Anthony Gismondi: Here are the best wine picks for less than $30

Years ago, I was part of the annual search for the country’s best wine bargains for the now-defunct Wine Access Magazine. The International Value Wine Awards had one simple rule: every wine had to retail in Canada for less than $25.

Because B.C. rarely sees the country’s lowest price on any given bottle, sharing those results with readers each year was especially rewarding. I no longer have the magazine or a panel to share the workload, but at Gismondi on Wine we still track the best value wines in the B.C. market. Today, we offer some of the best bargain labels across a range of categories.

With inflation and B.C.’s punitive taxes in mind, we have set the bar at $30. Our focus is on widely available wines, mostly in B.C. liquor stores, although some local bottles will require a search through private wine shops or a direct order from the winery. Here’s what we suggest for closing out summer.

Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet Sauvignon remains the world’s biggest-selling red wine category, but few places can consistently deliver fully ripe, quality versions at bargain prices. One of the best values on the market sits near the top of our range: Emiliana Novas Organic Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle de Maule, Chile, $21.99.

I can also easily recommend Concha y Toro Marqués de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile, $27.99. Merlot: If one B.C. grape needs an image upgrade, it is Merlot. Spicy, savoury, soft-tannin wines make the variety worth drinking and keeping on your watch list.

These two are a good place to start: Haywire Reserve Merlot 2022, Okanagan Valley, $24.99, and, from across the lake, Elephant Island Think Again Merlot 2020, Naramata Bench, $25. Pinot Noir: Excellent Pinot Noir is rarely cheap. Still, these two labels deliver the roundness and sweet-fruited charm that make the grape so appealing to a wide range of drinkers: Quails’ Gate Field and Flight Pinot Noir 2024, Oregon, $22.99, and, from Down Under, Invivo Pinot Noir 2024, Central Otago, New Zealand, $29.99.

Chardonnay: The world’s biggest-selling white varietal is enjoying a renaissance across many regions. The recipe is simple: less oak, less alcohol, and less sugar.

The field is wide, but local labels are in the fight, including Liber Estates Everyday Chardonnay 2025, Cawston, $25.99; Fort Berens Chardonnay 2025, Lillooet, $24.99; and the Seven Terraces Oaked Chardonnay 2024, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, $21.99. Pinot Gris: B.C. has lifted its Pinot Gris game, with many producers moving beyond the fruit-salad style toward drier, stony, mineral examples that sing with food.

Here are two representing both sides of the discussion: Lakeboat Pinot Gris 2025, Kaleden, Okanagan Valley, $26.95, and, from Vancouver Island, Unsworth Vineyards Pinot Gris 2025, Cowichan Valley, $25.99. Other single wine varietals: This category is huge, and the sources are wide-ranging, offering flavour and affordability, a rare combination in the wine business.

Look for Garzón Albariño Reserva 2025, Uruguay, $24.99; Blue Mountain Estate Cuvée Pinot Blanc 2025, Okanagan Valley, $24.99; and El Petit Bonhomme Blanco 2023, Verdejo, Rueda, $18. Sparkling wine: Finding sparkling wine under $30 is no easy task, but with more tank-fermented Prosecco and Prosecco-like labels in the market, it is getting easier.

Current favourites include Villa Sandi Prosecco Rosé Il Fresco Millesimato 2024, Veneto, Italy $27, or Monte Creek Living Land Series Organic Sparkling Rosé 2025, Thompson Valley, $25. Good hunting.

Terravista Vineyards Marsanne 2025, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley

$33 | 91/100 UPC: 721688128847

Terravista’s inaugural stand-alone Marsanne speaks to the growing diversity of B.C. grapes as growers explore more opportunities to go beyond the norm. The nose is laden with fresh peach, baked pears, and citrus oil.

It is fresher and juicier than the French model, but that only makes it more fun to sip. The mouth feel is broad and generous, and then the mineral, stony Naramata undercurrent shows up to brighten the finish.

It is a great debut; you should embrace it as soon as you can because these bottles will disappear fast. Roche Artist Series Pinot Noir Rosé 2025, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley

$29 | 90/100 UPC: 724901649075

The Artist Series Rosé has become one of Bench’s most reliable pink wines. Its Pinot Noir fruit delivers delicate notes of raspberry, wild strawberry, and rose petals, leading to a fresh, finely textured palate with bright acidity and subtle mineral undertones that linger through the finish.

