when it comes to ‘earth’ in wine, think about what you’d smell in the garden, like rocks, dirt and flint. A bloody good shiraz for 13 bucks.
- What to pair with it: The Gemtree team recommends serving this with a slow-cooked lamb ragu, and we’re all about it.
Member Offer
$13 eachNon-Member: $14.99 each
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9. Best value pinot gris
- Wine: Josef Chromy Distant South Pinot Gris
- Region: Tasmania
- What to expect: A lot of great wine comes out of Tassie, and pinot gris thrives in the cool climate. This one is bright and crisp with flavours of pear, nectarine, citrus and honeysuckle, all wrapped up with a light spice. This pinot gris nails the under-$20 brief.
- What to pair with it: Heading to Mum’s for Sunday night roast pork? Take a bottle of this gris and thank us later.
Member Offer
$16 eachNon-Member: $18.99 each
10. Best value pinot noir
- Wine: Marlborough Sounds Pinot Noir
- Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
- What to expect: We love NZ wine, especially Marlborough pinot (the famous region doesn’t just do sauv well). This wine is light and tastes of cherries and plums, with super smooth tannins (AKA a silky texture). A delicious pinot noir with change from $20? We love to see it.
- What to pair with it: We’re taking this bottle to our favourite BYO Chinese restaurant and ordering Peking duck (obviously).
Member Offer
$16 eachNon-Member: $18.99 each
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11. Best value red blend
- Wine: Majella The Musician Cabernet Shiraz
- Region: Coonawarra, South Australia
- What to expect: This is a blend of cabernet and shiraz, so you can expect flavours of blackberries and blackcurrants with a whiff of mint and classic Australian eucalyptus notes. It’s perfect for your mate who never strays far from shiraz with all those familiar notes. Plus, at this price, it’s music to our ears.
- What to pair with it: This cabernet blend loves pizza night – go hard on the pepperoni.
Member Offer
$16 eachNon-Member: $18.99 each
12. Best value rosé
- Wine: La Boheme Act Two Dry Rosé
- Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria
- What to expect: The Act Two is bursting with red fruits like strawberries, cherries and red currants, along with balanced acidity (that tart, zippy feeling in your mouth) and a creamy finish. This is a rosé that makes a perfect ‘just because’ gift.
- What to pair with it: We love rosé with soft cheeses, spicy curries, pizza, you name it, but we’re following the winery’s lead and pairing this one with sashimi.
Member Offer
$17 eachNon-Member: $19.99 each
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13. Best value chardonnay
- Wine: Xanadu Margaret River Fusion Chardonnay
- Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
- What to expect: This is a super fresh chardy with aromas of your favourite fruits like pears, apples and grapefruit, and it tastes of stone fruits and citrus, with a lick of lemon curd. A top Aussie cardonnay for $17? We know Kath and Kim would approve.
- What to pair with it: Roast chook, anyone?
Member Offer
$17 eachNon-Member: $21.99 each
14. Best value other red
- Wine: Bleasdale Second Innings Malbec
- Region: Langhorne Creek, South Australia
- What to expect: Malbec is a lesser-known variety, but it deserves your time – it’s all dark fruits, chocolate and spice. This is a great example, with flavours of plums, red berries and a hint of spice. And like these other cracking bargains, you’ll get change from $20.
- What to pair with it: We love this malbec paired with lamb shanks served on a bed of pappardelle.
Member Offer
$17 eachNon-Member: $18.99 each
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Want to taste the winners? Showcase events are landing in key stores across Sydney, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart on May 30. Find all the details here.
For more on the Best in Glass Wine Awards, discover the best white wines, best red wines and the judges’ top picks.
Member Offer
$11 eachNon-Member: $14.99 each
