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as always - 2 buck chuck moscato (Go Sutts!) and now 2 buck chuck Lambrusco. We are not wine drinkers - hence the very sweet wines.

Any suggestions for some inexpensive wines that I can try?

I did not enjoy shiraz and am ok with white zinfandel.

I want a go to red and white to try because I'm giving up soda and really, am tired of enjoying a meal and having the flavor washed away with a soda. I want something to complement it.

I've been on a pinot grigio kick lately. My favorite budget buy so far has been Dellatorri. The bottle is beautiful too so it looks great sitting out on the kitchen counter.

I also agree with chusmabilly-- you can never go wrong w/ Two Buck Chuck.

That Santa Rita 120 is a great choice. I'd also add, to the $12 and under category: Barefoot (Zinfandel and Shiraz), La Veille Ferme, La Bicyclette, and Trapiche.

(I wish I lived in a state that allowed TJ's to sell wine!)

I hope that Epicuro white is much better than one of the red varieties I had a few weeks ago. It had no depth or anything to speak of. I wish I could remember which one it was.

anything from Sweet Cheeks about 15 minutes from our home...it's not cheap but it's not expensive. The best option is to bring a picnic on a Friday evening in the summer and buy a bottle of wine...beautiful scenery, great wine and music.

http://www.sweetcheekswinery.com/

Albero also has a soft sparkling white wine available that is pretty tasty - I don't have the name handy, but it's available at Trader Joe's for $4.99.

La Veille Ferme Rose if you are at a grocery store, and anything in the "under $10" section when shopping at a true wine store. Honestly, any wine purveyor who has an ounce of pride won't sell "junk" regardless of how cheap it is. Try to stay away from kitchsy names at the grocery store (you know the ones!) and I agree, look for inexpensive Spanish wines (like the Tempranillo grape a lot - "Protocolo Tinto" and "Protocolo Bianco" are both fab for about $7).

@chusmabilly - find a local wine shop and just head in one day, let them know what you like, and tell them that you are interested in finding some new wines, everyday ones, to compliment your meals. They'll be thrilled! You'll probably get to taste one or two, too (that doesn't happen so much at the grocery store!).

My boyfriend and I recently discovered Malbec and Temperanillo and have found some real, *cheap* gems at our local liquor store. One of my other favorites: Mommy's Time Out, a Rosso Primitivo. The name is so appropriate :)

http://www.mommystimeout.net/

I've been a fan of Malbec for awhile now. My current, and very affordable, favorite is Pascual Toso, 2007 from Argentina.

120 is one of my go-to labels for cheap but decent wine. We just had a J. Lohr Merlot which was on sale for $10 at Safeway. As consistently good as their Cabernet, which is also a great buy when on sale. Lately we've been slightly spoiled as we use up my holiday gift certificate for K&L.

Must give a shout out to the fabulous Bokisch Vineyards 2006 Albarino. Little family run vineyard that kicks out some tremendously good spanish style wines at awesome prices ($16 for the above).

'Course, as the Great Recession deepens, I find myself more partial to Scotch - a nice restorative dram of Bunnahabhain or Dewars 12 to give one courage through the evening news.

LOVE the LV Ferme Rose-especially once the weather begins to warm up. For the price, you can't beat a better rose.

I've got a Bota box of Cab/Merlot on tap right now. Quite drinkable, especially at around $20 for 3 Liters!

My favorite cheap option is a south african blend called Goats Do Roam (adorable). My local wine shop sells it for 7 bucks and I've found it goes great with any number of foods.

OK, I wasn't going to comment but given that the NY Times recently covered Aglianico from Southern Italy, I guess I can write about! ; - )

Aglianico is a fantastic bargain, here's my blog entry about the varietal:

http://www.scordo.com/2008/07/eric-asimov-aglianico-italianwines-southern-italian-wine-campania-calabria-ciro.html

Happy drinking!

Vince from http://www.Scordo.com

I first drank Joel Gott's Zinfandel at Animal Restaurant (In L.A.) and now it's our "house wine" at home. Robust and perfect with grilled steak. I buy it at my local wine shop for $15 http://www.gottwines.com/wines/CA_ZIN/index.htm

jkpenny, I LOVE Goats do Roam. I couldn't believe how much I liked it at that price, and with that silly name. Even my parents, who are borderline wine snobs and way more willing to spend double digits on wine than I am, love it.

La Ferme Julien Rose is nice and dry and cheap at TJs. And I can't tell you how many parties we've thrown with the 120 cab front and center! Buy a case when the price is cheap.

Right now I'm enjoying a wine called "Praxis." It's a Pinot Noir. The only (ONLY) reason I bought it was because it shares the same name as the Klingon moon of Praxis, which exploded at the beginning of Star Trek VI.

The wine is OK. The chance to associate a glass of wine with a fictional moon-based mining facility is spectacular.

Martin Codax Albariño. Fantastic Galician white wine. And there's always some Marques de Caceres in the house. Red, white, or rose. All yummy.