12 Summer White Wines Under $25

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a refreshing glass of wine and fortunately, there are plenty of white wines that pair well with outdoor festivities. Below are 12 summer wines under $25 that you can enjoy at the beach, lake, or at a neighborhood social. 

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We’ll start our discussion by taking a look at several refreshing white wines. After all, no summer is complete without a chilled bottle of white wine while sitting outside watching a ballgame or the kids chasing lightning bugs. Plus, there’s no reason to drink the same old white wines when so many spectacular wines are accessible and affordable.

Note: For the 12 options below, Deb is discussing the grape variety, not the brand name of the wine. For example, Torrentes is a white grape variety grown in Argentina. Alamos is one brand of this grape and there are many others. Understanding the grape variety will help you pick out wines that satisfy your palette.

Orvieto

This is a delightful wine for summer from Umbria, Italy, and made from Trebbiano and Grechetto grapes. Interestingly, Orvieto can be either white or red, but white is better known. 

While Orvieto wines are mostly dry with flavors of white peach and crisp acidity, some intriguing versions are semi-sweet and are known as Amabile (ah-mah-be-lay). Orvieto wines pair well with roasted peaches on the grill, drizzled with honey, and a scoop of mascarpone cheese!

Arneis

Located in Italy’s Piedmont region is Arneis, which means “little rascal.” But be forewarned; once you try this delightful white wine, you may never buy another pinot grigio! 

Arneis wines are dry with flavors of pear and apricot and recently have accrued a cult following. Several of these tasteful wines are still available under $25 and they are definitely worth the hunt! Try pairing this wine with asparagus slathered in olive oil and garlic.

Assyrtiko

This wine is the iconic wine from Santorini in Greece! Notes of orange blossom with citrus, ginger spice, and minerality engulf this nice white wine. Pair an Assyrtiko wine with any summer salad and impress your friends with your worldly wine knowledge.

Torrontes

A delightful, fruity wine, Torrontes is definitely Argentina’s grape! I know you thought Malbec wines originated from this South American country. However, Malbec is a French grape that found a home in Argentina. Grown in the high-altitude vineyards in Salta, Argentina, Torrontes contains unique floral aromas. Don’t let that fool you.

Torrontes wines also have tantalizing notes of mango and lime, tangerine, and high in acid! The acidity gives the wine a crispness while the fruits round it out. I often refer to Torrontes as the perfect summer patio wine. Try it with Pad Thai and you won’t be disappointed! 

Gruner Veltliner

Sommeliers (wine experts) have long been intrigued with wines from Austria and Gruner is its most important grape. These wines possess a wonderful “greenness,” combined with green pear with fresh lime and a flash of white pepper on the finish. Gruner Veltliner wines are amazing with summer salads with some “umph” like arugula. 

Muscadet (moose-ka-day) 

Where the Loire ends at the sea two rivers meet in the town on Sevre et Maines. This is what you’ll see on the label. The grape inside is melon de bourgogne (boar-goan-ya) 

This wine is multidimensional, dry with very faint fruit notes, it’s all citrus and oyster shell and sea spray!

The thing that changes everything is Sur Lie. This means it’s allowed contact with the spent yeast that ferments sugar to alcohol. It’s like this yeasty malt that when allowed extended contact brings a baked bread, warm softness to an otherwise very linear wine. One has to experience this to understand. Fantastic with seafood, try it with raw oysters and mussels!

Pinot Gris

Nope, it’s not a misprint because this is not pinot grigio, albeit, it’s in the same family. However, if you must drink pinot grigio, do it in France!

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Pinot Gris is a bold white wine, yet it maintains a certain finesse that French wines tend to own. Flavors found in pinot gris include bitter almonds, ginger, peach, flint, and vanilla. Pair a pinot gris wine with Fromage blanc with Lemon curd, almonds, and bleu cheese.

Chenin Blanc

Better known in France as Vouvray, as wines are named for regions there. There is also Savennieres.  However, these wines are NOT under $25!

Vouvray is more common in the marketplace and is quite a chameleon. Depending on the winemaker’s whim, Chenin blanc can be dry or sweet, oaked or not, sparkling or still. Try one for yourself and you won’t be disappointed.

The flavors go from apple, pear, and melon, to peach and tangerine and lime, honeysuckle, graham cracker, and hay to marzipan and honey. Wow!! One of this sommelier’s favorite summer white wines!

Bordeaux Blanc

Blanc simply means white so yes this is a white wine from France’s most prestigious wine region! Among the Cru’s of Bordeaux, we find Graves (means gravel) which produces beautiful white wines from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. 

These two grapes are blended and do the most perfect dance! Sauvignon Blanc brings the pop of acidity and citrus while Semillon soothes with honeyed tones. New Zealand may produce big green grassy flashy wine but this is the classy act! Drink this wine alone, or with a dear friend. Oh yeah, scallops work well too.

Dry Riesling

I hesitated on this one, as most of us equate Riesling with cloyingly sweet wine. That is not the case with German Riesling. In Germany, we find many wine guts or wine regions that produce many styles of Riesling. Look for “Trocken” on the label, which means dry.

German rieslings walk a fine line between sizzling acidity and loads of fruit. And unlike any other dry wine, this is pure magic! Dry riesling’s pair well with many summer and Asian foods and try soaking brats in this wine, grill them and drink alongside. You’ll be astonished by how the spiciness of the impact the taste of dry rieslings!

St. Hilaire

We don’t want to forget the bubbles. Sometimes Champagne is too expensive and Prosecco too blase’. We’re confident you’ll love this one! 

Blanquette de Limoux is made in the traditional champagne method in the small region of Limoux, France. St Hilaire was an abbey whose monks were making sparkling wines 100 years before Champagne got it right. It’s made from a local grape called Mauzac, Chardonnay, or Chenin blanc are allowed in small amounts. If you’ve never had a French 75, now is the time to try one. Lemon, gin, simple syrup, ice, and bubbles, OMG! There’s not a better “grown-up lemonade.”

Lillet

We can’t end the section on whites without mentioning Lillet. Made with the same wine as Bordeaux blanc as the base, Lillet is then fortified with an aromatized spirit infused with exotic fruits from around the world. With an abv of 17 percent plus, it makes a great aperitif over ice. Lillet also pairs well with creamy desserts like panna cotta or creme brulee. 

Plus, Lillet also makes a mean cocktail! Made famous in James Bond’s Casino Royale as a vesper martini. Gin, vodka, Lillet, and twist. We love using elderflower tonic. FYI, Lillet was also Jackie Bouvier Kennedy’s drink of choice, served over ice, during ladies bridge parties. You will find Lillet in the aperitif section of your local wine and liquor retailer. 

We hope you enjoy these 12 summer white wines for under $25. There’s never a better time to drink wine than right now!