Bougie On A Budget: Cheap Wine Isn’t (Always) That Bad

Some days, you want to feel a little extra fancy. Most days, you can’t afford it.

There’s a solution for that: ridiculously cheap wine from your local supermarket, off-price department store, or even gas station. Just leave the stigma at checkout.

If you’ve never had the privilege of sipping $10 (or less) wine straight out of the bottle, you’re missing out on a truly formative experience. There’s nothing quite like the stripped-down satisfaction of sipping something deliciously discounted — wine or otherwise.

Unfortunately, the commonly held assumption is that cheap wine requires poor quality, but that’s not always the case. Don’t believe us? Take it from the experts.

To each taste bud their own

Brianne Cohen, L.A. based wine educator and sommelier, says her clients often can’t taste the difference.

“I put two wines in muslin bags, and a fun one is to guess the $100 wine. I can’t tell you how many people are preferring the $10 bottle without knowing it.”

Of course, if you become a professional taster — like Cohen — you’ll be more keen to certain discrepancies.

Higher quality, expensive wines typically have more balance and complexity, and what Cohen calls a “long finish,” so that “when you swallow the wine, you still feel and taste all the textures and mouthfeel and flavors.”

She explains it like this: If you’re asked to describe a cheaper wine, you might say it tastes like cherries and plums. A more expensive wine, then, would taste like bing cherries and really juicy plums. You might also pick up on some toastiness and smokiness from the oak barrel aging. All of those things lend to complexity over simplicity.

Look — there’s nothing wrong with good old cherries and plums. Taste is subjective, as is the definition of “cheap.” But where is the line between affordable, quality wine and glorified grape juice disguised as cabernet?

From grape to glass

Eons before you take that first sip, each bottle of wine goes through a lengthy, complicated process. Between vineyard maintenance, labor costs, transportation expenses, and marketing, wineries weigh plenty of factors that influence the overall cost of production. That’s why you might see a $4.99 bottle next to a $50 one on the same shelf.

Workers pick grapes at the Lasseter Family Winery in Glen Ellen, California.

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Lasseter Winery

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According to Cohen, the cheapest wine tends to be mass-produced with subpar ingredients. This often means widespread use of artificial fertilizers and reliance on additives to make wine saleable. “It really doesn’t look like an agricultural product anymore, it’s almost like a chemistry experiment,” she says.

On the other side of that spectrum are the more “honest” wines, made from quality ingredients grown in the same region they’re processed. Don’t worry: They don’t always require you to break the bank, either. “Number one, start international. Wines from Spain, Portugal, sometimes Italy, have really great values out there.”

Something else to consider: inflation. Over the last two to four years, Cohen’s noticed that $8-12 wines have jumped closer to $17 — and not because of better quality.

Cheap choice overload

Today’s wine world is saturated with countless options to fit your taste and wallet needs. These days, you can pretty much find anything at your price point.

“If you want to spend $300 on a Napa cabernet, you have a lot of choices. If you want to spend $7 on a flavored wine that tastes like pineapple and jalapeno, that’s out there too — and you’d probably have a few choices.”

Limitless possibilities can lead to a sense of overwhelm, especially if you’re new to the wine scene — and maybe a little intimidated. Lucia Palm, another L.A-based wine educator and sommelier, noticed that sentiment online. She’s since amassed a large TikTok and Instagram following by recommending quality wines and pairings on a budget.

“There’s certain varietals that, because people don’t know about them, they are going to be a lot cheaper,” Palm says. She particularly likes the $5 Grüner Veltliner at Trader Joe’s.

Getting guidance

If you’re feeling overloaded, Cohen recommends setting your price point ahead of time to fend off the pressure of that scary wine list. She also suggests stepping into an actual wine shop — not a grocery store — for solid options under $20 and friendly assistance without pretension.

“Just having that personal attention, because wine is something that people don’t have a language around. When you have someone with you, it can be kind of disarming.”

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Igor Klimov

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Or, you can always stick with your go-to $4 “red blend.” Wine, like everything, is a personal preference. You’re free to choose whatever you want.

Except for boxed wine, please.