Who says that you have to spend $90 for a good bottle of wine? Or even $20?

A 2005 Charles Shaw Chardonnay, aka "Two Buck Chuck," was named the Best Chardonnay at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition. The wine is sold for $1.99 at the Trader Joe's chain.

This article at the San Jose Mercury News says that it's not really a surprise that the inexpensive wine won, since judges often try to be contrarian at these events (especially if it's something fruity). The article also says that if you want to go down to Trader Joe's and buy a case you should be aware that the quality of the chardonnay can vary from bottle to bottle.

I'm not a white wine guy, but for $1.99 it has to be worth a try; and I'll still have money left over to buy some Doritos and Yodels!

Some might say that the best reds to have when barbecuing are red meats. Given that steaks and burgers are some of the top barbecue foods, there are few who might disagree entirely with that, but Food & Wine reminds readers not to forget the other reds: wines. I know that I usually think about drinks like soda, beer, margaritas, iced tea and lemonade as good choices for barbecues, as well as for dining outdoors in general. There's no reason not to add wines to that list, too.

According to F&W, a barbecue wine "shouldn't just be a fruit-bomb" and should mirror the smoky qualities of the grilled meat. Personally - most likely because I cook on a gas grill - I don't experience a whole lot of smokiness with all my grilled foods and would like something fruity to, in my opinion, enhance the juiciness of the meat. That's just me, though. Here are F&W's picks, all of which (except one) are under $20 a bottle"

• 2004 Pepperwood Grove Zinfandel ($8)
• 2004 Rocky Gully Shiraz-Viognier ($14)
• 2004 Frontier Red Lot No. 51 ($10)
• 2003 Santadi Grotta Rossa ($11)
• 2004 Woop Woop Shiraz ($11)
• 2002 DiBruno Santa Barbara County Sangiovese ($20)
• 2004 Alamos Malbec ($10)
• 2003 Dashe Cellars Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ($22)

We like 2003 Ravenswood Zin, Il Valore Primitivo and, of course, Two Buck Chuck, as well.

Everybody raves over Two-Buck Chuck, the sub-three-dollar Trader's Joe's wine made by Charles Shaw.

What they don't rave over-- but should -- is Il Valore Primitivo, a wine from the Puglia region of Italy (the "heel "of the "boot," geographically speaking). It's made from red Zinfandel grapes, and it's perfect with Italian food (naturally) but would work well with any grilled red meats. And quite frankly, it has a depth and complexity that one expects from Zinfandels in the $10 to $15 range.

The price? That's the best part. At the TJ's in Northern Virginia where I make pilgrimages once every six weeks, it's selling for $4.99.

So why spend money on Charles Shaw when you could have a real wine for five dollars? I'll admit, Il Valore Primitivo doesn't have a catchy nickname ("Five Bill Il" was the best I could come up with), but dollar-for-dollar, it's more bang for the buck than Chuck.

As is the case with these things the battle over Two Buck Chuck having Napa on the label has finally been settled. The wines, officially called Charles Shaw made the headlines as being of (generally) reasonable to good quality at just $1.99.

A lawsuit was brought against the producers, Bronco Wine Co., by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control after a request from the Napa Valley Vintners trade group. The wines label ran counter to a 6 year old state law that at least 75% of the grapes used to make wine must be grown in the county named on the label.

Bronco Wine Co. agreed to drop "Napa" from the label of a wine made with grapes grown outside Napa Valley wine region. Two of Bronco's Napa-named wines will contain Napa grapes, the company said.