'They do have a lot to do with marketing budgets and convincing people to buy the wine,' he adds with a chuckle. 'Labels have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the wine,' Isle says. Some of her favorite brands of canned wines include Vinny and Lil Fizz, a California white blend from No Fine Print Wine. There are plenty of affordable options, including a lot of exciting boxed and canned wines hitting the market. 'Sometimes you'll be surprised with what you'll find,' she says. 'If you're not used to drinking wine, if it's not something you drink regularly, the most appealing flavors are the very straightforward fruit flavors that you get in inexpensive wines,' he adds.īut it's better to have an open mind, Anna-Christina Cabrales, general manager of Morrell Wine Bar in New York City, tells CNBC Make It. It's like approaching a new cuisine, Isle says. 'Push yourself out of your comfort zone,' Thorsen says. Instead, try a bottle of Chablis from France, which is made from Chardonnay grapes and typically has a light and bright flavor. Maybe you haven't liked Chardonnay in the past it's too buttery or too oaky for your taste. For white wine drinkers, test out a bottle of South African Chenin Blanc or Vinho Verde from Portugal, he adds.įor those who are less familiar with wine, the experts say it's important to not only try new regions and grape varieties, but also try wines you may not enjoy at first. If you're looking for a less expensive red, Thorsen recommends trying a bottle of Spanish Garnacha or a Portuguese red blend. Napa Valley, where the cost of half an acre of vineyard land is sky-high, will generally produce more expensive wine than the Mendoza region in Argentina, for example. Regions that have low labor costs and low land costs produce wine less expensively.

'It goes back to basic economics,' Isle says. Name recognition can drive up the price, but so can the location's employment dynamics. There are some wonderful, more obscure wines out there that can be fun to drink as well, such as Nero d'Avola from Sicily. 'I always suggest looking to lesser known regions and less familiar grapes - that's where some of the great bargains are,' Isle says. Both regions produce terrific red wines, Isle says, but they don't have the same name recognition. If you are looking for a good Cabernet from the U.S., reach for a bottle from Paso Robles in California, or Washington state.

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