The Best Merlot

The Merlot grape is a bit of an enigma. Simultaneously shunned and adored, it is used in some of the most expensive Bordeaux wines as well as some of the cheapest dollar bottles on the market.

Don't let either reputation scare you away from what this variety has to offer; however, as there are some truly excellent, inexpensive examples for Reverse Wine Snobs to explore. In this listing of the best Merlot under $20 we'll highlight our favorites that truly deliver a lot of bang for the buck.

While Merlot is grown almost as many places as Cabernet Sauvignon, we've generally found some of the best bottles to come from places like Washington, France, California and Italy.

Washington, in particular, might be the sweet spot at the moment in terms of delivering value, in fact Washington Merlot (along with Spanish Garnacha) is usually one of our top recommendations when people ask us for the best places to find value.

That said, don't dismiss other regions when seeking out excellent examples of this variety. Even areas such as Argentina and Chile are starting to deliver some fantastic value. We cover all these regions and more in our list of the best Merlot under $20.

Read on for our list of The Best Merlot Under $20!