Can You Tell Cheap Wine From Expensive Wine?

Does a higher price tag equal better tasting wine? "Make It" staffers put cheap and expensive wine—ranging from $3.99 to $260—to the test to see if they could tell the difference.

The days of limiting yourself to Trader Joe’s “two-buck Chuck” simply because it’s all you can afford are over. Buying a delicious bottle of wine doesn’t have to break your budget.

“Price doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the quality or taste of a wine,” Jon Thorsen, author of the “Reverse Wine Snob,” tells CNBC Make It.

In fact, there’s an “incredible amount of good wine” available in the $10 to $20 range, Ray Isle, executive wine editor for “Food & Wine,” tells CNBC Make It.

Of course, if you’re a cheapskate and only want to pay a couple of bucks, finding a great-tasting bottle may prove more challenging. Thosen finds great wines under $4 are rare. They may not taste awful, but they probably won’t be something you’ll remember fondly either.

There are exceptions: In a recent tasting, several Make It staffers actually preferred Trader Joe’s cheap varieties to the expensive stuff, such as a $150 bottle of Chateau d’Ampuis Côtes du Rhône.

Whatever your tastes are, wine experts recommend following these five steps next time you’re shopping to find wines that are both interesting and affordable.

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Can You Tell Cheap Wine From Expensive Wine