Sangoivese and Zinfandel are two of my favorite reds.

Another nod for sangiovese.

Alexa

Since chianti's (which are made from sangiovese grapes) have gotten so very expensive lately, I've switched to primitivos. Primitivo is actual the Italian "version" of the zinfandel grape, so they're a good sub for red zins as well, however, they have a slightly different taste than classic CA zins you might be more used to. Anyway, for about $10-$11 you can get good primitivo's that go great with Italian food. I love CA zinfandel as well.

I also find I'm drinking more shiraz than I used to. I'm not a fan of merlot so I can't comment on those.

There are a lot of good reds coming from Chili and other South American countries these days. They're relatively unknown still and you can get most of them between $8-$15 but some are becoming more well known, more well known people (among the wine set) are buying vineyards, so the prices are climbing now. But they're still a bargain, especially with CA wines getting so expensive.

The one area of wine I'm still intimidated by are French wines. To me anyway, they're a lot harder to figure out. There's a little winery that puts out a Bordeaux, Presidial, that is fantastic. It runs about $16 a bottle, but it's as good as other Bordeaux that would probably cost more like $30-$40 a bottle. Which is out of my price range!

Lisa

Lisa, what brands of primitivo are good?

Barefoot makes a decent Zinfandel and Shiraz. I am not crazy about their Pinot Noir. I like Little Penguin Pinot Noir.

Clos Du Bois Pinot Noir is one of my favorites. Around here it runs $15-17 but I would bet it is less in other areas.

All of the Smoking Loon wines that I have tried have been good.

Columbia Crest is one of my favorite merlots.

Red Truck makes a really nice red. I think it's just called Red Table wine.

Rex Goliath reds are all pretty good, too.

Linda

cloudy - I buy one called Flaio a lot - if I'm remembering it has a bright label with yellows and maybe reds in it. Every time I've bought it, it's been roughly $11. I've also gotten Ca'ntele Primitivo Salento, A Mano, and another called Tarantino. I've been happy with them all. I buy it as an "inexpensive", but good tasting everyday replacement for Chianti. I've gotten the Flaio 4-5 times and it's been pretty consistent for taste even tho I've gotten 2003 and 2004 vintages. The others, I've only had one bottle of each. Out of the others, the only one I've seen again has been the A Mano, which is only a few dollars more. I think any Primitivo would be fine - it's not a widely known varietal so there's usually only a few bottles to choose from in the stores I go to, but they all seem to carry the Flaio.

Lisa

Ridiculously cheap but surprisingly drinkable wine: Woodbridge Zinfandel by Mondavi. $12-15 for 1.5 liters.

Best deals in reds these days seem to be Chilean wines IMHO; the Rothschild enterprises have bought a lot of land down there and are making some surprisingly good wines in the $10-$20 range.

Do you have a World Market nearby? They have a really nice selection of wines at a variety of prices, plus they knock off 10% if you buy 6 bottles at a time. I don't have any specific recommendations on brands because I just buy whatever in the $10 & under price range and am happy about 98% of the time. The other 2% I cook with!

I do like the sangiovese that others mentioned. Currently that and pinot noir are my favorite reds. I also like shiraz/syrah. I agree that South American wines are good and reasonable: Chile and Argentina. Also Spain and Australia. I've gotten some french labels for 10 or less as well.

The only thing about Australia - they all have those rubber "corks". I hate them.

Linda mentioned Rex Goliath which the World Market here sells for 5.99 a bottle IIRC. It's pretty good.

Aauugh!! Don't you HATE those fake corks??!! They're SO hard to get out of the bottle! To be frank, I'd rather they used a screw top than those rubbery corks!! I don't have a lot of hand strength, but even hubby has to fight to get them out!

