Trader Joe’s wines are sneaky good. Here are 9 budget bottles to try.

Trader Joe’s wines are sneaky good. Here are 9 budget bottles to try.

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.