Have I ever told you how much I love Chianti? Yeah, I thought so. But please indulge me while I spend a few minutes talking about my affection for this old Italian standard … and tell you about another good one that cost me just over $10.

Chianti first caught my attention a long time ago, possibly before I was old enough to buy it legally. I would taste it while enjoying old Italian-American standards like red-sauced spaghetti and meatballs or lasagna in little neighborhood eateries in Louisville, New York, and Los Angeles.