Value

Living up in Canada we NEVER see wine for less than $7 a bottle and even at less than $10, it is rarely considered "OK" by me and only once in a blue moon as "Good". So, what you can get elsewhere (especially in France, Spain or Argentina) right from the grocery shops is pretty well unbelievably cheap and often actually good. And, believe it or not, you Yanks are not too badly off either. Just go to "Trader Joe's", a great chain store operation that sells half decent stuff. They even have their own wine line, marketed under the Charles Shaw label for $2 a bottle. That's not a typo. TWO bucks. Therefore it's often called "two buck Chuck". This is bulk wine from California that they must buy for almost nothing; the bottle, cork, label, shipping, etc must cost at least $1.50 per bottle, so they're practically giving it away. Now, don't get carried away - they bottle most of the major varietals and most of it is horrid stuff, but, for some reason, the California Shiraz , 2006, rises above this. It is actually a "good" wine!!! Light berry aromas and really good fruit on the palate, this is medium bodied and an absolute steal for two bucks. I could drink this every afternoon! Hey, try it - whatyagotta lose? 2 bucks! (and you can always cook with it).
Now, this is not all they carry - I even saw a bottle of Caymus Special Select on their shelves (for over a hundred bucks...). However, I picked up a bottle of Bordeaux that costs over $20 at home for only $11. From the highly regarded 2005 vintage also. The Chateau de Seguin, Cuvee Prestige, 2005 has nice colour but a shy nose. Dry, tannic but balanced with black fruit and green peppers, this is a teeth staining Bordeaux at a steal of a price. A "good" wine. I'm glad I bought lotsa futures of the '05 vintage, coz if this is what you can get for $11, whoo -hoo!!!

Cheers!