Inexpensive Wines - any good suggestions?

[joolie]

(NOTE - I know many Christians are opposed to drinking alcohol and this has been discussed extensively elsewhere. This thread is not intended to offend anyone (I'm Canadian after all!) but to provide a light-hearted discussion for those of us who do enjoy a drink AND wish to save money doing so.)

One of the first things I realized when I began to budget, is how expensive alcohol is! My husband and I linger over wine during and after dinner when he's home (he's on the road for weeks at a time), and we typically arrive with a bottle in hand when we visit friends and family. I also like to enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day while I knit or work at my second job, writing online.

As my husband says, life is too short for bad wine. That said, I wonder if anyone out there has found good-tasting, inexpensive wine they would like to recommend. I am no connoisseur and am barely able to define what I like about a wine; I know only I have had very good and very bad wine, and price was not always the predictor of which it would be.

We enjoy Sauvignon Blanc by Kim Crawford. It is going for as much as $18 and $19 a bottle now, so I watch for the sales. My local store has it for $13 this week and I plan to pick up a few. I know there are less expensive brands too, though. I enjoyed a $10 bottle not too long ago, but find myself unable to recall the name (though I 'd recognize the bottle on the shelf!).

I'll try to do better, and hope others of you have suggestions too. Has anyone tried "Three Buck Chuck" from Trader Joe's? I fear it would be more like three buck upchuck, but might give it a shot

[Tristan]

Has anyone tried "Three Buck Chuck" from Trader Joe's? I fear it would be more like three buck upchuck, but might give it a shot

I'm not really able to give you any suggestions from personal experience because I never got into wine. However, some of my friends and family members who are into wine have tried "Three Buck Chuck" from TJ's -- each of them have told me it's terrible.

[KrozFan]

Has anyone tried "Three Buck Chuck" from Trader Joe's?

Gee, I remember when it was "Two Buck Chuck"... I'd give it a shot though, maybe it's an acquired taste because I thought I had heard some people say it's not that bad. If you hate it you're only out a little bit. A lot of people use it as cooking wine too I think.

Anyway I hear Yellow Tail is pretty good, it's Austrailan, and around 10-12 a bottle I think. My wife and I drink that, she likes it, but I'm not really a wine drinker and haven't really found any I'm particularly found of.

Everything is subjective though. I've had some top end liquors and couldn't tell the difference from some mid range ones. I've also had some really bad stuff. Mid-range stuff is often really good, but bargan basement type stuff is usually horrible.

[4jacks]

Boone's Farm !!!

[Denise89]

Joolie, my husband and I have just purchased a box of wine. The brand I cannot recall, but it is usually a great deal because it is the equivalent of four bottles of wine and it has a pour spout that keeps it from going bad and you can drink it for a while. I would check out your local liquor store and see their boxed wine deals because they can range from 13 to 18 dollars. Hope you'll check it out!