Elegant rather than overpowering, it reflects the balanced, more restrained character of Naramata fruit. Pair it with poached salmon or spot prawns for an excellent match.

Quails’ Gate Field and Flight Pinot Noir 2024, Oregon

$22.99 | 88/100

UPC: 778856024203 Field and Flight is a unique series of wines produced by Kelowna-based Quails’ Gate, using fruit sourced to compensate for local shortages. It is the second year for the Oregon batch, featuring an earthy, savoury undertone, smooth textures, and moderately ripe fruit.

Soft, straightforward, and easy to enjoy, this is everything you could want in a $22 Pinot Noir.

Folgorosa Tinta 2021, Lisboa, Portugal

$24.99 | 88/100

UPC: 5600382889726 Folgorosa Tinto blends Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, Aragonez, and Syrah, opening with an expressive nose of wild berries, red currants, and floral and eucalyptus notes. The quinta was founded in 1711 north of Lisbon, and the vineyard lies about 20 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean, which explains its freshness, juicy red-fruit character, bright acidity, and a reasonably supple style.

A red for burgers or flank steak. Private wine shops only.

Tantalus Blanc de Noir 2023, Okanagan Valley

$36.50 | 92/100 UPC: 626990189909

The Blanc de Noir is an attractive, almost Rosé-like pale salmon colour. It is fresh and loaded with red-fruit flavours that offset the minerality and leesy notes, shouting complexity and depth.

It is a terrific sparkler that joins a handful of B.C. Blanc de Noirs that turn heads whenever the cork is popped.

The fruit comes from a single-estate block of clone 93 Pinot Noir that is now over 40 years old. If you are celebrating anything, this would be a great bottle to choose.

Hillside Heritage Series Muscat Ottonel 2025, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley

$26 | 90/100 UPC: 626990019152

The Muscat family includes over 200 varieties, where Ottonel is a particularly floral option. Winemaker Kathy Malone’s hands-off approach throughout much of the winemaking process produces a highly nuanced, pure, ethereal version of the grape that gets little respect from consumers until they taste it.

Malone’s label is one of the best in North America. A long, slow stainless steel fermentation produces a stylish floral profile with faint hints of orange and spice, making it pair well with a variety of foods. The finish is pleasingly just off-dry.

Value wine of the week

Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet Les Pins de Camille 2024, Picpoul de Pinet, Coteaux du Languedoc France $21.99 | 88/100

UPC: 3186127768690 Before summer slips away, check in with a bottle of Omarine Picpoul de Pinet, which has gradually established a dedicated following in B.C. among those who value this refined southern French grape.

It is a compelling alternative to Sauvignon Blanc, especially when you consider all the fresh shellfish we have access to on the West Coast. It’s fresh, mineral-driven, and awash in citrus fruit and streaked with a subtle mix of honey, ginger, and quince. Some people drink it year-round.

Calendar items

Harvest dates come and go in Burgundy, some early, some late, but few are as striking as 2026.

Drinks Business reports it is the region’s earliest harvest in nearly 500 years, after Domaine Leflaive confirmed it had picked its parcel in Grand Cru Le Montrachet on Thursday, Aug. 13. That edges out Burgundy’s long-standing record set in 1556, when historical records show picking began on Aug. 15, and marks a sharp departure from the region’s traditional early- to mid-September start. Historian Thomas Labbé notes that between 1354 and 1719, years of extreme heat occurred roughly every 17 years.

Since 1988, however, the pattern has clearly shifted: four of the 10 warmest years recorded since 1354 have occurred in the 21st century in 2003, 2018, 2020 and 2025.

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A collaboration between KFC and La Vieille Ferme pairs well-known fast-food brand KFC with an unlikely wine brand to make wine feel more approachable and informal. La Vieille Ferme, known as “the chicken wine’ with its rooster and hen label, is produced by the Famille Perrin in the Rhône Valley and is widely sold in B.C.

The brand gained popularity in the U.K. because of its distinctive label and recently saw a surge in TikTok and Instagram followers for its Rosé, turning it from an online nickname into mainstream recognition. This social media buzz contributed to a 96 per cent year-over-year rise in retail sales of La Vieille Ferme Rosé in 2024. The KFC partnership is only expected to amplify this trend, much to the nutritionists’ dismay.