Wine Enthusiast’s “Top 100 Best Buys” 2025, 17 top Italian quality/price wines

September is harvest time, and also time for guides, rankings, and so forth. There are many “Top 100” lists around the world that summarize scores of the best tastings from various publications. For instance, the “Top 100 Wines of Italy” 2025, by Hong Kong-based American critic, James Suckling, which has been widely known for quite some time (as reported here). The “Top 100 Best Buys” 2025 by “Wine Enthusiast” (whose Italian wine writers are Danielle Callegari and Jeff Porter), has opened the “Made in USA” rankings, per tradition. The list is dedicated to wines for sale on American shelves at under 20US dollars, but scored above 90 out of 100, which means best value for money. The quality price aspect is now more important than ever in the current economic phase, which is witnessing a decline in wine consumption in the US, due to the tariff issue, among others. Made in Italy wines are always well represented on these rankings because one of their distinguishing features has always been offering consumers good wines at affordable prices.
The number one position on the ranking is the Californian Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 from Method, while number 2 is, surprisingly, a Hungarian wine, Siller Zweigelt 2022 from Kristinus Borbirtok. There are 17 Italian wines on the ranking, starting with Moscato d’Asti 2024 of the Saracco winery at number 3. Then, Gavi Pleo Cortese 2024 of the La Raia brand in Piedmont in position number 7 , while Lirica Primitivo 2021 from Produttori di Manduria, in Puglia, is number 17. Again, in the first 50, Italy boasts Viognier 2023 of the beautiful Bolgheri winery Poggio Argentiera at number 21, Grüner Veltliner 2023 of Cantina Valle Isarco at number 30, from Alto Adige, Chiaraluna Viognier 2023 of the Maremma winery Muralia, at number 34, Nero d’Avola 2022 of Stemmari, a Sicilian company of the Mezzacorona Group, at number 35, and Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2022 of the Gerardo Cesari Brand (of the Caviro Group), at number 38. At number 52, Isarco Kerner 2023 of Strasserhof, at number 56 a Piedmont wine, Prá Dône Moscato Bianco 2023 of Cascina Galarin, and at number 60, a wine from Umbria, Trebbiano Spoletino 2022 of Scacciadiavoli, Baldovino Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2024 of Tenuta I Fauri, is at number 61, while a wine from the Zonin1821 Estate in Maremma is at number 63, Vermentino Calasole 2023 from Rocca di Montemassi. A Sicilian wine, Grillo Viviri 2023 from Rapitalà is in position number 71, while 11 Minutes Rosé 2022 from Pasqua, one of the leading wineries in the Veneto region is at number 76. Rounding out the Italian wines, and the ranking, is another wine from Maremma, Pagliatura Vermentino 2023 of Fattoria di Magliano in position number 88, and Barbera La Luna e i Falò 2022 of Vite Colte, one of Piedmont’s largest wineries, is at number 100.

Focus - Italian wineries on the “Top 100 Best Buys” 2025 by Wine Enthusiast
1 - Method - Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 (California)
2 - Kristinus Borbirtok - Siller Zweigelt 2022 (Ungheria)
3 - Saracco - Moscato d’Asti 2024
7 - La Raia - Gavi Pleo Cortese 2024
17 - Produttori di Manduria - Lirica Primitivo 2021
21 - Poggio Argentiera - Viognier 2023
30 - Cantina Valle Isarco - Grüner Veltliner 2023
34 - Muralia - Chiaraluna Viognier 2023
35 - Stemmari (Mezzacorona) - Nero d’Avola 2022
38 - Gerardo Cesari - Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2022
52 - Strasserhof - Isarco Kerner Kerner 2023
56 - Cascina Galarin - Prá Dône Moscato Bianco 2023
60 - Scacciadiavoli - Trebbiano Spoletino 2022
61 - Tenuta I Fauri - Baldovino Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2024
63 - Rocca di Montemassi Calasole Vermentino 2023
71 - Tenuta Rapitalà - Viviri Grillo 2023
76 - Pasqua - 11 Minutes Rosé 2022
88 - Fattoria di Magliano - Pagliatura Vermentino 2023
100 - Vite Colte - La Luna e i Falò Barbera 2022