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Hope I don't get flamed for this...

I like to keep a selection of Yellow Tail on hand for all of the above needs. I am on a fairly limited budget at this point in my life and my wine-loving sister turned me on to the brand as the best budget wine out there.

I have found that almost everyone of my family members and friends (those that don't have an elitist attitude) have a favorite Yellow Tail wine.

I still spring for higher quality stuff on special occasions and more personal gifts, but you can't go wrong with an assorted case of Yellow Tail in the basement!

I am fairly broke, so I tend to keep some cheaper bottles of wine around. I've found if I don't, I end up getting wine I may not like for more money.

But a variety is good, if you can afford it - that way, you don't have to run out mid-cook or before a party.

I love Trader Joe's for affordable and good wine! Yay!

Frontera is another good, cheap bulk table wine to keep around

I think that I need to do this for my winter cooking! I don't drink red wines at all, but I do cook with them a lot. A case of wine for making beef bourguinon (with a few bottles of Liebfraumilch thrown in for drinking) would likely take me through the next couple of months :)

Well, if ScottyT is embarrassed to enjoy Yellowtail, I should be similarly embarrased to say that I keep the Target wine in a box on hand. Keeps fresh, I like the taste and it works beautifully in cooking and spritzers.

This is a good idea. We had a Halloween party (spiked cider was the featured cocktail) and when one guest asked for a glass of white wine, I discovered the only white we had was a warm bottle of Charles Shaw. I told him and gave him the option of making another request and there was a long pause. He chose red.

I need to remember to have at least one of each color on hand - and to keep the white one in the fridge so it's ready to go.

I'm very pro-cheap wine but have yet to enjoy a bottle of Yellow Tail. I'm very strange I know. But Trader Joe's are always a good bet. I miss my wine shop in DC where I drank the best wines for all of $8 because the shop owner was so helpful at recommending wines and would stock more obscure cheap wines that he thought were quality.

I agree with ScottyT that there's no shame in going for the budget brands. My grandfather was raised in France drinking wine from some of the most famous estates and collected a vast cellar full of amazing wines before he died, and he loved Gallo Hearty Burgundy for everyday.

However, if you lack the confidence to serve budget wine, finding some good bargains at your local shop will give you the same bang for your buck without the telltale kangaroo... We're lucky enough to live near a great wine shop where they're always having tastings & specials and will apply the case discount to a mixed case (which some of the bigger liquor stores in our area won't do).

Although both my boyfriend and I love wine enough that we'll buy "splurge" bottles given any excuse, I'm also not afraid to ask what's good for under $10 - no one has ever seemed surprised or annoyed by this question and they always have a long list of suggestions. And I always buy by the case - both for the 10% discount and so we're never caught off guard by last-minute dinner guests or plans.

I really like the idea of stocking up for the holidays. There's something to be said about the peace of mind when the holiday season gets hectic, knowing that you're prepared for last minute host/ess gifts and friends dropping by.

I'm all for cheap wines, too - Trader Joes is great, but kind of out of my way. Percent - what wine shop did you frequent in DC? I tend to hit up the random corner markets near my apartment, or Whole Foods/Harris Teeter - though the variety isn't the best there. I'll hit Best Cellars on my way home if I'm on top of things (generally not).

I don't think anyone should be embarrassed to enjoy a cheap wine; cheap doesn't always mean cheap -- sometimes it just means affordable. But, by the same token, a person shouldn't necessarily been seen as snobbish for disliking a cheap wine either. Sometimes your taste buds just tell you, "no thank you very much."

Rather than seek out cheap wine, I try to find what wine has the best sale deal. My local Whole Foods has had the same $22 bottle on sale for $12 for months, and I keep getting it time and again.

Bogle's red wines get my vote for bargain priced high value options. I don't generally drink whites so I can't offer an option on that, but I've found Pinot Grigio is the white wine that everyone will drink.

Yikes, I had a Yellow Tail merlot that was so bad I won't drink another wine from YT again. This is not meant as a flame, it was possibly just a bad vintage!

I also avoid two-buck Chuck. I used to drink it, but one New Year's Eve we started with a really nice, old vines chateauneuf du pape. When we ran out of that we opened up the only other bottle I had, the Charles Shaw. Now I can't get over the fact that it tasted like pickles in comparison to the fancy wine. That'll teach me! :)

What I do for inexpensive wines at home is go for something like Hogue which is surprisingly drinkable, plus it has a screw top, and it's under $10. Of course, a host or hostess might not appreciate the screw top as much as I do.

I constantly am searching for sub-$10 wines to try, and I have found some really good ones. One of my latest faves is on sale at HT for $9.99, Cupcake cellars, or something such as that. I also like Frontera's merlots, cabs and blends, which are very reasonably priced as well.

If I'm feeling adventurous I get whatever is in the $5 sale bin at the local supermarket. I've found some surprisingly awesome stuff marked down from as much as $20. Last year they had an apple wine that may be my most favorite wine ever. After the first bottle was gone I went back and bought 10 more. Haven't seen any since. :(

In PA, we all complain about the state liquor stores, and with good reason. However, they do have a lot of buying power to get good discounts. The "premium collection" stores do have some great deals. I always know that if I find one of the "Chairman's specials" (hilarious, I know), I'm getting a good deal on a good bottle, so that's where I usually head.