For the folks who may be dropping by this blog for the first time, I’d like to reiterate that the mission here is to explore budget-friendly wines – aka inexpensive.  That doesn’t mean all the selections I write about cost less than $5, less than $10, less than $15, etc.  After all, everyone splurges from time to time.  Nor does it mean that all the wines are bad – far from it.  Not all cheap wines are bad, and not all expensive wines are good.  There are times when you discover a wine in which there seems to be an inverse relationship between price and quality (or at least price and enjoyment).   Thus, I’ve had expensive wine that I didn’t enjoy at all, and I’ve had inexpensive wine that I thought was quite nice.  I’m always hoping to find the latter.

Winemaker:  Frontera (by Concha Y Toro)
Varietal:  Chardonnay
Vintage:  2013
Appellation:  Central Valley – Chile
Price:  $4.97

Notes:  The color was a pale yellow.  It’s bouquet was quite perfumey, reminiscent of orange jello.  Body was medium with a definite coat-the-tongue quotient.  Acidity was fine, and alcohol was at 13%.  Core flavors for me were orange, grass and citrus zest.  I thought this wine was surprisingly decent considering it’s very low price.  It was simple, but it was likeable.