Walk the wine aisle at the supermarket, and you’ll find bottles priced from two bucks to a few hundred dollars, can I find good cheap wine? And then there are the uber-expensive bottles sold only at auctions. So, why does the price of wine vary so much?

Is the quality of wine really so different? What does quality in wine even mean? Well, it’s an interesting topic, and you’ll find it’s a bit more complicated than you might think.

Here all you need to know about wine quality and prices, and why you can find exceptional wine at a bargain price.

What Goes Into The Value of a Good Cheap Wine or an Expensive one?

Making wine is an act of love, sure, but it’s also business.

To make wine, you first need grapes, which you can buy or grow. If you choose to grow your own, then listen to this.

One hectare of vines in the prestigious vineyards of Burgundy, France, can cost anywhere around ten million dollars. The same hectare in South America costs forty thousand dollars. That’s 260 times less! And you know the price of the land will impact one way or another the price of the finished bottle of wine.

DID YOU KNOW: If you’ve read the back of a wine label, you’ve seen some wines are aged in ‘new oak barrels.’ Each barrel can cost up to $2,000 dollars, and you need quite a few to make a decent amount of cases. They’re a terrible investment as well, they’re only ‘new’ the first time you use them.

Then there’s the wine itself. A bottle of wine, the label, cork, and barrels used, can cost between 3 to 14 dollars to make anywhere in the world, so it all comes down to the grapes’ quality and therefore their price.

What Makes a Wine Good or Bad?

In today’s world, with all our knowledge and technology, no one is making lousy wine anymore, even the most inexpensive bottles are quite tasty. That’s why no wine scores less than 80 points in wine magazines. But does that mean it is good wine? Also, does that make good cheap wine actually good?

If wine is well made and has no flaws, like stinky odors, we can safely say it’s good. Great wine, on the other hand, needs more than that — a sense of place.

Great wine reflects its origin, sense of place, or as the French call it, ‘terroir.’ If you practice enough, you can taste the French countryside, the extensive vineyards under the Andes in Argentina, or Uruguay’s rolling hills. That’s priceless right there, and wine connoisseurs are willing to pay a premium to taste special terroir.

Here’s the real tip of the day. There are great wines out there, expressing their terroir beautifully, but few people know about them — which means you can buy great wine at a great price.

How Uruguay Stands Out

Uruguay, not unlike Chile or Argentina, enjoys a blessed climate for growing grapes. The country also has decades of experience and a few dozen multi-generational families making fantastic wine. 

Wines made with Tannat, Albariño, Pinot Noir, Viognier, and Chardonnay are fabulous; there’s something for every palate and every food pairing.

 In today’s fierce market, wines from Uruguay have to compete in the big leagues against overwhelming wine-producing powerhouses like Spain, Italy, France, the USA, Australia, Chile, and Argentina. That’s tough for Uruguayan winemakers, but great news for wine lovers because we can enjoy premium wine at amazing prices. 

The day will come when Uruguayan wine will hit the mainstream, and everyone will be talking about it. Prices will rise, and we’ll continue to pay happily. Meanwhile, they’re a sweet deal hard to ignore. 

Great Value Wines To Buy From Uruguay

Here is a list with some good cheap wine under $25 from Uruguay you just can’t miss. 

Bodega Garzon Reserva Tannat, Maldonado, Uruguay

• Bodega Garzon Reserva Albariño, Maldonado, Uruguay
• Bouza Tannat, Montevideo, Uruguay
• Pisano RPF Reserva Personal de la Familia Tannat, Progreso, Uruguay
• Bodega Garzon Viognier, Maldonado, Uruguay

Great Value Wines To Buy From Other Countries 

Uruguay is not the only great valued region. Here are some of the best-valued wines from other parts of the world. 

• Bodega Alegre Valganon, Rioja DOCa, Spain
• Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico DOCG, Tuscany, Italy
• Teso La Monja 'Almirez', Toro, Spain
• Schloss Lieser-Thomas Haag Lieserer Niederberg Helden Riesling Spatlese, Mosel, Germany
• Dominique Piron Morgon Cote du Py, Beaujolais, France

Now you know it, wine comes in all price ranges, but quality, that’s entirely different. Enjoy a good quality wine from Uruguay; it tastes like a million bucks! And please browse around for some more useful content and share it with your loved ones, let’s make this community grow!