Wine does not have to be tear-inducing expensive to be wonderful. I can say it again louder, if I need to. This is often the battle cry of the wine world- decent wine cannot be found for under (name your price) and I disagree. Strongly. It takes some effort and some knowledge to understand what you are seeing on the shelves, but decent wine can be found without breaking the bank.

This chianti is a perfect example. We have had it many, many times and you may recognize it from your own grocery store. Is it from some ancient vault in Italy tended to carefully by ancient means? Doubtful and at an under $20.00 price point, it reflects its easy to drink, non-stuffy nature. Perfectly balanced, it could still probably age a few more years and be great.

There are reasons, of course, why some wines are pricey. Limited bottle run market demand, name recognition, price of grapes in a particular region, land costs- yes, all of this can drive up the price not to mention the marketing costs and advertising. Boutique wines from smaller batch winemakers can also be spendy. And for a special occasion, great! However, for the every day wine to enjoy- a little research and trial and error can have you discovering some hidden gems. Cheers!