I can't recall the name of the book, but about 5 years ago I read a summary of blind tasting of different wines and they came to the same conclusion. I then sampled all of the best $8-10 wines listed in their book.
Perhaps my tastes are pedestrian, but I've had really good luck walking into the wine shops at Trader Joe's and Costco and asking for recommendations. In both cases, the stores were staffed by people who either used to run their own wine stores or buy wines for restaurants. They had a pretty good handle on what people liked and what was cheap. I've also drunk some passable bottles from Aldi. But again, I'm not an "aficionado" -- I just know my own tastes.
From time to time I read the Costco wine blog for recommendations:
http://costcowineblog.com/I've heard that wine tastes better if you decant it first -- particularly reds -- so I may buy a decanter and start purchasing the good (but cheap) Kirkland brands from Costco so as not to put off my label-conscious guests (oh wait, I don't have friends like that.)
