Great wine for less? That’s a Smart Buy.

At Vine Styles, we believe that quality wine should be approachable—not just in flavour, but in price too. That’s why we created our Smart Buys section: a curated lineup of wines under $25 that deliver far more than expected. But how can a wine be that good without being that expensive?

Let’s take a look behind the scenes.

So… what actually makes a wine expensive?

Sometimes, it’s justified. Wines that are hand-harvested, made with estate-grown fruit, produced in small batches, or aged for long periods—especially in new oak barrels—will naturally carry a higher cost. You're paying for the time, labour, materials, and the care that went into crafting something special.

Other times, you’re paying for marketing, prestige (Think Champagne), or packaging choices—like heavy glass bottles, premium corks, and elaborate labels—that add to a wines luxurious look, but not necessarily improve what’s in the glass.

Wineries that focus more on authentic flavour than flashy branding can cut costs in smart ways:

• Buying grapes instead of farming expensive land

• Using lightweight bottles and screw caps

• Machine harvesting (where appropriate)

• Avoiding additives and unnecessary processing

That’s where Smart Buys come in—wines made with integrity in regions you may not know yet, but will be glad you explored.

Trust the Journey: Great Wines Come from Unexpected Places

Take Romania, for example. Not the first place most people think of when shopping for Pinot Noir—but that’s exactly why it’s such a hidden gem. One of our favourite bottles, Chevalier de Dyonis Pinot Noir, is crafted at SERVE Winery by a respected winemaker focused on quality over flash.

I visited this winery while writing my thesis on Romanian wine and found incredible value in regions that are often overlooked. This Pinot is layered with dark plums, blackberry, blackcurrant, and raspberry, with a touch of forest floor on the finish. Totally Burgundian in style, but not in pricing.

It’s just one example of how stepping off the beaten path can lead you somewhere delicious.

“So how come brands like Barefoot are so cheap?”

Because they cut corners—and prioritize volume over quality.

Mass-market brands like Barefoot often source bulk grapes, just like some small producers do. But the key difference lies in the winemaking philosophy. These wines aren’t made to reflect a place or vintage—they’re engineered to taste the same, year after year.

To achieve that consistency, they rely heavily on additives: sugar, flavouring agents, and colouring concentrates that create a smooth, fruity, easy-drinking profile designed to please the widest audience. Some even use oak essence or powders instead of oak staves or barrel ageing, mimicking complexity rather than building it naturally.

You’re not drinking terroir—you’re drinking a formula.

These wines may be inexpensive, but they’re also stripped of the character, transparency, and care that make wine meaningful. In contrast, many lesser-known wines from small producers in underappreciated regions—like South Africa, Portugal, or Eastern Europe—offer real flavour and integrity, often for the same price or less.

So yes, some wine is cheap. But not all cheap wine is worth drinking. That’s why we built Smart Buys—to help you sip smarter and discover wines you’ve never seen before, from regions you might not know yet… but soon won’t forget.