Is a $3 bottle of wine worth drinking? Yes, if it’s Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw merlot. Charles Shaw beat far pricier merlots when our experts recently tasted dozens of malbecs, merlots, and pinot noirs, varietals that work well with a range of foods (think Thanksgiving dinner). The best wines in our Ratings can be drunk now but might improve in the next year or two. They should be served at temperatures in the mid-60s. Malbec is boldest of the three. Com­­mon flavors include plum, blackberry, cassis, black pepper, oak, vanilla, and tobacco. Malbecs with a firm structure (a pleasing feeling in the mouth, imparted by acids and tannins) pair well with rich, fatty, savory dishes such as steaks, roasted meats, stews, and risotto. Simpler, fruitier malbecs go better with casual foods such as burgers, pizza, and party snacks. The rated malbecs are from Argentina and are 2010 vintage. Merlot is medium bodied, and a classic high-quality merlot is known for its velvety feeling in the mouth.

In addition to berry, black pepper, oak, and tobacco flavors, merlot may have hints of licorice, herbs such as mint, and (yes, again) leather. Malbecs stand up even better than merlots to fatty or charred foods. The rated merlots are 2009 vintage except Velvet Devil, McManis, and Charles Shaw, which are 2010. top selling wine in the usaChateau Ste. Michelle and Velvet Devil are from Washington, the rest from California. best wine tasting on long islandTwo that didn’t make the cut: Shafer, $47, and Target’s Wine Cube, $4.50 per 750 milliliters. best wine to celebrate withDespite the price gap, their scores were similar.Chateau Ste. Michelle and Velvet Devil are from Washington, the rest from California. Pinot noir is lighter than the others, and usually dry.

It has more subtle flavors than most reds, and tannins are lighter, which lets fruit be the focus. In addition to berry, herb, vanilla, tobacco, and leather notes, it can have jammy, vegetal, and cedar (think pencil shavings) flavors. “Classic Burgundian” often describes high-quality pinot noirs, which may have a slight gamy aroma that adds to their complexity. Among the three reds, pinot noir is the top choice to accompany turkey or other fowl. It also partners well with fish, roasted vegetables, fruit, and some pastas. The rated pinot noirs are 2010 vintage. Oyster Bay and Spy Valley are from New Zealand, the others from California. Pinot noirs tend to be a bit pricier than other varietals, partly because the grapes provide a lower yield.Plenty of tasty choices cost $15 or less. Note that not all brandmates are of equal quality. Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Indian Wells merlot, for instance, was excellent; its Canoe Ridge Estate merlot was decent but not among the best.

Do wine aerators work? By infusing oxygen into red wine immediately, as you pour, wine aerators are supposed to let you avoid waiting to let wine “breathe” before you sip. We had two trained wine experts and 62 untrained tasters sample Gato Negro Cabernet Sauvignon poured directly from a bottle and through each of two aerators: Metrokane Rabbit Aerating Pourer, $25, and Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator, $35.The Rabbit lessened some of the fruit flavor that dominated the nonaerated wine, so subtler woody/earthy flavors could be appreciated; the Vinturi let spicy and vegetal tastes come through. But when the wineglasses sat uncovered for a half-hour, the aerated and nonaerated wines began to taste more similar. Our 62 novices tasted differences but varied over which option was their favorite.Gadget fans and impatient oenophiles might like an aerator. Doing the research, finding the bottles on your own, and taking chances can reward an array of experiences and beautiful wine.

Liz Thach, Ph.D., a professor of management and wine business at Sonoma State University in California, has tasted a lot of exquisite—and expensive—wines. “But I also love finding a great bottle for $8,” she says.That’s why we asked Thach, who has been a judge in about a dozen wine competitions, and other experts for advice about finding quality wines at affordable prices. This is what we learned: Thach says that 30 percent of wine buyers are overwhelmed and confused by the number of wine types and brands on store shelves. To complicate matters, many wine shoppers are cowed by what they describe as the pretentious aura and cloying commentary surrounding wine. “Is that bottle worth $100? “But wine preference is really subjective and you shouldn’t be intimidated, because it’s easy to get a good bottle of wine for $10 to $20.” So don’t listen to wine snobs. Declare your right to find whatever you like. And since it’s better to fall in love with a wine you can afford long-term, try inexpensive ones first, then work your way up the price ladder until you find your next best combination of price and magic.

What better way to confirm the truly populist nature of wine than by buying it at Costco, the largest retailer of this product in the U.S.? Prices are typically lower than at other stores. Wines from Costco’s private label, Kirkland, offer exceptional value. The 2011 Sonoma Chardonnay ($7), for example, is a Consumer Reports Best Buy in our Ratings. Costco also provides another service to overwhelmed consumers by offering only a limited selection of quality wines. “, which has been reviewing wines sold at Costco, most of them $20 to $25, since 2008. And if you want to experiment with fancier wines, Costco is a great place to get them at a lower price than you’d pay elsewhere, Cullen says. He reviewed a 2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape that cost $80 at a Costco in the Atlanta area but $100 in a shop just across the street. Note, however, that differing state laws prevent Costco and other large chains from selling wine everywhere, which limits this money-saving option to 36 states.

Check our buying guide for reviews of red, white, and sparkling wines as well as information on food-and-wine pairings and serving temperatures. Also, find a wine chiller for storing your best bottles. American wineries produce 72 percent of the wine consumed in the U.S., but you can score significant savings on many quality imports. , are Argentine malbec, Chilean cabernet sauvignon, Riesling from Austria, Beaujolais, Chianti, verdejo from Spain, chenin blanc and pinotage from South Africa, and cabernet, sauvignon blanc, and shiraz from Australia. Shop for bargains online and its Best Buys Wine Finder tool. It asks what type of wine grape, region, and price range you’re looking for, then searches more than 9,000 price lists of wine stores, wineries, and wine auctions around the world (but mostly in the U.S.) to find the best quality-price ratio based on wine-rating scores. “Sometimes I can order a bottle of wine from New Jersey and have it shipped to California at a better price than if I bought it here,” Thach says.