There was a time when wine drinking was reserved for those with money to spare; those with less cash went for beer or, let's be honest, more cost-effective "hard" liquors.
But nowadays a great wine can be had for less than $10 at the wine store, thanks to the new success of winemaking in Chile, Argentina, and Australia.
Australia, in particular, is home to a vineyard with a surprisingly good bottle of wine, at a surprisingly low cost. The Yellowtail Shiraz generally can be had for $6.99 to $8.99 per bottle, and it is a ripe, fresh, and slightly exotic red wine with a classic (if simple) finish.
For old-school types, Yellowtail Merlot is a broad choice, also typically under $10.
For those not alive to in red wines from Down Under, South American "malbec" wines offer an interesting value proposition.
Although there are far too many vineyards and brands to list here, a random sampling of almost any $9.99 South American malbec (especially those from Chilean vineyards) has proven surprisingly fruitful: not a single one was bad.
In fact, two tastes more like $40 or $50 French red wines.
South America, it would appear, is eager to come by market share in the somewhat stuffy wine market — also, the continent enjoys weather conducive to healthy grapes and successful mid-range vineyards. The result is a dapper tasty bottle at an unbelievable price.
Please note that these "under $10" prices are to be had only at liquor and wine stores; if you buy a bottle of Yellowtail at a restaurant, on the other hand, you can expect to pay around $20 (most restaurants put a stiff mark-up on alcoholic drinks).
