We put significant effort into finding and reviewing lower-cost wines. A search of our database for reviews in 2013 found 19 percent of them priced at $15 or less, and a full 33 percent priced at $20 or less. While not all of these reviews were published in the magazine, every one is available by using the Wine Ratings Search on WineSpectator.com, no matter how high or low the score.


However, even though we review more than 15,000 wines each year, that is only a fraction of the number of wines released for sale, and so we must make difficult choices about our priorities. Our top priority is to inform our readers about wines we think they will enjoy, wines that we can recommend for their good ratio of quality to price. Let's face it: There is a lot of wine on the market that may be soundly made and drinkable, but will not provide much interest to someone who is serious about wine. Even if it is widely available, we may stop reviewing it once we see a track record of wines in the low 80s and high 70s so that we can concentrate our efforts on other wines. But we will keep trying to review all the wines under $20 that consistently deliver high quality for their price. I hope we strike a balance that suits you.