Free news from New York and great $9 wine!!

C’mon, isn’t this every over-educated, artsy, navel-gazing intellectual’s dream? Well, I know it’s mine.

First, the New York Times announced on Monday it would stop charging for certain “select” (read: everything with wit, context, opinion, or Thomas Friedman’s byline) articles. And today, they not only run a terrific piece on the legendary Alice Waters, there’s also a column called Happiness for $10 or Less, all about great, high-quality but ridiculously inexpensive red wines.

You have to scroll all the way to the end of the second page to see the full list of top-rated 7, 8, 9, and 10-dollar wines. Of them, I heartily recommend the Ravenswood (though they cite the Merlot and I’m partial to the Zin). This label is a staple in my house, especially toward the end of the month when money is tight.

Check it out. And write in if you have any contenders to add.