Want To Buy Quality Wine On A Budget? Don't Ignore These Label Clues

It's difficult when your taste level comes into conflict with financial concerns. You want to buy high quality items and support independent artisans, but between things like inflation, student debt, and an ever-shrinking budget, you find yourself forking over your hard-earned money for things that aren't always worth it more often than you'd like. When it comes to clothing, some people have turned to the capsule wardrobe — focusing on a few high-quality items rather than a closet stuffed full of fast fashion. And you can use this approach in other areas, too, such as a unqiue mix-and-match plateware set or silverware collection. But what about something designed to be consumed rather than held onto, like food — or, in this case, wine? Chowhound turned to Helena Nicklin, drinks writer, broadcaster, and founder of HelenaSips Wine Academy, for advice on how to buy high quality wine on a budget.

Nicklin's first piece of advice is to read labels. If you're buying European wine, they often have indicators on the label "like AOP, DOC, and DOCG. etc., which are all essentially shorthand for wines that are typical for their place in terms of style and have a decent quality baseline," Nicklin says. AOP, for example, means Appellation d'Origine Protégée, and signals buyers that the wine has been produced according to strict standards. However, when it comes to non-European wines, Nicklin's advice is to "look for more defined production areas such as Barossa Valley rather than just Southeast Australia. It's also a sign of intent when grapes are 'estate grown and bottled' as there's more control over quality."

If you want to narrow down the playing field before reading the labels too closely, having a few go-to budget brands can be helpful. As Helena Nicklin says, "There are some more accessibly priced wine brands that knock it out the park for quality, where others in their range taste like synthetic, boozy fruit juice." Two brands that have consistently impressed her are La Vielle Ferme (specifically, the company's boxed wine) and Yellow Tail. "La Vielle Ferme is made by a renowned Rhône winemaker, so it's hardly surprising that it's actually good," she explains. And of course, where you shop matters, too: Trader Joe's, Aldi, and Walmart are all grocery stores that have a fairly broad selection of cheap wines.

In terms of country of origin, France or Germany may spring to mind when thinking of wine more generally. France, of course, is the origin of notable wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir (among others), while Germany is known for its Riesling and Gewürztraminer. However, when it comes to budget wine, Nicklin has a few, more out-of-the-box recommendations. "Portugal is my go-to country for fantastic wine that is never as expensive as it should be because the grapes are lesser known and hard to pronounce," she says. Portugal's grape varieties include Viosinho, Trajadura, Gouveio, and several others. But the list doesn't end there: "​​Romania makes excellent, affordable wines. Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina also top the 'New World' list for affordable wine that's made well," Nicklin continues. It's a good idea to look for wines from these regions when shopping on a budget.