10 Wines Under $15 You Need To Buy At Target, According To Sommeliers

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Target is known for offering great deals on a wide array of products, and that includes wine. In fact, the big box store offers plenty of bottles that are in the $15 or less range. But does the company's promise of "Expect More. Pay Less" really follow through when it comes to wine? The truth is there are some gems to be found, but it may take a little bit of digging to find those stand-out bottles. That's where experts can help.

Here at Chowhound, we're always on the lookout for affordable wines that are worth buying, whether they're from specialty wine shops or big box stores. We've covered budget-friendly wines from Walmart, as well as the best (and worst) bargain wines to buy Costco, and now we have our sights set on Target. To determine which bottles truly stand out in the $15 or under range, we reached out to several sommeliers and wine experts to get their honest opinions.

Based on their years of experience tasting and rating wines, the experts gave us a solid round-up of bottles that truly deliver for their price range. Their picks included refreshing whites that pair well with a wide range of foods and luscious reds that are great for a Tuesday-night sip. They also included some summery rosés and bottles of bubbles that feel celebratory, but won't break the bank. The next time you're shopping for wine at Target, consider giving some of these sommelier-approved bottles a try.

Joe Mele is the co-host of The Wine Pair Podcast, where he and his wife Carmela review reasonably priced wines, usually with a healthy dose of humor. When we asked him if there was a bottle from Target he would pick up without hesitation, he said, "If I were walking into a Target and had to make a quick call that I knew I was going to like and feel good about, I would grab the Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava, which comes in a cool black bottle and sells for $12.99."

Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain that's made in the same way as champagne, meaning it's typically made with a blend of grape varietals and undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle. Mele said, "Even though it is quite delicious and festive, it is still really inexpensive." Freixenet is one of the largest sparkling wine producers globally, and according to the company's website, the Cordon Negro Brut Cava is the number one imported sparkling wine in the world.

Made with a blend of Macabeo, Xarel.lo and Parellada grapes, this bottle of bubbly is crisp and well-balanced with notes of apple, pear, and citrus on the palate. It has a medium to long finish with nice mineral notes. Its clean character makes it a great pairing for seafood and hard cheeses. Many sparkling wines pair well with fried foods as well, and this dry cava is no exception. Don't be afraid to pair it with low-key bites like potato chips or fried chicken.

Turning to whites, Joe Mele told us that while he's not always a fan of mass-market wine labels, there are a few that he actually likes, one of which is Chateau Ste Michelle. The Washington state winery produces a wide variety of wines, including a great collection of award-winning Rieslings. Mele is particularly fond of the Chateau Ste Michelle Harvest Select Riesling, which sells at Target for about $10 a bottle. Mele said, "It is safe, but interesting because it is not the typical Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio."

Riesling (not to be confused with Gewürztraminer) is a white wine made with grapes of the same name, and it ranges from crisp and dry to very sweet. The Chateau Ste Michelle Harvest Select Riesling is medium-sweet wine made with Riesling grapes grown in the Columbia Valley. It's very fruit-forward with notes of stone fruits like peach and apricot on the palate, as well as some pear and citrus. It has a nice acidity to it and underlying mineral notes.

The wine's full-bodied character makes it a great match for a wide variety of dishes. As Mele said, "Riesling can have a little spiciness and body to it, and is great with fried foods and spicy foods." Consider pairing it with Asian dishes like Thai red curry or Sichuan Chongqing chicken. It can also be a nice match for milder dishes like soft cheeses, salads, and seafood. All up, a great bottle to have on hand for easy dinner pairings.

The next expert we spoke to was Megumi Calver, a certified sommelier and founder of Merobabe, a media and events company that focuses on wine education and connecting women through wine. When we asked her if there was an affordable wine from Target that she thought would make for an easy-going, weeknight red, she suggested the DaVinci Chianti. "This is a reliable, under-$15 Chianti that delivers," she said. It sells for about $12 a bottle.

Gone are the days when Chianti was mainly sold in straw-covered bottles and made for mediocre drinking. Today, there are some seriously good Chiantis coming out of the rolling hills of Tuscany in Italy. DaVinci is interesting in that the wines are produced by a grower's cooperative consisting of over 200 local winemakers. The DaVinci Chianti is made with 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot, and the wine is aged for six months in American oak barrels.

