TheLushLife.ca’s annual Top 40 Wine Values Under $20 is coming out within the week, but here are two excellent values in the sub-$25 category to wet your whistle in the interim—perfect ways to warm your innards during these drizzly, chilly autumn days.

Wakefield Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 — South Australia ($24.95)
This is a distinctive, potent, vibrant wine, with grapes sourced from two separate regions. The big, ripe, dark fruit is courtesy the Clare Valley component, while the powerful eucalyptus notes that pour out of the bottle and finer tannins hail from the Coonawarra region. The fruit is dark—blackberry and blackcurrant, with cassis and cigar box aromas. The 14.5% abv is disguised somewhat by the mint (not to mention the slight chill I like to serve this wine at). Decanting helps quell some of that minty punch. 90

Aimery Grande Cuvée 1531 Crémant De Limoux (NV) — Roussillon, France ($24)
They were intentionally crafting wine with bubbles in Limoux in southeastern France more than a century before they got around to it in Champagne, and that’s where the name “1531” comes from—the year sparkling wine was reportedly invented by Benedictine monks in the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire. Made in the same traditional method as Champagne, this non-vintage Crémant offers a tight creamy mousse, with notes of nuts, green apple, pear and even a hint of marshmallow. It’s dry (just 7 g/L) with great consistency and persistent bubbles through the finish. 12.5% abv. 91