In the course of my work as a wine consultant, it has become increasingly apparent that many people have little idea on how to select an inexpensive wine that is well made. The general populace thinks that in order to get an outstanding wine these days you need to spend an abundance of money. However, there are hundreds of examples of wines on the market today that represent quality, but do not cost very much. "Inexpensive" is a relative term, but for this discussion, I will be referring to wines that are less than fifteen dollars in price.

Without a doubt, I believe that Spain, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand are the best sources of good, inexpensive, all occasion wines made today. That's not to say that other countries don't make great cheap wine, but from a value standpoint people who want the biggest bang for their buck are best served choosing wines from these places.

For example, Spain makes some of the highest quality sparkling wine anywhere for a fraction of the price of French Champagne. Cava as it is known, undergoes two in- the-bottle fermentations just like Champagne does. It is made from grapes most of us have never heard of, but for $7.99 to $14.99 these wines taste great and are amazing food partners. Sweet to extremely dry, I would rather have six bottles of good Cava than one great bottle of the French stuff.

The wine makers of Argentina take Malbec (a red grape and one of the five classic Bordeaux varietals) and produce world-class wine of depth and structure that can hang with the best reds made anywhere. There are a lot of expensive Malbecs, but the majority available to US consumers fall into the under $15 category.

Chilean wines for the most part are extremely inexpensive(less than $10) and readily available in larger format bottles which are perfect for large gatherings. Whether Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Carmenere, the red wines of Chile exhibit an earthy component in their flavor that many find very appealing.

Pinotage, a cross between Cinsault and Pinot Noir is classic South Africa. a great food match, Pinotage at its best is a smoky medium bodied red wine that exhibits berry fruit flavors and plummy banana aromas. Different, yes! At $7 to $12 a bottle, a fantastic value!

Australia is home to hundreds of wineries that produce wines from every grape you may have heard of, but the money grapes are Shiraz (Syrah) and Chardonnay. World class in every way, expensive (over $50) examples

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