by christopher beard

Created on: January 05, 2008   Last Updated: February 03, 2012

While money cant buy happiness, it certainly can buy wine.

When looking for a wine, keep in mind you don't have to leave a blood sacrifice at the altar of Bacchus to get a heavenly bottle. There are many fine wines at a very fair price. A cheap bottle does have its drawbacks, usually it can't be stored for years at a time on your rack without sourly transforming into nothing more than a vial of regret and, more commonly, vinegar. Many of the less expensive wines tend to have an unaged smoothness to them that really doesn't interpret a fine feel on the palate. So in that sense, an expensive bottle is more commonly a better deal when you are looking for quality.

In the years I have been tasting wines I have found a few very surprising examples of a fine wine at a cheap price. The most prominent one, which I always have at home, is 'The Little Penguin' label of wine. This is a bottle that usually sells for around five dollars and can be found for less, but has flavor that will amaze you. Just this new years I purchased several bottles and they were received amazingly well by my friends, and some of my rather snobby wine connoisseur co-workers at the restaurant. The latter bunch I wasn't necessarily aiming to please.

As for 'The Little Penguin' wine, it comes to us from an Australian vineyard, which makes me wonder why Little Penguin got right what so many other cheap Aussie wines seem to fall short on. In their selection of wine, the chardonnay is pleasantly dry, but surprisingly smooth and full, more like a few 20-50 dollar bottles that come to mind. The Shiraz is just right, perfect amount of fruit, perfect bouquet, just the right hint on sweetness, and the texture is velvety but not thick. The crown of their achievements though, has to be their Merlot. I promise it will taste like no other merlot within 30 dollars of the price range.

The Little Penguin wine is perfect for a quiet night or a celebration. Whatever your tastes may be, there's always an inexpensive wine that will suit you perfectly if you're willing to dig for it. When it comes to choosing the right bottle for yourself, it should really be up to only you to decide what fits.

Learn more about this author, christopher beard.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.