Claudia Vecchio of Sonoma County

 Spotlighting the best-priced wines of the year, the list features bottles that are rated 90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale, cost $40 or less and are made in large-enough quantities to be widely available.  

 “Great wine doesn’t have to be expensive. In celebration of those wines that overdeliver on quality for the price, we’ve selected our Top 10 Wine Values of 2021,” said Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher, Wine Spectator. “While making these selections, we kept in mind the diversity of the global wine scene, looking for wines with solid track records that are good representatives of their regions.”

 The Top 10 Wine Values of 2021 are: 

1. Allan Scott | Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2021 | 93 points | $17 | 100,000 Cases made/45,000 Cases Imported | New Zealand 
2. Castello Banfi | Chianti Classico 2019 | 91 Score | $17 | 40,000 Cases Made/23,000 Cases Imported | Italy 
3. J | Pinot Noir Monterey-Sonoma-Santa Barbara Counties Winemaker’s Selection 2018 | 91 Score | $25 | 65,000 Cases Made | California 
4. Bodega Numanthia | Tinta de Toro Toro Termes 2017 | 91 Score | $24 | 12,500 Cases Made/10,000 Cases Imported | Spain 
5. Seghesio | Zinfandel Sonoma County Sonoma 2019 | 92 Score | $26 | 100,685 Cases Made | California 
6. Alois Lageder | Pinot Grigio Vigneti delle Dolomiti Terra Alpina 2019 | 90 Score | $16 | 19,000 Cases Imported | Italy 
7. Dry Creek | Fumé Blanc Sonoma County 2020 | 92 Score | $16 | 29,000 Cases Made | California  
8. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars | Chardonnay Napa Valley Karia 2019 | 91 Score | $34 | 26,400 Cases Made | California 
9. Frei Brothers | Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Sonoma Reserve 2018 | 90 Score | $27 | 40,000 Cases Made | California 
10. Cambria | Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley Katherine’s Vineyard 2019 | 91 Score | $22 | 52,000 Cases Made | California 

 Wine Spectator’s February issue—which features the Top 10 Wine Values of 2021, along with recommended Smart Buys from the magazine’s editorial staff—is available on newsstands January 25. 

 About Wine Spectator 

Wine Spectator is the world’s leading authority on wine. Anchored by Wine Spectator magazine, a print publication that reaches around 3 million readers worldwide, the brand also encompasses the Web’s most comprehensive wine site (WineSpectator.com), mobile platforms and a series of signature events. Wine Spectator examines the world of wine from the vineyard to the table, exploring wine’s role in contemporary culture and delivering expert reviews. Parent company M. Shanken Communications, Inc., also publishes Cigar Aficionado, Whisky Advocate, Market Watch, Shanken News Daily and Shanken’s Impact Newsletter. 

Edna Valley winemakers are part of the bigger SLO region. Initially known as the Paso Robles AVA, designated in 1983. Many winemakers in the neighboring areas had lobbied for years to have their regions recognized, and in 2014 the Federal Government designated 11 more, including Edna Valley.

Rudd Oakville Estate’s Managing Director Oscar Henquet discovered his passion for the luxury hospitality industry at a very young age while working with his family’s hotel business in The Netherlands. Spending summers amidst vineyards in Provence with his parents, Oscar’s exposure to the world of wine started at a young age.

One of two children, Oscar grew up in the region where Belgium, Holland and Germany intersect, and as a result, quickly learned the importance and value of understanding various cultures while becoming fluent in the English, Dutch, French and German languages. Oscar received a degree in Hotel Management from the Maastricht School of Hotel Management, founded by his grandfather. Upon graduation, Oscar pursued positions abroad, including an 8-month project in China where he was heavily involved with the opening of Crowne Plaza Chengdu in Chengdu, China.

Oscar gained further experience and expertise working at esteemed properties located in Belgium, France and Israel, but it was a trip to New York with his family in 1997 that set his future course: exhilarated by the city’s energy and rhythm, he decided to relocate there.

