Skip The Expensive Reds: This Sicilian Wine Delivers Flavor While Sparing Your Wallet

It's all too easy to overspend on red wine, particularly if you're unsure which varietals or grapes you might like. Luckily, you don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy a red wine with personality. In our list of cheap red wines that make great alternatives to expensive bottles, we highlighted Tenuta Regaleali Nero d'Avola, a Sicilian red that delivers juicy dark fruit, savory herbal notes, and enough structure that it won't be overshadowed by a hearty meal. At around $15 a bottle, Tenuta Regaleali is an excellent option for wine drinkers who want food-friendly character without paying the price tag of an expensive California Cabernet Sauvignon or a prestigious French Bordeaux. 

Produced by the family-owned Tasca d'Almerita, it's an approachable bottle that showcases one of Sicily's most celebrated grapes: Nero d'Avola. Also one of the island's best-known native grapes, it produces deeply colored reds known for ripe fruit flavors, a moderate-to-full body, and balanced acidity. This bottle isn't a newcomer, either. The family has been making wine at their Tenuta Regaleali estate since the 19th century, with the wine's first vintage dating back to 1956. In fact, it was one of the first Nero d'Avolas to enter the American market, so this grande dame has been around a minute.

If you're not a fan of heavily oaked wine, this also might appeal to you. The wine ages for 10 months, with half the blend in stainless steel tanks, and the other half in large, Slavonian oak barrels. This approach preserves the grape's fruity character without overwhelming you with oak.

Experts also like it, as vintages have been well-reviewed over the years, and boast scores that reflect a consistently enjoyable bottle at a price that's just right for everyday drinking. If you're wondering just how the price manages to stay below $20, we can partly thank Italy's largest island for that. Sicily, though it has around 70 indigenous grape varieties, doesn't have the name recognition and premium pricing that's expected in more famous appellations like Burgundy or Napa Valley. Another fun fact about Sicilian wine is that it's Italy's largest wine area, and land is cheaper here than other sought-after regions, like northwestern Italy's Piedmont region. 

Sicily is also focused on sustainability. Around a third of its vineyards are certified organic, and Tenuta Regaleali's parent winery, Tasca d'Almerita, is a member of SOStain Sicilia, a relatively new sustainability program that encourages wineries to reduce their environmental impact and adopt responsible agricultural practices. It's also a Certified B Corporation, meaning it meets independent standards for social and environmental performance and transparency, so you can feel good about pouring yourself another glass (or two).

But surely one of the best traits about Sicilian wines is that they're particularly well-suited to pairing with food, and this bottle of Nero d'Avola has enough ripe fruit and balanced tannins to complement any of number of Sicilian pasta dishes. For the price and the food-friendly versatility, it's certainly a bottle worth trying once.