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Wine PocketList

The 2027 Wine PocketList · Reds

Straight A’s for red wine under $30.

12 reds that wine judges and everyday drinkers both rate highly. Each one graded A+ to B+. Fits in your pocket.

Download this list (PDF)

No snobs. No 100 points.

Top of the class

Three Finger Jack Cabernet Sauvignon

Lodi, California · 2023

Judges 3 competitions Drinkers 28,000+ ratings

$18about

Take it with you

12 wines on one card. Print it on one sheet and fold it to wallet size.

Fits in a wallet or a shirt pocket, like the 1994 original
A new list every year, updated as vintages change
A good gift for the friend who always asks what to buy

Download this list (PDF)

Wine PocketList

The 2027 List · Reds · winepocketlist.com

Reds

AThree Finger Jack Cab$18
ACoppola Diamond Collection Cab$19
AKlinker Brick Cab$22
ABogle Old Vine Zinfandel$11
AJ. Lohr South Ridge Syrah$15
ARodney Strong Pinot Noir$25

AJuggernaut Red Blend$20
A−Trapiche Medalla Cab$20
A−Bogle Cab$11
A−Carol Shelton Wild Thing Old Vine Zinfandel$20
A−McManis Zinfandel$13
A−Bogle Merlot$11

How a wine gets an A

Two kinds of people taste a lot of wine: judges and drinkers. Each alone can mislead. When both agree, it’s a sure thing.

The judges

Medals from five big 2026 competitions. A wine needs silver or better from at least two of them.

The drinkers

What hundreds or thousands of ordinary people rated it. Low ratings knock a wine off, medals or not.

One grade

A+, A, A− or B+. Anything lower doesn’t make the list. Every grade is dated.

Medals and drinker ratings as of November 2026. Prices are “about”: they vary by store and state. Find it links search Wine-Searcher; we don’t claim any store has a wine. Bottle and label pictures come from each winery’s own website.