It is time for my yearly posting on red wine retail prices in the US. The ugly part of the post is that wine prices at the retail level have increased substantially; 5-550%, depending on vintage and rating since last year, with an average increase around 20%. The 2021-2023 vintage column for the posted spreadsheet is likely representative of reality while the other columns suffer from low sampling rates for some ratings.

A 90-point red of recent vintage has a medium price around $43. Last year that same quality wine went for about $28. These are medium values for a bottle of wine, half are less, half are more. My personal rule of thumb is that the medium value is the maximum one should pay.  Additionally, at the beginning of 2024 you could easily find a 90-point red for $10-15. You may be able to still find a 90-point red in that price range, but it will take some effort. Most 90-point reds now start at $20.

As with last year, Argentina, Chile, and Spain offer the best value in red wines while France and US tend to be priced 3 to 4 times above those from South America and the Iberian Peninsula.