It was during this period that Oscar decided his future would be spent in the private hospitality sector, where he would apply his understanding of organizational protocols and internal structure, but maintain the level of attention to detail and personal interaction with guests that had attracted him to the industry. In 2003, Oscar accepted a position as Director of Operations at Nicole Farhi USA, where he managed daily food and beverage operations for five years.

While still at Farhi, Oscar opened 202 Restaurant in Chelsea Market, which won New York Magazine’s “Best Brunch” Award in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, Oscar accepted the role of General Manager at Rouge Tomate, where he coordinated the restaurant’s $15 million 2008 opening.

Oscar’s achievements and success at Rouge Tomate over the next two-and-a-half years attracted the ever-watchful eye of Graydon Carter and Jeff Klein at Monkey Bar, and in August 2010, Oscar took on the position of General Manager at the trendy midtown restaurant.

Karen MacNeil is the only American to have won every major wine award given in the English language. These include the James Beard award for Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year, the Louis Roederer award for Best Consumer Wine Writing, and the International Wine and Spirits award as the Global Wine Communicator of the Year.  In a full-page profile on her, TIME Magazine called Karen “America’s Missionary of the Vine.” In 2018, Karen was named one of the “100 Most Influential People in the Wine.”

But deep global wine knowledge is only part of the story. Karen is considered America’s foremost wine presenter–a speaker who can enchant audiences from 5 to 500, and from wine novices to wine collectors alike. Her customized TED-like talks are accompanied by extraordinary wines which she personally selects for the event.

Karen is also the author of the award-winning book, THE WINE BIBLE, the single best-selling wine book in the United States, praised as “The most informative and entertaining book I’ve ever seen on the subject” (Danny Meyer), “Astounding” (Thomas Keller), and “A masterpiece of wine writing…the single best wine book written in years…” (Kevin Zraly).

The former wine correspondent for the Today Show, Karen was the host of the PBS series Wine, Food and Friends with Karen MacNeil, for which she won an Emmy. Karen is the creator and editor of WineSpeed, the leading digital “e-letter” in the U.S. for fast, authoritative information about wine. Her articles on wine and food have been published in more than 50 newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Town & Country, Elle, and Worth. She was the first Food and Wine Editor of USA Today. Karen currently hosts #SipWithKaren, the leading Twitter tasting in the global wine sphere, which each month reaches 20+ million timelines from Indiana to India.

Karen’s firm, Karen MacNeil & Company, creates customized corporate events and wine tours around the world for companies and individual groups. Among Karen’s corporate clients are Lexus, Merrill Lynch, Disney, General Electric, UBS, and Singapore Airlines, as well as numerous law and biotech firms.

Karen is the creator and Chairman Emeritus of the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley, which has been called “the Harvard of wine education.”

J Pearce is a boutique wine project that was started by great friends, Andrew Renda and Jarred Pearce. Andy and Jarred met in 2005 when Andy hired Jarred to work alongside him at Vintner’s Collective in downtown Napa.

Prior to Andy’s career in wine, it was a love of food and the restaurant industry where he first gained experience. Like many others, his first job was as a dishwasher for a gourmet caterer in his hometown. By age seventeen, he began cooking at The Country Club in Brookline MA, which is home to three US Opens, and the 1999 Ryder Cup. It was there where he was first introduced to the pairing of haute cuisine and world class wines.

After several years in the food industry, front and back of the house, he chose to start his quest to obtain more knowledge about the world of wine and spirits. The next eight years were spent helping to manage retail wine shops in the Boston area. His exposure was not just limited to California wines, but to a broad spectrum of global offerings.

Countless hours were spent tasting in order to gain a more refined palate and true understanding of what the world of wine has to offer. This passion for a lifelong career in the wine industry was set in motion, and it was time to relocate.

Andy and his bride to be Kelly, sold all of their belongings and packed a car to make the pilgrimage from Boston to Napa, no jobs, just a destination, the legendary Napa Valley!

They made a temporary home in a rental cottage as Andy pursued his dream, putting his passion and knowledge for wine to the test. The better part of the next decade was spent as the Director of Sales of Vintner’s Collective surrounded by top boutique producers. More importantly over that stretch, Kelly and he got married and now have two beautiful children Maxwell and Adelaide. His family is his driving force.