It's just not true at the very low price points. I can drink 3 buck chuck anytime but I will know it is 3 buck chuck. Why? It's much harsher and lacks any depth in flavor.

Now give me a good wine in the $15-20 range and it can be incredibly satisfying. There are also plenty of bad expensive wines. But as you dip below the $10 mark I have yet to find a wine that isn't much harsher and harder to drink.

3 buck chuck is not the same wine each time. It is whatever is surplus and they can get for a low price (and meets whatever their quality standards are), and sometimes it is the exact same wine that goes for $40 or more. They sell it off for cheap to reduce supply to maximize profits. I know a "wine snob" from Napa -- he actually was paid well to write about wine -- and he explained in detail, and mentioned that there were lots of "in the know" wine lovers who would go to Trader Joe's, buy a bottle, take it to their car and taste it to decide if they wanted to go back in and grab 20 bottles.

Interesting point, I did not know that and will have to try it (I don't live by a Trader Joe's so don't get to do this often). Thanks for the tip.

I should mention that Wikipedia contradicts this, so.... I don't know.

Any recommendations?

In terms of value: For red, Portugal can't be beat. For white, Gascogne.

Tempranillo. It's light like a Pinot Noir, but without the cachet that the Sideways movie gave, so they tend to be cheaper.

I am super pissed in a not actually pissed at all sorts of way that my local liquor stores seem to be stocking entirely 100% tempranillo. I don't know if Spain just gave into the American obsession with varietals or what but personally I love a 70-90 trempranillo but it's very much a grape that benefits from a blend.