There are many ways to cut discretionary expenses, and wine is usually the last place I’d recommend doing so. However, going into the heat of summer, it doesn’t hurt to scale back to simple, undemanding drinks – please see the gin and tonic for backup. (Or better yet, a fino and tonic. It’s the best drink you’ve never heard of.)

I recently spent a week in Barcelona where nothing brought me more pleasure than cheap rosés that sold for a max of €2 per bottle. The guilty truth is that my favourite came in a tetra pack that cost €1.98 for a litre. Sometimes fine wine is more trouble than it’s worth – demanding thought and attention when you just want a tasty drink. Here are 3 wines that deliver just that:

Periquita White – $8.95

My go-to super cheap white wine is usually vino verde, which is something like 20% of Portugal’s exports (please note all economic stats sited here are entirely fictional). The spritzy, refreshing neutral wine is never a bad decision, but this incredible value has a great deal more weight and interest for about the same price. It is composed of Moscatel de Setúbal, Viogner, Verdelho and Viosinho, and there’s a nice bitter edge that keeps it interesting. This is the kind of wine that is made to wash down food, although specific pairing suggestions would be a waste of time.

Durbanville Hills Shiraz 2011 – $11.95

At this price, a lot of reds are cloyingly sweet and/or fruity, but this Shiraz manages a nice balance – dry with some fruit and vanilla oak sweet flavours, medium body and overall intensity and a bit of earth. It’s a very easy-to-sip wine with a bit more balance and interest than its price would suggest. A perfect all-purpose wine to put next to the barbecue or for backyard sipping.

Muga Rosé – $13.95

This is such a pretty wine that comes through Vintages in the summer and gets snapped up by bargain-hunters who love a façade of sophistication. It entirely transcends its price – lovely wild strawberry on the nose and a pure, stoney, entirely dry palate. It drinks like a rosé that costs $20 and needs no accompaniment, though it would play nice with most foods and be great next to a niçoise salad.