Column | Aldi's wine selection is surprisingly good -- including these bottles under $15

A selection of Aldi wines recommended by the author. (Rey Lopez/For The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb) Nyjee Rivers bought groceries at Aldi for years before she ever considered venturing into its wine section. The appeal of the grocery chain's bargains on food didn't extend to its generic-sounding bottles. "I thought it was all going to be synthetic, or the stuff they squeegee off the floor of a winery and put into a bottle," says the private chef and sommelier in Columbia, South Carolina. Still, the rock-bottom prices caught her attention, and she was intrigued by the range of the selection. When she finally tried a few bottles, she was pleasantly surprised.