Originally Posted by
violist
Stuff is poison. One of my committee chairs was of the delusion that
one can't tell the difference ... tasting it I very nearly had to pay for
reupholstering of his couch.
Actually, the stuff is variable. Bronco Wine Co. makes quite a few labels of wine. He buys bulk from all over and some of the lots that go into the $2 Chuck can be from some top vineyards selling bulk overflow, and others aren't so good. In fact, they make dreck. So if a good lot is that chosen for tasting at a competition and it wins, a lot of people are going to pretend that they like something they hate, and others are going to rightfully vomit.
Back to the OP, as we still don't know where you are, we still don't know what is available in your area. If you have a state wine mafia, you will have a much more limited selection at higher prices. Close to my house, there is a local wine shop that gets small lots of imports (the store is called Odd Lots) and each month they have a "6 pack" of various wines, usually 2 white/4 red, or a rose thrown in, generally from France with an occasional Italian, or South American, or other thrown into the mix. About $43. Nothing is ever bad. Sometimes, something is very very good. They've had a $6.99 tempranillo I've bought cases of and people would have not been surprised if I said I spent $25/bottle. Try and scope out local stores like this. It is also much more fun than the "regular predictable bottle" of Ken Doll Jack's Son Shardon-Nayy.