Every week when I do my regular grocery shopping, I try to fine two to three bottle of good but cheap wine. It's one of the few highlights of an otherwise grueling trip. I mean, really, what else is there to look forward to when grocery shopping other than long lines at the deli counter, people bringing their entire extended family to the store, and discovering that the one super important ingredient that you have to have is not on the shelves?

There really is an art to finding a good cheap bottle of wine, and this article from Vital Source actually has some good advice I thought:

Unfortunately there's no magic formula for finding a great bottle of cheap wine. There are hundreds of different of bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay available for the budget-conscious, and most of these wines are going to give you what you pay for. They're safe bets, the wine world's equivalent of a cheeseburger. People are going to buy them no matter what they taste like.

Most wine from California in this price range, for example, will be ripe, fruity and easy to drink, but rather boring. You also can't rely completely on a particular brand. Just because a producer's inexpensive Chardonnay is pretty good doesn't mean its inexpensive Merlot will be. Conversely, you shouldn't write off a brand after tasting just one of its wines; another variety might be much better.