• Choose your supermarket.
• Search by colour and price, country or grape.
• Go to your supermarket. Buy it, drink it, rate it.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is no such thing because it's a moving target.

Supermarket brand wines such as Trader Joe's "two buck Chuck" are not consistent.  Some years it's acceptable or even pretty good.  Some years it's absolutely horrid.  Why?  Because they source wines from different wineries, blend it, and bottle it.  Because of this you will never know where the wine actually comes from, and what you will get each time will be completely different.  To ask which supermarket brand wines are the best is like asking what designer jeans are the best at a closeout store like Filene's -- there is no real answer to it because the offerings will be different every time you go.

You are much better off trying a number of $5-$10 wines to identify one or more good wineries and specific brands, and then buying them at the lowest prices you can find.  This may mean ordering whole cases online.  And you wil also know what to pick up from the supermarket.  Personally, my favorite low cost red is Solaz.

If you find a supermarket wine to your liking at any given time, I would just buy a case or more right away, from the same batch.  It might have come from a really good vineyard that was getting rid of excess stock for whatever reason, and would very likely not happen too frequently.

OK. I don't really understand what you all consider "supermarket wines". I live 30 mile outside of Chicago. The major stores are Jewel, Dominics and Trader Joe's. Jewel and Trader Joe's carry +/- 50% of the <$20 regular brand names found in major wine stores such as Binny's. Two-Buck Chuck doesn't count. Prices are within $1 either way. I don't think that really matters when you consider the convenience of just running out to pick up a bottle. Here's a few good buys that are at supermarkets <4 miles from my house: 

REDTREE Pinot Grigio California 2009 (85 points, $7)

A snappy acidity, with tangy peach, citrus and pear flavors, followed by floral accents on the finish.

OXFORD LANDING Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia 2010 (87 points, $10)

Fresh, lively and generous with its lingering ripe currant, coffee and wet earth aromas and flavors.

MARCHESI DE' FRESCOBALDI Toscana Rèmole 2008 (87 points, $10)

Sinewy, with cherry, herb and tobacco flavors. Balanced toward the dry, tannic side on the finish, where green olive and tobacco accents linger. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.

CASTELLO BANFI Cabernet Sauvignon-Sangiovese Toscana Col Di Sasso 2008 (88 points, $9)

The blackberry theme is augmented by thyme, sage and coffee accents in this rich red, which finishes with a moderate length.

LAYER CAKE Chardonnay Central Coast Virgin 2009 (87 points, $13) (Layer Cake is a favorite of mine.)

This clean white shows a crisp grapefruit and lemony edge, with a citrus blossom scent. Full-bodied, with no oak to speak of, ending with a flinty aftertaste.

COLUMBIA CREST Chardonnay Washington Two Vines 2008 (86 points, $8)

Spicy, with a light feel to the pear and nutmeg flavors, lingering on the crisp finish.

BIG HOUSE White California 2009 (87 points, $10) (Big House comes in a 3L box too.)

This fragrant white shows pretty orange blossom, honeysuckle and fresh citrus zest notes that give way to orange sherbet, yellow raisin and Key lime flavors. Creamy and refreshing, this lingers in the finish.

SMOKING LOON Syrah California 2008 (87 points, $8)

Full-bodied and complex, offering cranberry and wild berry flavors, with dashes of rhubarb, pepper and spice. 

BODEGA NORTON Chardonnay Mendoza 2010 (86 points, $10)

Aromas and flavors of white flowers and spice accent vibrant notes of Honeycrisp apple and grapefruit. Light and refreshing, with a zesty finish.

CUPCAKE Shiraz Barossa Valley 2008 (89 points, $14) (My wife loves this juice.)

Tight, with a refined feel to the tannins around a lithe core of blackberry, licorice and loamy earth flavors. Harmonious finish.

BOGLE Chardonnay California 2009 (88 points, $10) (Everything they make is good and easy to find.)

Fresh, intense and vibrant, with sweat pea, green apple, melon and honeysuckle notes that are full-bodied, ending with a clean, crisp finish.

I could write this list for pages. I'll give myself up as a wine geek to anyone with questions. 

Well, you offered...

What would you say are the top 5 best value reds and whites?

I used to drink Big House Red.  Never tried the white.  Sounds like I should.

Bogle, As Iceman says makes great wines for the money and they are available most everywhere. I suggest you read The Wine Spectator, they have never led me wrong.

OK. Nice and quick w/ the recommendation ?'s. LOL. Cool. 

Bogle is good for anything they make. In particular, their Petite Sarah is fantastic. 

Now as a preclude, I am a "fruit-bomb guy". I like big over-the-top, sledge-hammer, in-your-face juice. I will not make all of my recommendations in that area. I'm goofy, but I'm not stupid. I do have a diverse palate, I think (but I don't do French, sorry). 