Pop open a bottle of this crimson-hued Chianti, and you get ripe fruit on the nose. On the palate, it gives what Calver describes as "a mix of red and dark cherries, ripe plums, and a peppery finish." It also has a soft mouthfeel with a nice roundness. Calver told us, "With its medium body and high acidity, it pairs well with a variety of dishes, but is especially perfect for anything tomato-based like pizza or pasta." And if you're looking to cook with it, Chianti works beautifully in beef stew.

Sales of Sauvignon Blanc have been steadily rising in the United States over the past few years, and it's easy to see why. This aromatic wine is typically crisp and refreshing, and can be a very easy sipper that pairs well with tons of dishes. Plus, there are Sauvignon Blancs for all budgets. If you're at Target and spot a bottle of the Josh Sauvignon Blanc, Megumi Calver recommends snagging it. She said, "This was the bottle I always had to restock when I worked at a wine store in Beverly Hills."

Founded in 2007, Josh Cellars is a California winery that produces a range of acclaimed wines. The Sauvignon Blanc sells for $12 at Target, and according to Calver, it's a great deal. "It has everything you want in a sauvignon blanc: bright and crisp with notes of lemon and green apple, plus hints of tropical fruit," she said. "It's less grassy and aromatic than a New Zealand sauv blanc, but still super refreshing (and delicious)."

This affordable Sauvignon Blanc is perfect for sipping on its own, and can also be a nice addition to meals thanks to its pleasant acidity. Dishes that pair well with dry white wines like this one include lighter fare like poultry and seafood dishes. Think grilled chicken, crab cakes, or sushi. It also works well with summery foods like vibrant salads and fresh ceviche. In addition, it can be a nice complement for creamy pastas, as the acidity can help cut through the richness of dairy-based sauces.

It's not always easy to find great red wines in the $15 and under range, but both Megumi Calver and Joe Mele agree that the Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages is a great buy. As Calver said, "If I'm at Target and spot this bottle, it's going in my cart without hesitation!" She noted that Maison Louis Jadot is a legendary French producer with a history that dates back to the 1800s, and that this bottle is one of the winemaker's gems. It retails for about $12 a bottle at Target.

The Beaujolais wine region in France is renowned for its red wines made with Gamay grapes. The wines tend to be very fruity, low in tannins, and generally lighter than some other reds. The Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages is made with 100% hand-picked Gamay grapes from the northern Beaujolais region. On the nose you get plums and strawberries, and on the palate it offers what Calver describes as "juicy red fruit balanced by a little spice, soft tannins, and crispness."

Mele pointed out that it might be easy to confuse this wine with Louis Jadot's Beaujolais Nouveau, which comes out around Thanksgiving and, in his opinion, isn't very good. He said, "Beaujolais Villages is a much better wine, and goes great with spicy foods." In terms of food pairing, Calver pointed out that the Villages is also very versatile, and can hold its own against flavorful foods like salmon, barbecue, and charcuterie. The medium body and fruity notes can also complement chocolate desserts like fudge brownies.

As the sommelier and co-owner of Charmant, a neighborhood bistro and wine bar in New Orleans, Bonnie Borges works with wine on a daily basis. When we asked her what budget bottle at Target would be her go-to, she said, "If I had $15 and were grabbing a bottle at Target tonight, I'd go straight for the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc–Viognier without hesitation. It's one of those bottles that consistently overdelivers for the price." A bottle will set you back about $13.

Established in 1978, Pine Ridge Vineyards is set in the heart of Napa Valley, California, and it oversees vineyards in five appellations. The Chenin Blanc-Viognier was actually an experiment to start, but it became one of the company's most popular wines, and it recently earned the 27th spot on the Wine Spectator's 2025 Top 100 list. It consists of 80% Chenin Blanc and 20% Viognier. The former gives it fruitiness, while the latter adds floral, slightly spicy notes.

According to Borges, this intriguing blend strikes the right balance of being safe and interesting at the same time. She said, "It's crisp, aromatic, and super approachable, with notes of honeysuckle, citrus, and peach, plus a soft, rounded texture from the Viognier. Bright enough to be refreshing, but nuanced enough to keep things exciting and versatile with food." It works well with light dishes like seafood and salads, and can also help temper the heat in spicy dishes.

Rosé wines don't always get the love they deserve, and that may be because some can be overly sweet, particularly in the lower price range. However, there are plenty of rosés out there that are crisp, fresh, and have great complexity. "For a rosé that punches above its weight, Gerard Bertrand Côte des Roses is a solid pick," Bonnie Borges told us. It costs $15 at Target, and is easily recognizable for its unique bottle with a base shaped like a rose.

