As lovers, drinkers and sellers of wine, one goal we are constantly seeking is to find great wines that are food friendly and enjoyable without breaking the piggy bank. Because we drink wine every day, we have to make sure our wine costs do not exceed our food costs. While we are happy to go without dinner one or two nights a week, a liquid diet just doesn't fly with our 2 1/2 year-old.

Within the past five years, we have been very successful with finding great wines from obscure areas in Spain that explore all different taste profiles. For instance, if we are looking for a refreshingly crisp white, we head to Rueda for a clean style of wine made from the local Verdejo grape. The flavors are of pink grapefruit, minerals and fresh peas with little to no oak. If we crave the buttery, full-bodied flavor of Chardonnay, we're in luck with the white wines made in Navarra. Full of tropical fruit and creamy notes, it is a perfect alternative to the white wines from Napa or Sonoma at 1/8 of the cost. From Castilla de la Tierra grows Garnacha and Tempranillo, often blended to make wines that drink very similarly to a light-bodied Pinot Noir: bing cherries and strawberries with earthy qualities to boot. Or we can head to Jumilla for a jammy, spicy, in-your-face blockbuster fruit bomb made from the indigenous Monastrell. Some people reading this article may think I'm speaking Spanish, but the translation is this: Spain produces delicious wines from all over the country that are affordable and made in a variety of styles that will please even the most finicky or sophisticated palate. And when I say affordable, I mean between $7 - $15/bottle.

Other great regions for excellent value are Southeast Australia and South America although the variety is not always there. You can find great Chardonnay and Shiraz in Australia in the $10 price range, but these wines tend to interest only one type of wine drinker. For those who like lighter, crisper, unoaked white wines or lighter-bodied reds, it's difficult to do that when buying from down under.

South America makes wines that can be excellent values as well from its flagship grape, Malbec that are delightfully fruit-forward and full of mocha and plum flavors. If these are styles of wine you enjoy, be sure to check out these regions.

While value is subjective, we feel there isn't any denying the pleasure of finding a great bottle of wine that is less than $10/bottle. You get home, you pop it open and you enjoy a glass before, during or after dinner. Depending on the wino you are, you may sip from 5:00 until you go to bed. Regardless of how you drink your wine, don't believe the myth that great wine is expensive. It just isn't true. Don't be afraid to try different wines. It doesn't have to be Merlot, Cabernet or Chardonnay to be worth trying. In fact, you will often find a wine you enjoy more when you venture out of your normal routine. When you're only spending $7 for a bottle of wine, it's o.k. to experiment with other grapes and more obscure regions. We truly feel like we have accomplished something when we find delicious wines that we can sell for less than $10/bottle. It's getting more difficult to do, but we make it our ambition and we're proud to say we can recommend some seriously good bottles of wine at seriously inexpensive prices.