America's Most Wanted Wines Under $30

(Wine-Searcher) - While many Wine-Searcher users tend to focus on more expensive wines, over one-third of all U.S.-based searches are aimed at bottles under $30. The importance of this price sector is borne out by a 2013 Wine Market Council report, which found that purchases under $30 accounted for 63 percent of all wines bought in the United States. So which wines in this category are the most eagerly sought on Wine-Searcher?

Wines costing less than $15:

The results seem to indicate that big spending and a wide distribution network talk in this bracket, helping large producers' wines to bubble to the top.

First off, Italy's Castello del Poggio Moscato beats all U.S. wines to the no. 1 spot under $15. North America is a prime export market for Italy's largest privately-owned wine company, Casa Vinicola Zonin, and it was one of the first producers to home in on moscato's rise in popularity in the U.S.

Its profile has no doubt been helped by the company's aesthetically pleasing president, Francesco Zonin, whose sultry good looks are featured in TV ads and billboards across the country.

Adam Morey, the sales manager of Empire Wine, says he is not surprised to see a moscato topping the list, as it is proving a great entry point for new-to-wine consumers. "For many of them, the sweet white is their first introduction to wine," reports Morey. "I have heard people say, 'I don't like wine, but I do like moscato.'"

Wine behemoth E. & J. Gallo consumes the next two of the top slots. Its Apothic Red is followed by Wycliff Champagne Brut (which features a "twist and pop" resealable closure that would have Dom Pérignon turning in his grave).