There’s one category of wine that I always hold near and dear to my heart. I classify these bottles as, simply, Wines For People Who Actually Like To Drink Wine. 

These are not the most prestigious wines, or the most expensive, or the most age-worthy, or the most brag-worthy. These are not wines for those who seek status or insider cred, or to flash their bank account, or to show how cool they are. Wines For People Who Actually Like To Drink Wine are fairly priced bottles, without too much fuss about them, that don’t demand too much of your attention, and pair well with a wide range of foods. Above all, they embody that elusive wine term: drinkability.

My latest addition to my list of Wines For People Who Actually Like To Drink Wine may come as something of a surprise: it’s white Burgundy. 

I’ve been drinking a lot of low-end Burgundy Chardonnay lately, and I’ll venture to say that they might be some of the best-value whites in the world right now. This may come as a shock during an era when top-end Burgundy prices skyrocket out of reach for most drinkers. But these are not the kinds of whites that Burgundy aficionados generally chatter about.

Burgundy might be complicated, but the wines I’m dealing with here are not complicated at all. I’m talking about a specific slice of the region, the white wines from Mâconnais, the southernmost part of Burgundy, right where it butts up against Beaujolais. 2021 was considered to be an excellent vintage in Mâconnais. 2022 may even be better. The big-time critics who review Burgundy seem to have an unwritten rule that good Mâconnais wines must always be rated between 87 and 89 points. This often seems to be a sort of straw man, to set up the rating of 95+ point wines from more prestigious crus.

In any case, a lot of wine drinkers have turned against Chardonnay. Mâconnais wines are perfect for anyone who wants to remember why people liked Chardonnay in the first place. They’re aged mostly in stainless steel, and are rarely oaky. They’re not the acid bombs that certain sommelier-approved lists are full of, but they generally have plenty of good acidity. Their balance of zing and fleshy fruit ends up pairing really well with everything from fried chicken to dumplings to tofu to pork chops. They are my go-to wines for weeknight takeout, and work really well with Thai, Indian, or Szechuan.

Most notable is their price. Decent wine shops always have a handful of these wines, most selling for between $18 and $25, and almost all under $30. When you compare these in price and quality to the mass-market, “entry-level” Chardonnays marketed to Americans, there’s no contest. Consider, for instance, that Josh Cellars Chardonnay now costs nearly $14. For just $5 to $7 more, you can drink something that puts you in a different universe.

We hear a lot about the wine industry’s looming oversupply crisis, and the blame gets placed mostly on the changing drinking habits of young people. But if you really dig into the data, this “crisis” is mostly due to the sagging sales of mass-market $10 to $12 wines. Meanwhile, the sales of more expensive, premium wines continue to rise.

To be blunt, the “crisis” is that a younger generation doesn’t want to buy the American wine industry’s garbage entry-level, industrially-produced wines. And I don’t blame them. Yet somehow, in Burgundy, they make the world’s most expensive white wines—and still are able to make very good ones for around $20. Why not steer this younger generation—the one that the industry sees as a problem—towards good-value wines like $18 Mâconnais?

One barrier to these wines’ popularity, however, is how they’re labeled. Almost to a bottle, they have bad labels—generally bland and white, scripty fonts with confusing French names, and maybe a basic line drawing of a château. These are not the labels that will capture the hearts and minds of Gen Z—or anyone, really. A decent Mâconnais estate that invests in some hip graphic design could print serious money.

In the meantime, when deciphering these labels, look for appellations such as Mâcon-Villages, Viré-Clessé, or Saint-Véran (which was once known as Beaujolais Blanc). Or look for Mâcon + a specific village, such as Mâcon-Péronne, Mâcon-Uchizy, or Mâcon-Prissé.

Learning this little bit of wine nomenclature will pay back big dividends, as you open up these deliciously drinkable wines on Tuesday night.

Budget Burgundy: Six Surprising Whites

2022 Domaine Delaye "Les Pierres Grises" Saint-Véran ($19)

Peachy, fresh, and bright, with notes of the entire stone fruit: flesh, skin, and blossom. Has elements that American Chardonnay fans will recognize, but the underlying notes of tarragon and rosemary, zesty citrus, juicy acidity, and salty finish make this something else entirely. Aged 80 percent in stainless steel, 20 percent in oak. Such a great value. 

2022 Domaine des Terres de Chatenay Mâcon-Péronne ($24)

Juicy and opulent, with aromas of apple peel, chamomile, green tea, and honey, and a fresh palate bursting with lemon and mint, expansive at mid-palate, and a core of saltiness through the finish. Aged in stainless steel.

2022 Cave Talmard Mâcon-Uchizy ($18)

Beautiful, unique, and unoaked with flavors and aromas of mint, green tea, ginger, and lemongrass, along with ripe pear and yellow apple and a cool mineral finish. Pour this for someone who claims “I don’t like Chardonnay.” Or give this to someone who’s already paying $14 for Josh.

2022 André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé ($29)

Super lively, very dry and lean, redolent of fragrant flowers and apricot, with nectarine and pineapple on the palate, all balanced by great acidity and flinty notes. Aged in stainless steel. Terrific buy that I would put up against some Chablis at double the price.

2021 Domaine Corsin Mâcon-Villages ($27)

I don’t always love the adjective “crushable.” But this is that. Fresh and vibrant, with yellow apple, ginger, and pretty white blossoms on the nose and lime zest, lemon curd, and a hint of something tropical, with a crisp, mineral finish. Aged in stainless steel.

2020 Domaine de la Croix Senaillet Saint-Véran ($24)

A couple years of bottle aging has only made this wine more vibrant and integrated. Aged nine months in stainless steel only, this fleshy and floral wine has a delicate nose of pear blossoms, tarragon, and lemon zest, while on the palate there’s ripe yellow apple, white grapefruit, an underlying nuttiness, and a wet stone finish.