Another request to field! I love this one.

I grew up in the age of corked bottles and hefty price tags as the norm for a good bottle of wine. Granted, I am just over legal drinking age! But to my credit, I was also raised in a family in which drinking (good) wine at a young age with dinner was accepted as the norm.

I've made it my business as part of the new generation of wine connoisseurs to dispel the ill-founded belief that good wine must have corks and cost over $25. It's horse-feathers.

So, proof first and then the verdict:

Countless articles and statements have been published by far more knowledgeable wine critics than little ol' me stating that more and more top wine makers are using the screw off cap (that I personally remember from that sleazy scene in Jim Henson's The Muppet Movie in which the waiter peels off the foil and uses a bottle opener to pop off the top of the champagne Kermit the frog orders -with straws- on his date with Miss Piggy). Don't take my word for it:

http://www.mspmag.com/multimedia/video/67121.asp

or

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_/ai_115040907

That's enough, you can do your own research...

Now for the verdict:

Now that I've upheld my personal belief that the screw off tops for wine bottles is not a mark of bad/cheap wine (quite the opposite) I will give my own list of 10 top wines for under $15...

One last caveat: please keep in mind that if you go to a wine store or a restaurant and sample a wine you like that cost $20-$30 in store, it is more than likely that you can find that same bottle of wine for $10-$15 at a wholesale store like Costco or a Wine and Liquor Warehouse. So keep your eyes peeled. Now for my list. Not in any particular order, although Punto Final happens to be my favorite pick.

1) Punto Final (Argentina- Malbec) This is probably my favorite bang for my buck. The bottle is very snazzy, it's black, with a nice, clean black label... I put it in a decanter to breathe for a dinner party I planned with my mother and many of her guests were stunned to hear just how cheap it was and where it was from. My own personal saying is that you can never go wrong with Chilean or Argentinean wine. I like the full bodied South American reds and the dry and crisp whites... try a Sauvignon blanc for instance.

2) Barefoot (California- Sauvignon Blanc) Not quite as classy looking as the Punto, it's hard to beat.... but it has that convenient twist off, and it's a great, clean wine

3) Little Penguin (Australia- Reds are all quite good) Cheap, flavorful and HELLO, how can you not like a wine with a little penguin on it?! You'd have to be heartless not to try it at least once.

4) Colombelle (Southern France- Sauvignon Blanc) Twist off, endearing floral looking bottling. You can't argue with the taste!

5) Marcus James (Argentina- Cabernet Sauvignon) Okay, just try it, you can afford to: it's $5. Fabulous for the price. Can't go wrong.

6) Leaping Horse (California- Cabernet Sauvignon) Under $6, worth a try, and it's full bodied.

7) Concannon Central Coast (California- Chardonnay) Now, I'm not a huge fan of the oaky chardonnays, but this one I like. Sort of lemony hints in there, and it's a good wine to drink if you want to have a nice wine that doesn't need to be accompanied by food.

8) Goats Do Roam (South Africa- Cotes du Rhone) Yes, it's a play on words. And a funny one at that. A good bottle to take to a dinner party to get a few laughs. And it's good too!

9) Veramonte (Chile-Sauvignon Blanc) People will swear they've had this "Italian wine" before. But they haven't, it's Chilean! Try it for yourself.

10) Gascon (Argentina- Malbec) You may have noticed that I'm a fan of Malbec. It's a great wine to serve with red meat. It's full, and rich and has sweet overtones... they tell me it's got something to do with the tannins. This one is $12 and is worth every penny.

Also, if you happen to live in the Chicago area, check out Kafka Wine Co. on North Halsted Street. The sweetest (and cutest) men work here and they boast over 250 hand picked wines for under $15 dollars each. Very modern/sleek feel to it overall, and they even have a user friendly system of categorizing wines that'll appeal to even the least seasoned wine drinker!

*I would like to add that my praise of screw off caps for wine bottles was merely an attempt to convince people that the bottle doesn't make the wine... please see this link for reasons to support cork bottle stoppers.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Who-is-Miguel