When faced with the task of finding good, drinkable wines on a budget, many will encounter apologetic wine experts who quietly usher customers into forgotten corners of the wine store, stacked with dusty old bottles of questionable product from strange corners of the globe.  But such journeys should never be the domain of the new leisure class, for our neighbors on the continent produce a wide array of fine wines that retain excellent European character and are priced at less than $10.  Today, let's take a look at a couple of them.

From France, we have the Laboure Roi Beaujolais Villages St. Armand, a very drinkable wine which is one of the few reds that benefits from a little bit of chilling. Beaujolais are typically quite drinkable, being rather fruity and not overpowering, and at under $10 certainly meets our budgetary considerations.

Next, from Italy we have the Marchesi di Barolo Maraia Barbera di Monferrato from Piedmont. A medium-bodied red that will pair nicely with either an introductory fruit salad or a that thing on the grill that you may have once called a steak, it too comes in at under $10. Piedmont, in northern Italy, is also home to some great stories and expensive wines that you can expect to hear more about from us in the future, so start drinking its wine now. You need to be prepared.