Baller Wines at Bargain Prices: A Guide to High-End Drinking on a Low-End Budget

One of the defining moments in my life occurred at the age of 13, in the skincare aisle of a CVS in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. I wanted to buy Oxy acne pads, and my dad was trying to convince me the store brand was the exact same thing, only a lot cheaper.

“Just look at the labels — they have the same ingredients,” he said. I didn’t want to believe him — he was my dad after all, what could he possibly know about anything? But there it was in black and white — “Active ingredient: Salic acid, 2%.” My face burned, and not from the imagined effect of those pads wiping oil off my face, but from my brain splitting. Who was I going to believe, my preconceived notions, or my lyin’ eyes?

It took me years to fully accept this lesson — aided in part by having to spend my own money on things as opposed to my parents’ money. (Oh the irony then, decades later, to be arguing with my 6-year-old why the dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets in one bag were the same as the cheaper off-brand bag). My journey from brand snob to bargain seeker was a slow transition, but the older I get, the more I revel in finding a deal, and in particular objects with a high “quality to price ratio,” or QPR. This applies to everything I buy, from clothing to food, and yes, even wine. My approach to shopping may anger my…