I like Norton for their Malbec. Very tasty. Absolutely reasonably priced, usually <$8. Norton also makes a blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec and merlot, very yummy <$16 if you can find it. I very much like Pascual Toso Malbec, usually <$11. Casillero del Diablo is a second label of Concha Y Toro, they make fantastic upper end juice. The juice I like best from them is their Carmemere, the house grape of Chile. Again we're talking <$8 on average. Malbec by-the-way is the house grape of Argentina. 

These are pretty much good w/ anything red-meat-wise, outside of big powerful ribs. 

Here come the Zins ..... 

Absolutely pedestrian, but inexpensive and still yet very tasty, is Red Truck. Like Rodney dangerfield, this juice gets no respect. I like it for what it is, a tasty full daily drinker type red w/ a little zip. <$10. Red Truck Pinot Noir is the same way. <$10 (grocery store juice). By-the-way, again, zinfandel is primativo in Italy, same grape, different name. Later Cake is the primativo to look for. <$15. The Cali zins are big, you have to look for food to go with. The Italians are soft, they go with the food. I like big giant zins w/ my ribs, primativos go w/ braciole. 

I've mentioned Layer Cake before. I'll go into them a little bit here. I love them. They are sourced and produced on site where the grape belongs. I think that's cool. Malbec in Argentina; primativo in Italy, sarah down under. The chardonnay is great w/ chicken.  

OK. So I gotta go now. I'll put up sommore later when I get back home, unless you are tired of me already. I hope I've helped so far. 

Here's a coupla three whites I like: 

OK, here's a whole line that I like: Pac Rim rieslings. Specifically the dry riesling. This is my go-to with wings, and I ainte talkin' no pansy wings either. http://rieslingrules.com/wines/ The Vin de Glaciere is my favorite, drink it anytime, affordable icewine ever. <$16.  

I fell in love with this one last summer. Dynamite w/ my Steroid Capri Lobster Salad: Alamos Torrontés. <$8. I'd love to recommend this malbec rose, but I only had it at a tasting, no bottles were available and I haven't seen it around. I'm sure it is good though. 

OK, last are a coupla Aussie whites that should be easy enough to find: d'Arenberg "The Hermit Crab" Adelaide Viognier Marsanne, <$16 and Penfolds Chardonnay Koonunga Hill <$10. Both easy to find.

OK, one last one. This is really tasty Oregon juice, that unfortunately has found too much popularity: Sokol Blosser Evolution. From 9 grapes Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, White Riesling, Semillon, Muscat Canelli, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sylvaner. <$15. Just very tasty, goes w/ anything. 

Thanks!  I'll make my way through these and get back to you.

OK. Now after all of that ..... and I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin ..... the best recommendation of the best wine at the best price ... can go right out the window if paired with the wrong food. I know that this forum is called "Chef Talk", and we're all supposed to know about food, but hey, it is what it is. 

I'm with you Iceman...

Bogle and Big House are excellent for the price...

my Mom always says, conserve water, drink more wine!!

When I traveled through China in 1993, I drank an inordinate amount of beer because it was literally cheaper than water -- I didn't trust the tap water and a 200 ml bottle of mineral water was 3 yuan while a full liter of beer was 7.  I *conserved water* for the whole trip. :D

My Mother went to China back when it was first “opened up” on an official tour.  She was told under no circumstance should you drink the water, not even to brush your teeth with.  Every meal, even breakfast was served with either Beer or Wine.  Poor Mom, she didn’t drink.  She does now…

I think trying local wines would be your best bet for finding a good "supermarket" wine. In the midwest we can get Oliver Winery wines and they are superb and super cheap :D

Cool. Thanks to everyone adding/contributing to this thread. I'm curious with something from that last post. Deepfryerdan, what do you consider "local"? Would that be wines from local producers or are you saying to shop at homey local stores? I'm not all so sure about local producers. Now if you live in Napa or Sonoma then hey, go for it, knock your socks off. If you live in Nebraska, well, not so much. I live a half hour out of Chicago. There are a number of producers within an hour's radius of me. It's all fun to go there and drink their wine, but it's not really all that good for regular daily drinkers. I can get a much nicer $6-$8 bottle from Chile, Argentina, Australia and/or California any time, and only 5-minutes away. 