Made with Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault grapes from the Languedoc region of France, the Côte des Roses sports a pale pink hue and offers a fruity bouquet with hints of red currant, pink grapefruit, and — fittingly — rose petals. It's definitely not a sugar bomb, and that's what many people love about it. Borges described it as, "a dry French rosé with bright summer fruit and floral notes, balanced acidity, and a crisp finish that feels more special than its price tag."

Rosé tends to get boxed into the "just for sipping" category, but its winemaking process makes it far more multi-faceted than many people realize. Because it's made from red grapes, but only spends only a short time in contact with the skins, it offers qualities of both red and white wines. The bright acidity and subtle fruit of the Côte des Roses works well with shellfish, and it's also a smart match for lightly spiced dishes that might overwhelm a standard white.

When it comes to red wines, Bonnie Borges told us that she has a soft spot for Argentinian Malbec, and one bottle that stands out for her at Target is the Alamos Malbec. "It's smooth, fruit-forward, and unfussy, which makes it perfect for casual sipping," she said. It retails for about $11, and based on the ratings it gets from numerous wine critics, it's right up there with some of the best Argentinian Malbecs you can buy under $25.

Although Malbec grapes originated in France, they really took off in Argentina, particularly in the Mendoza region. Sitting in the shadow of the Andes, this high-altitude region provides the perfect combination of cool temperatures and bright sunlight that allow the grapes to thrive. Alamos has been growing Malbec in Mendoza for over 120 years, and it's famous for its award-winning Malbec that's rich, fruity and well-balanced with nice round tannins. 

Pour a glass from the bottle and you'll notice aromas of dark cherry, black currant, and spices like pepper and cinnamon. Take a sip, and you'll get a velvety mouthfeel and bold plum, cherry, and blackberry flavors, along with some chocolate on the finish. It's the perfect pairing for hearty meat dishes. As Borges said, "This one pairs effortlessly with simple weeknight eats like a juicy hamburger or anything off the grill." It's also a great match for pungent blue cheeses, earthy mushroom dishes, and rich sauces like mole.

Champagne is an obvious choice when you're looking for a wine to celebrate with, but it can also be wildly expensive. In lieu of that, many people turn to sparkling wine alternatives to Champagne. Joe Mele told us, "If you want to avoid residual sugar, and you want a fun, delicious sparkling wine made in the same method that Champagne is made in, you can hardly do better than the Treveri Cellars Blanc De Blanc." He noted that it's less sweet than like other popular sparkling wines like Prosecco, plus it sells for just $15 a bottle.

Family-owned Treveri Cellars is a unique winery in Washington state that only produces sparkling wines made with the Méthode Traditionnelle, which is how winemakers in France make Champagne. The Blanc De Blanc is made with 100% Chardonnay grapes, and it undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle so that the yeast has time to eat up the sugars in the wine, resulting in natural carbonation.

Bright and zesty, this sparkling wine offers aromas of tart fruit like green apple, pear, and citrus. It follows through with more citrus on the palate, along with yeasty notes, and it has a nice crisp acidity. It's great for sipping on its own, but also pairs well with seafood appetizers and canapés like smoked salmon, caviar, and oysters. It's also a nice complement to richer dishes like cheesy pastas, as the acidity can help cut through the fat.

Looking for a wine that screams summertime vibes? Megumi Calver has the perfect bottle. She told us, "If I'm getting a rosé for brunch, a picnic, or a pool day, I'm grabbing La Vieille Ferme Rosé! It's a Provence style rosé that's pretty in your glass and easy to sip, whether solo or with some snacks." Target sells it for just $10 a bottle, which is an absolute steal considering you're getting a French wine from the Rhône Valley that's crafted with care.

La Vieille Ferme has been making wines for over 40 years, so it's had quite some time to get the techniques down pat. The Rosé is made with Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah grapes that are carefully monitored and harvested when they're at their peak ripeness, usually between late August and the middle of September. The grapes are pressed and fermented for about two weeks, then fined to remove any unwanted residue.

What you get is a pink-tinged wine that gives aromas of red fruit and roses and slight notes of summer fruits like strawberries on the palate with a long mineral-forward finish. As Calver said, "Dry, crisp, and not too fruity, it's always a crowdpleaser." If you're looking to pair it with food, you have plenty of options. The crisp acidity goes well with salads, seafood, and fresh fruit. It also plays well with grilled vegetables and meats, and can contrast nicely with tangy goat cheese and spicy dishes.