Lisa

A friend who owns a vinyard and winery told me years ago that all wines would be going to the "fake" corks....so "get used to it, Linda!" LOL!
I have become a big fan of Australian wines and South African wines. Black Swan makes a really cheap shiraz/cabernet blend that I like a lot....and I also love the Chilean wines.
If you found a cabernet that you didn't like, try another....because one winery's cab is very different from another's.
Have you had any Petite irah wines?
Linda C

In fact, I had to buy an old style "wing" cork screw from the grocery store for something like $3.50 in order to open those wines. I have a rabbit which works fine on cork corks but on the rubber ones, fahgedaboudit. So much for fancy-schmancy! LOL

Folie A Deux Menage A Trois Red $10-14 on sale this week at Walmart. Saw in a review that most folks who dont like red will enjoy this one. It's a blend of three California wines.

Bogle Petite Sirah $10-14

Rosemount Shiraz $10-14

Another vote for Little Penquin Pino Nior.

Interesting to see all these different varieties.
Enjoying the post :)

Barnmom beat me to it with the very first post. I too was about to suggest Zinfandel and Sangiovese. They are more robust in flavor than Cabernet. I like that.

Another Italian red which is good and usually inexpensive is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

Jim

Screwpull works great on the fake corks...
What I was told...the fake corks will not deteriorate like the real corks will over long aging, and cork trees are becoming more scarce.
Anyone but me remember Ferdinand the Bull sitting under the cork tree?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1490335}}

Australia makes wonderful Shiraz -- a more robust wine that pairs wonderfully well with ribs, steaks -- even a well seasoned ground round. I love, love, love a Shiraz paired with baby back ribs. Here in Utah, I pay $15-20 for a great bottle of Australian Shiraz. Some of the vineyards that I like because of their consistent quality are listed below. I've listed them from #1 (The Best!) on down:

Marquis Philips shiraz -- absolutely fantastic
d'Arenberg (they also produce fabulous Viogniers!)
Yalumba (fabulous chardonnays come from this vineyard)
McWilliams

Forgot to address this. I'm a wine nut, I admit.

Because of the inconsistency in corks, and the heart break of opening a bottle of wine that you either paid a lot for or saved for its perfect age, only to discover the cork had failed, vintners are moving to screw tops. I don't even see synthetic corks.

Believe you me....it's very strange to open a recently purchased bottle of French wine that you've drunk for years and have to un-screw the top!!!

But I get it and I appreciate the effort to ensure our wines remain drinkable and enjoyable. Now what are we going to do with all of the wine opening gadgets we've collected the past few years?

Thanks for all the suggestions, I really appreciate the specific brands names to look for! Most of these are new to me since I have not tried much beyond the 4 mentioned above. We do not have a World Market nearby but would love to hear from any other Long islanders if they have a favorite store. :)

I pulled some favorites out of our wine cooler that aren't Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignons...I would suggest trying a Cabernet Franc, though. Wine Smith makes a good one for about $14-$17. All prices listed are approximate sale prices:

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo ~ Cantina Zaccagnini $14-$16
Sangiovese ~ Di Majo Norante $10-$12
Medoc ~ Chateau Greysac $10-$15
Shiraz ~ Fat Ba$tard $10-$12
Salice Salentino ~ Liante $13-$15
Malbec ~ Trivento $11-$13

I agree with LindaC - if you tried one cabernet you didn't like, try another. I particularly enjoyed the 2006 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.

Pat, yeah, that's what I was thinking about in my earlier post: Los Vascos is a Chilean vineyard that's part of the Rothschild group, and those folks do know a little bit about wine.

Excellent wine, especially considering the reasonable price.

One of the best Cabernets I've ever had is Sebastiani. It runs more to $20 a bottle give or take a few dollars depending on where you get it or if it's on sale, bought by the case, etc. When I want something dependable that I know is going to be good no matter what, I reach for the Sebastiani Cab. One of the attorneys I work with is a wine fanatic and being an atty, he can afford to pay out $50-$60 for an "every day" bottle of wine. Even he raves about the Sebastiani.

Lisa