I love occasionally splurging on a bottle of wine, but I also know that good wine isn’t synonymous with expensive — especially at a store like Trader Joe’s, where prices for great-quality items are almost criminally low. At Trader Joe’s, you can get wines with a high price point to celebrate milestones and other special moments, and you can get more affordable wines to bring to dinner parties or staying-home-with-Netflix parties. For those budget-friendly occasions, I polled friends, family, coworkers, winos, and Trader Joe’s employees to round up the store’s best under-$10 wines. (Got a little more money to spend? Try one of these under-$20 wines.) 2013 Green Fin White Table Wine This budget beauty is made with organic grapes — for just under $4, that’s a steal! The pop of effervescence in this white lambrusco nicely offsets the sweetness. Or to use my boyfriend’s description: “It’s kind of like soda wine.” Espiral’s white wine is a hot commodity in the summer.

It’s the perfect wine to sip while lounging with friends on warm days. Sauvignon Republic Sauvignon Blanc 2013 I’m not a big white wine drinker, but when I do, I go for crisp, dry Sauvs. Hailing from New Zealand, this one tastes slightly tart, tropical, and grassy. Kono 2013 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc This one tastes like no other Sauv Blanc I’ve ever had. buy wine online new zealandIt combines the ripest melons with a much-needed punch of lime.buy wine from the year you were born 2011 Dynamic Red Table Winebest white wine for afternoon tea A balanced blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon make up this biodynamic table wine. best wine for pain

Plus, the screw top means no wine opener needed! 2011 Castle Rock Pinot Noir According to one of my friends, Castle Rock Cabernet is the BEST wine at Trader Joe’s, but it’s a rarity. If you can’t find it, she suggests going for the Pinot Noir instead. 2012 Dark Horse Cabernet A number of people named Dark Horse as a favorite, and with good reason. easy red wine sauce for venisonIt’s got surprising complexity for such a reasonable price.best wine to drink in the fall I’m a big fan of Cocobon, but it’s on the sweet side, so you have to be in the mood for that. top red wine region spain“Drinkable” is the best word I can use to describe it.best wine valley in the world

Monte Ducay Reserva 2009 “The palate is deep and luxurious, with dark fruit and notes that give away the presence of the Cab—cassis and graphite,” according to the website Now And Zin. La Granja Tempranillo 2012 Whenever I drink tempranillo, I feel chic and worldly. And whenever I spend $5 on a good bottle of tempranillo, I feel like a damn superstar.best wine budget 2012 Apothic Red Winemaker’s Blend This wine stands up to bold flavors, so don’t be afraid to serve this at your next dinner party. It’s a much beloved go-to among Trader Joe’s wine aficionados. 2012 Trader Joe’s Reserve Happy Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon At nearly $10, this is the priciest of the bunch, but the wine guy at my Trader Joe’s proclaimed this the best red wine you’ll find for that price point. If your Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry any of these wines, ask store associates for their favorite cheap picks.

Every time I’ve done this, they’re always more than happy to help. Also, these prices are from a Los Angeles Trader Joe’s; wine prices at your store may vary. The holiday season is upon us, the time of year for family, friends, food — and wine. Yes, it’s true, I associate the holidays with alcohol. It never used to be this way (probably because I didn’t drink), but for the past five years, I’ve spent late November stocking our wine rack. There are several reasons for this: For a long time, I used the shotgun method of buying wine. I went to the store and bought bottles at random, usually based on whether I liked the label. Nowadays, however, I’m more methodical. I’m reluctant to buy a wine I haven’t tried before; I mostly buy wines I know I like. And I try to get them for as little as possible. My top tip for saving money on wine is to buy what you like. When you buy a bottle blindly, there’s a chance you won’t enjoy it. Buying bad wine is like pouring money down the drain.

But if you stick with old favorites, wine can be an excellent value. How can you tell what you like? You have to experiment. Wine recommendations should be treated like movie reviews: They can give you a general idea of what you’re going to get, but your actual reaction will be intensely personal. To know for sure, you have to taste a wine. When you find something you really like, write it down. For me, this only happens about once a year. When I taste a wine that knocks my socks off, I immediately send myself an e-mail so I won’t forget. After doing this for the past few years, I’ve developed a short list (of four wines) that I’d actually like to have on hand. There’s no need to keep elaborate notes (unless you want to). I’m an unsophisticated wine drinker. Heck if I know. Some people are serious about wine, and that’s fine. For me, though, wine is fun. Eating a good meal while sharing a bottle of wine is a bonding experience. Wine brings people together. And it does that just as well at $8 a bottle as at $80 a bottle.

Note: Blind taste tests have shown repeatedly that neither wine experts nor average joes can tell the difference between fine wines and cheap wines. Price is no guarantee of quality. As much as I love it, wine can be expensive. It pains me to spend $25 on a bottle of something to drink. So I don’t — not if I can help it. Instead, I keep my eye out for wine bargains. Here are five ways I save money on wine: I’m sure there are other ways to buy wine for less, too. Consumer Reports, for example, is a fan of buying wine online. (Their wine shopping tips include advice for buying via the web.) And I’ve always wondered if it might be possible to get a good deal by buying directly from the winemaker. If you have tips for saving on wine, please let me know. Further reading: If you’d like to learn more about wine, check out the Consumer Reports wine buying guide. It’s a short intro to the types of wine and when to drink them. So, how do I put these tips into practice?

That’s easy to answer since I’ve been doing so for the past couple of weeks. First, I do 90% (or more) of our alcohol shopping at the end of the year, when the best bargains can be had (at least here in Portland). We stock up during the holidays, and then don’t worry about alcohol for the rest of the year. When I start my holiday wine shopping, I check to see if I’ve noted any favorite wines over the past twelve months. This year, for example, I had two: the Graffigna Centenario malbec and the Domaine de Ménard sauvignon blanc. I don’t know where I drank these, but I liked them enough to make a note to myself. So, I headed to a local wine shop and ordered a case of each. (Along with cases of two past favorites.) For less than $8 a bottle, I now have wines I know I like — enough to last a year or more. Once each year, I place a big wine order, which lowers my costs. Next, I stopped at Safeway to buy some pricier wine. (We usually take this to parties; I don’t mind giving expensive wine as a hostess gift, but I can’t bring myself to drink it at home.

Using the sale I mentioned above, I bought six bottles regularly priced $20 or more. I paid a total of $96 for wines that would normally have cost $150. Finally, after Thanksgiving, I’ll carry the latest issue of Consumer Reports with me on a trip to Costco. If I find any of their recommended wines, I’ll buy two or three bottles of each. This brief burst of wine shopping will keep us stocked for at least a year, and will save us money to boot! A brief word about booze It’s more difficult for me to give advice about beer and booze. I don’t drink beer, and I’m under the impression that each state has different rules and regulations for the sale of distilled spirits. Here in Oregon, for instance, liquor stores are under the oversight of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which tightly regulates how and what they can sell, and at what price. Because prices are controlled by the state, shoppers can visit the OLCC website to download a price list and to see current specials.