A bottle of wine with a hefty price tag does not always guarantee that it is going to slide down your throat like silk the way a good wine should. A cheap wine can be quite tasty but because the market is glutted with bargain wines, you will have to drink a lot of them before you find those precious gems that are easy on the pocketbook. Because good wine does not necessarily mean expensive, do you have any ideas on how to find a quality cheap wine that would suit your palate?

Know What You Like

The first step in choosing a great tasting cheap wine is the understanding of what type you like the most, whether it is a merlot, chardonnay, Riesling, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and others. If you are a merlot drinker and someone says there is an inexpensive Riesling on the market, don't automatically assume that you will love it just because someone suggested it. Stick with what you know and enjoy but do not be afraid to experiment within your favored wine class with wines from various vineyards.

If you can narrow down the particular qualities you like about wine, you could use that information and talk with knowledgeable salespeople to find another cheap wine or two with similar qualities. For instance, some wines are fruity with undertones of oak from the barrels they are stored in while others may have a slightly smoky or leathery flavor. These are distinct qualities as well as others which could help you narrow down your selection of cheap wine.

Do a Bit of Research

There are several magazines devoted to wine where you might get some helpful hints as to which wines are cheap and flavorful. In fact, many of them have at least one issue a year devoted to cheap wine that is less than $20 a bottle. You also might want to prevail yourself of the excellent guidance that many wine salespeople offer when it comes to choosing wines by price as well as by occasion. These salespeople often get the chance to taste some of the wines before they go on sale in their stores so they are quite knowledgeable and can offer a first taste-test account of wine.

Of course, the best way to find a cheap wine is to experiment and try a different one each time you pick one up from the store. If your budget allows for some discretionary items, you could even throw a small dinner party with a few cheap wine offerings and have a wine tasting with friends and compare notes. Make your quest for a good, cheap wine an adventure … have a little fun with it and don't take the whole process to seriously.