During a recent trip to buy wine at Trader Joe’s, the cashier did a double take when he read my total. “Wow, that’s a whole lot of wine for $200,” he said, laughing.

He wasn’t wrong. On average, each wine in my 23-bottle haul cost less than $8.50, a low figure from every side of the register. Even in TJ’s terms, it’s a bargain: Over in the baking aisle, a 4-ounce bottle of Trader Joe’s organic vanilla extract is $9.99.

But there’s more to value than what you spend. An $8.50 wine is a steal only if you enjoy drinking it. When you scan the shelves of Trader Joe’s cheerfully packaged bottles, with names such as “Chill to Chill” and “Super Happy Cabernet,” it’s easy to spot deals. What's trickier is finding wines that are so good you would happily pay more.

Is it possible to find quality bo

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