We should apparently be using salt to improve our cheap red wine

When you’ve reached the Age of Wine — AKA when you finally decided that marshmallow-flavored vodka shots just aren’t fun anymore (been there, done that, we can vouch), it becomes clear that wine must become your go-to beverage of choice.

But because not everyone is a vino connoisseur, cheap wines tend to do the trick. A $7 Malbec or a $20 Merlot or $90 Montepulciano? Who really cares! Especially now — since we’ve figured out that salt can spruce up the flavor of any cheap wine. Hooray for wine hacks (and salty wine!).

So where did we find out about this trick? From the most unlikely source, actually.

According to Delish, Microsoft’s former chief technology officer, Nathan Myhrvold, casually mentioned that he popped a pinch of salt (we don’t know who would admit to this, but OK) into his wine one night at dinner.

To be fair, he was sitting with Gina Gallo of E. & J. Gallo Winery, who was lamenting the fact that her Cabernet wasn’t savory enough. So, Myhrvold used the salt to literally make the wine more savory — et voila! A cheap red was magically transformed into a super Tuscan. Well, sort of.

And if salt’s not doing the trick, you can always go with blue wine or try these other other genius wine hacks. Because life is short and wine is expensive and why not?

While we wouldn’t go around sullying every glass of wine, it’s worth remembering if you’ve ever got a red that lacks oomph or fullness. Then again, you could also just order another glass of wine. But we’re here to save money, right?