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Valentine's Day is around the corner. Here are 20 wines that cost less than $20, split between North Carolina and everywhere else. Hope something here fits your mood — and budget.

North Carolina

RagApple Lassie Vineyards Kaleidoscope Red ($17): This Boonville winery's take on this nonvintage blend: "Just like good sex, this delightful, full-bodied jewel teases the palate with a hint of sweetness and a promise of spirit in its long, lingering finish." The 1 percent residual sugar in this blend (Mourvedre, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon) should spark consumers not overly fond of tannin.

2007 Flint Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($16): Surprisingly rich style for a grape that can be a headache in North Carolina. Ripe blackberry, black cherry, blueberry and licorice. Great color, long finish.

2008 Round Peak Vineyards Sangiovese ($18): Hibernating in neutral oak, this award-winning red is a blackberry-blueberry-plum-black cherry blast. The grape hails from Italy's Chianti region. An interesting interpretation from this Mount Airy winery.

Allison Oaks Vineyards Proprietor's Blend ($16): This Yadkinville winery blends Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel into a silky soft, fruit-forward nonvintage red that's Beaujolais-like on the palate.

2007 Shelton Vineyards Cabernet Franc ($14): The freeze that wrecked whites in early 2007 thawed, turned warm and sunny -- and extended that trend deep into the summer and early fall, allowing extended hang time. Perfect for red wine grapes. Black cherry, blackberry, chocolate and peppery spice. A silky red.

2009 RayLen Vineyards Category 5 ($18): This is always a consistent, fruit-forward, full-throttle red with complexity and elegance. Winemaker Steve Shepard blends five grapes -- Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet France, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot -- to craft a Bordeaux-like style. Its distinctive label -- and title -- conjure the power of this wine, likening it to the most powerful hurricane designation.

Surry Community College 2009 Red Dirt Rose ($12): Reminiscent of the d'Anjou and Provence roses in France. This quilt of Syrah, Sangiovese and Chambourcin -- delicately pressed and given just enough skin contact to toss some hue -- conjures dried cherry, raspberry and loganberry. Students in Surry Community College's viticulture and enology program enjoy experimenting, and their vineyard showcases a stunning variety of grapes.

Cellar 4201 2008 Cherokee Red ($16): Medium-bodied red with juicy dark fruit and earthy hints. This East Bend winery blended Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese and aged it 13 months in French oak.

2008 Brandon Hills Vineyard Raptor Red ($19): Primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but a splash of Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and Viognier round it out. Shows red berries, chocolate and fine tannins. A portion of each sale supports the Carolina Raptor Center, a sanctuary near Charlotte for birds of prey.

2007 Grove Winery Norton ($17): Norton is a native American grape, probably a hybrid, that does well in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. It has a growing fan base for those who like rustic, earthy reds.

Around the world

2008 Glen Ellen Old Vine Zinfandel ($8): A California fruit bomb of jammy blackberry, boysenberry, black licorice on a silky frame that almost has a hint of sweet on the finish. I was in Harris Teeter grumbling, "When is someone going to put a good, everyday red in a big bottle that isn't Cabernet or Merlot?" I picked up this 1.5-liter on a whim. I'm going to keep picking it up and drinking it through the week because it costs $4 a bottle.

2009 Evodia Garnacha ($10): An explosion of ripe cherry, plum, blackberry and black licorice. Velvety texture, medium-bodied and lingering finish. The Grenache grape is usually a blender in France and Australia, but Spain likes it lonesome, and this shows why.

2008 Chateau de Paraza Minervois ($11): From southern France comes an easy drinking red. Lots of black cherry, blueberry, licorice and an earthiness that knits it all together.

2007 Mirassou Merlot ($11): This brand, from Gallo's huge portfolio, frequently offers good value among California reds. Plum, licorice and cherry on a sleek frame.

2009 Cusumano Nero d'Avolo ($11): A fruit-forward red from Sicily, this is a smooth, easy drinking wine popping with black cherry, strawberry and plum. Nero d'Avolo is this island's signature red wine.

2008 Navarra Correas Malbec Private Collection ($12): Argentina's famed Mendoza region is all about Malbec, a spicy red of black cherry, blackberry, and white pepper. In France, the grape shows well in the Cahors region, but most Americans are introduced to this medium- to full-bodied red via Argentina.

2009 George DuBoeuf Beaujolais -- Morgon -- Flower Label ($14): 2009 is one of the best vintages for this French region. There's ordinary Beaujolais, and then there's a huge step up -- the 10 specific villages that dig this grape most. Morgon is one. It's sometimes likened to a poor man's Pinot Noir. Beaujolais isn't the grape but a place -- the place where Gamay dies and goes to heaven. Black cherry, currant and chocolate.

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Vineyard Merlot ($16): Consistently among Washington state's best Merlots. A tiny bit of Syrah is blended to add depth. Robust and jammy, here's silk in a glass, bursting plum, loganberry and cassis.

2005 Bodega Montecillo Rioja Reserva ($17): Fans of mature reds look to Tempranillo in Spain's Rioja region. The reserves go through longer oak-aging and bottle-aging before release. This shows hefty oak, firm tannin, black cherry, anise and fig.

2007 Beringer Napa Valley Merlot ($19): There are still a few old-style Merlots out there -- silky tannin and jammy dark fruit -- at old-style prices. This producer has pedigree for quality and value.

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Contact Ed Williams at williamsonwine@gmail.com