What brand of wine to buy??

Here are some vineyards I like for their Merlot:

Duckhorn, Shafer Pride,Leonetti, Quilceda Creek, and Provenance

Unfortunately, I don't get them much because they are all pricey except the Provenance (about $24/bottle).

I have also been trying some wines from the vino.com site. Castle Rock was an amazing bargain. Fairly good wine and the price was fantastic. Here are some from the list I've been following.

Avila

2003 MERLOT

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

$13-$15

Drink through 2007.

Castle Rock

2003 MERLOT

COLUMBIA VALLEY

WASHINGTON

$11-$13

Very fruity in style, supple in texture, and well balanced; it is full and long on the palate, with ripe berry, plum, and mild oak aromas/flavors. Exceptional value. 5,000 cases. Drink through 2007.

Columbia Winery

2001 MERLOT

COLUMBIA VALLEY, WASHINGTON

$16-$18

Full bodied, round, intensely flavored (nearly Cabernet-like), with modest oak character, and a lightly tannic finish. Tastes of cherry, black currant, toast, and herbs. 9% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, 5% Sangiovese. 21,823 cases. Drink through 2008.

Shooting Star

2003 MERLOT

LAKE COUNTY

$16-$18

A full bodied, fairly rich, and lightly oaked Merlot, with near-jammy flavors (berries) and medium length. Nearly Zinfandel-like in style. Drink through the end of 2006.

STOP you said two magic words Italian and red buy them a bottle or two of anything with the name RUFFINO!

Usually Ruffino makes a good Chianti but Italians all know they make a great selection of reds. I checked them out on Wine Spectator and looked to see if they make a Merlot and that was a no go but that grape is not common to Italy. The Sangiovese, the Neibolo...yes Merlot no I would go on the safe side and stick with an Italian red and go with Ruffino: A good Tuscan or Chianti can be bought for $10 bucks

either 2004 or 2005 Chianti Ruffino

Personally, I think red zinfandel goes great with pasta. You mention your family is Italian however, which gets me thinking they'd love it if you brought an Italian red wine.

There really are some great Italian reds. Brunellos are very popular right now, if you can afford them. (I don't know your price range, but the best ones run $50 and higher.) More generally, though, look for sangiovese - again, this wine goes great with pasta and, being an Italian grape, should be a big hit with your family.

I love anything from the Rombauer vineyard. Duckhorn makes a nice selection of wines as well. I don't know if you have one near you, but BevMo has a great selection of California wines. And they are more than happy to help you pick something out.

Dolcetto d'alba is a good pasta wine that is not too heavy and not too expensive. You can find a good one in the $15 range.

It comes from Piedmont in northern Italy. Barbera d'alba is also a good choice as well as chianti.

Chef Mark

Concho y Toro (Chile) makes avery nice Cabernet/Merlot blend. The price is quite reasonable, also. Bolla Valpolicella is usually a little higher, but worth it. A very nice red. Bolla also makes a merlot if you feel safer sticking with it.

I would suggest to log onto www.cejavineyards.com because they have good wine with good prices. Plus, they are located in the famous Napa Valley region where the weather is good for graping planting.

You don't say where you are from. Any wine from Mondavi, Charles Krug, Sebastiani, or any other Napa Valley vineyard is excellent.

You can get decent Merlot for 20-30 dollars a bottle...

YellowTail and Beringer are both good but inexpensive brands. I'd avoid Sutter Home.