Quality is not a matter of price: here are ten white wines that show how in Italy you can drink very well without spending too much. Let’s discover the authentic face of Italian wine, with a selection that tells about territories, grape varieties, styles and ideas of quality.
We saw this in the previous article dedicated to the 10 best red wines within 30 euros: the value of a wine is not only measured in prestige, rare vintages or iconic labels. In fact, a decisive part of Italian quality is revealed in the intermediate end of the market, where many producers express their identity with sincerity, technical precision and value for money that few other countries can boast. It is here that Local grape varieties, different terroirs and personal production styles find a privileged ground to tell the story of the richness of Italian wine, whether as white wines or reds or sparkling wines (we will see them next week).
Between economic sustainability and the pleasure of drinking well
Wines designed not as entry-level, but as authentic gateways to the different Italian territories. The result is bottles capable of surprising for aromatic finesse, clean execution and stylistic consistency, at prices that invite exploration and conviviality.
At a time when many of us are looking for balance between economic sustainability and the pleasure of drinking well, the category within 30 euros is a key reference. This is not a fallback threshold, but a true quality laboratory: the place where the winemaker’s hand must be effective without being able to rely on prestige-effect. It is precisely in this range that a winery’s ability to offer authenticity and character, without compromise, is measured.
Our selection
It is in this spirit that we present our selection of the best 10 Italian white wines within 25 euros. As in the case of red wines, it stems from the thousands of tastings carried out to make the The Essential Guide to Italian Wine 2026. Believe me, it is about extraordinary white wines (from 96 and 97/100) that demonstrate that the greatness of a wine does not necessarily need a high price but a vision, a vocated territory and a precise idea of quality.
This list shows us that the Friuli, and in particular the Collio, is the region that is most working on the quality of its wines at a sustainable price, even playing on different grape varieties. But then we fly Umbria to Lombardy, Marche to Apulia, Sicily, Abruzzo, and Alto Adige.. In short: these are very diverse areas and there are so many grape varieties used – Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon, Friulano, Vermentino, Grechetto and Trebbiano, Riesling, Bianchello, Verdeca and Bianco d’Alessano, Grillo, Pecorino, Pinot Grigio – that there is something for everyone.
Cheers!
Collio Pinot Bianco 2024 Russiz Superiore
Score: 97/100
Average price: € 22,00
100% Pinot Blanc. Steel and 15% French oak. Greenish straw yellow. Great elegance of aromas, fresh and intense, with hawthorn and jasmine flowers, then apple and pear. Full correspondence in the mouth, fresh, remarkably structured, richly fruity, persistent. (G.C.)
Best Pinot Blanc of the Year in The Essential Guide to Italian Wines
Collio Sauvignon 2024 Tiare
Score: 97/100
Average price: € 22,00
100% Sauvignon. Steel on the lees until bottling. Straw-colored with greenish highlights. Intense nose, notes of tomato leaves, sandalwood, anise, passion fruit. Elegant, streamlined texture, very juicy and persistent. Finish broad, vertical, flavorful and in great olfactory correspondence. (R.V.)
Collio Friulano 2024 Franco Toros
Score: 97/100
Average price: € 25,00
100% Friulano. Steel and small percentage in barrique. Straw yellow with green highlights. After acacia flowers, baked apple, pear and some cream on the nose. Remarkable is the impact on the palate, with a rich and balanced evolution, savory and persistent. (G.C.)
Best Friulano of the year in The Essential Guide to Italian Wines 2026
Torgiano Bianco Torre di Giano Vigna il Pino 2022 Lungarotti
Score: 97/100
Average price: € 25,00
Vermentino, Grechetto and Trebbiano. 2/3 in steel and 1/3 in barrique for 6 months. Brilliant golden. Enveloping and intense aromas of exotic fruit, acacia flowers, wild herbs, fresh almond and white peach. Palate composed, saline, very balanced, fresh, agile and remarkably persistent. (S.V.)
Valcamonica Bianco Videt 2021 Concarena Winery
Score: 97/100
Average price: € 25,00
€ 100% Riesling. Steel for 10 months. Golden yellow with greenish highlights. Rich, articulate and characterful nose with clear hints of hydrocarbons, yellow citrus, broom and hints of honey. In the mouth it is intense and full, taut and savory, endowed with an agile, snappy body and a fresh, elegant and subtle finish of surprising persistence. (L.B.)
Bianchello del Metauro Superiore Chiaraluce 2023 Crespaia
Score: 96/100
Average price: € 13,50
100% Bianchello. Steel on the lees and part on the skins. Fairly intense straw yellow. Ethereal, varied, floral nose of ripe yellow fruit and evident note of Mediterranean scrub. Remarkable mouthfeel, of rare and sunny pleasantness and flavor intensity. A clear sensation of freshness lengthens its persistence. (L.L.)
Itria Valley Silos 2024 Lasorte Cuadra
Score: 96/100
Average price: € 14,00
60% Verdeca, 20% Bianco d’Alessano, 10%, Maresco 10%, Minutolo. Only steel on the lees for 6 months. Bright straw yellow. Fruity and fragrant and slightly floral aromas, with notes of cedar, wild flowers and flint. Taste agile, snappy, taut, fresh, saline, irresistibly drinkable, with subtle and elegant body. (D.C.)
Sicily Grillo Lalùci 2024 Baglio del Cristo di Campobello
Score: 96/100
Average price: € 19,00
100% Grillo. Steel on the lees 6 months. Pale straw yellow with chlorophyll highlights. Intense, crisp nose, wild fennel, medicinal herbs, cedar, medlar. Balanced, savory texture with a very classy salty-acid progression. Compelling finish for persistence and verticality. (R.V.)
Abruzzo Pecorino We Will Play With Flowers 2024 Torre dei Beati
Score: 96/100
Average price: € 20,00
100% Pecorino. Barrique and tonneau, 1 year on fine lees. Intense, bright straw yellow. Broad and layered nose, with notes of dried fruit, toasted hazelnut, yellow flowers, hints of honey and nuances of herbs. In the mouth it is deep and textural, with great balance between structure and freshness. Savory texture, long persistence and aromatic precision. (F.G.)
Alto Adige Valle Isarco Pinot Grigio 2024 Köfererhof
Score: 96/100
Average price: € 20,00
100% Pinot Grigio. Steel and a small part in barrels for about 6 months. Straw yellow with greenish highlights. Fresh fruity notes of Williams pears, citrus and white flowers on the nose. Creamy sip, fresh and juicy. Saline and fruity finish. (H.T.)