Here are some ideas for good wine/food pairings that make good sense. NO, they are not original to me. I'm only going to give you highlights, and you can go read for yourself. 

from:  (TY F&W)

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/15-rules-for-great-wine-and-food-pairings

Pinot Noir: Is great for dishes with earthy flavors

Chardonnay: For fatty fish or fish in a rich sauce

Champagne: Is perfect with anything salty

Cabernet Sauvignon: Is fabulous with juicy red meat

Sauvignon Blanc: Goes with tart dressings and sauces

Dry Rosé: For rich, cheesy dishes

Pinot Grigio: Pairs with light fish dishes

Malbec: Won’t be overshadowed by sweet-spicy barbecue sauces

Moscato d’Asti: Loves fruit desserts

Syrah: Matches with highly spiced dishes

Grüner Veltliner: Pairs with dishes that have lots of fresh herbs

Zinfandel: For pâtés, mousses and terrines

Off-Dry Riesling: Pairs with sweet & spicy dishes

Rosé Champagne: Is great with dinner, not just hors d’oeuvres

Old World Wines: Are intrinsically good with Old World dishes

OK. Now even though I treat F&W like a gospel of sorts, that doesn't mean that it's written in stone. As an example, my BBQ would kill most malbecs (one of my favorite juices). I don't really ever make pâtés, mousses or terrines, so that recommendation is of little use to me. Finding a really good rosé champagne (good enough to drink and enjoy) doesn't come cheaply. Anyway, I hope this helps the continuation of this thread. I look forward to more posts. 

Not exactly supermarket, but we went to BevMo for the first time today.

We’re getting ready for our first shin-dig (cocktail party) here in AZ on Friday.

Having over eight people, 6 of them are wine drinkers and 2 drink beer.

I had budgeted for approximately $125 for the bar and I only spent $77!!

We didn’t go with crumby stuff, at least that’s what the sales person told us.

My husband doesn’t drink at all and I can settle for any old thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IceMan 

Cool. Thanks to everyone adding/contributing to this thread. I'm curious with something from that last post. Deepfryerdan, what do you consider "local"? Would that be wines from local producers or are you saying to shop at homey local stores? I'm not all so sure about local producers. Now if you live in Napa or Sonoma then hey, go for it, knock your socks off. If you live in Nebraska, well, not so much. I live a half hour out of Chicago. There are a number of producers within an hour's radius of me. It's all fun to go there and drink their wine, but it's not really all that good for regular daily drinkers. I can get a much nicer $6-$8 bottle from Chile, Argentina, Australia and/or California any time, and only 5-minutes away.

 

Yes, to me local means locally produced. There are few wineries around central Indiana but only a couple are worth it.

We’ve had two parties in the past week and each time someone has brought us a bottle of wine.  I already had some bottles opened at the bar, so I just set them out and no one opened them.  These are not vintages that I would purchase myself, so is it gosh to save it for the next party and serve it to someone else?

A gift is a gift. You could go out and wash the wheels on your car with the juice and nobody would/could have anything to say about it. Unless of course the stuff was any good, and then you'd be an idiot. Tell us what the juice is. 

One of them is Cadet d'Oc 2009 Chardonnay.  I am not a fan of Chardonnay, mainly the "oakey-ness", though I do like Simi Chardonnay

    This unoaked 100% Chardonnay by Baron Phillippe de Rothschild retails for $10.99/bottle at Whole Foods, where I tasted it earlier today. I was hesitant to try this wine because I really don't prefer Chardonnay, but it was actually quite smooth and nice without that heavy, oaky, buttery taste. People who like the buttery Chards might not prefer this one, but those who usually avoid Chards might actually be okay with it.

winemaker's notes:

The wine's color is brilliant yellow. Subtle aromas of peach and white blossoms combine with a touch of lightly toasted brioche. The full-bodied and ample mid-palate mingles fruitiness and minerality leading to a long and fresh finish. 100 percent Chardonnay.

here's another note:

Cadet d'Oc

A scintillating pale gold, the wine has an elegant, warm-hearted nose which opens on refined and complex tropical fruit aromas with a slightly mineral cast. Generous and fruity on the palate, it displays super-ripe fruit mingled with elegant touches of toast. The finely balanced, flavorsome finish reveals all the richness and unique aromas of the Chardonnay grape.

Thank you so much Iceman.  Since you’ve tried this one and like myself, are not a big fan of Chards, would you drink it or save for the next party? 
It’s still in my cupboard and  5 o’clock is fast approaching… having grilled chicken and salad tonight, might be nice with that...

It'll go just fine. I don't think people should tag any particular wine with any general type of profile. This is a perfect example. Not all Chardonnays are "oaky" or "buttery". There are numerous labels that are un-oaked, fermented in stainless steel. It's a $10 bottle. You drink these to enjoy yourself and educate your palate. I don't save $10 bottles for anything. I drink them. 

I actually have no problemmo w/ Chardonnay. I just happen to love oak and butter. 

Didn't get a chance to crack anything open last night, it was a little to wild, but I will try this wine, thanks once again IceMan!

Thank you Iceman, I popped open that bottle of Char and it is really quite tasty.