Which Red Wines to buy?

If you want red, there are some great wines everywhere.

For everyday red, I would suggest lower value Napa Cab/merlot, Australian Shiraz/Cabernet, as well North or Central Coast Pinot Noir. I also like good Syrah and Zinfandel from California. I am not a huge fan of Chilean Malbec. If you can find Italian, there are some good value SuperTuscans. Try Robert Mondavi Napa Cab or Merlot ($25), Markham Cab or Merlot ($25), Swanson Merlot ($25), Rosenblum Zinfandel ($20-30), Ridge Zinfandel ($20-35), Benton Lane Pinot Noir ($25-30), anything by Flower; for Australian, consider Molly Dooker Sailer ($25), Marquis Phillip Cab/Syrah or Syrah ($15-20), Torbreck Woodcutter Shiraz ($25-30); also consider Central Coast Gems such as Lion's Peak Lionese Meritage ($25) and Foley Pinot Noir ($20-30). If you can find Lucente from Italian, it is a nice value ($15-25).

As for something to keep for a few years, Napa and Oregon make some great wines. For $40-50, you can get some awesome wines such as Paradigm Cabernet or Merlot ($40-50), Frank's Family Cabernet ($40-50), Joseph Phelps Cabernet ($50) or Syrah ($35), Terra Valentine ($30-40), Robert Foley Charbono ($35), Venge's Scout's Honor ($35), Penner Ashe Pinot ($50) or Syrah ($45), Siduri Pinot Noir ($25-50), McCrea Syrah ($45), and Hartfort Court Pinot ($35-50). All of these are good quality wine which can be kept for 3-10 years but also drinking well. They are all interesting, not very common to find but can be obtained online (www.winestreet.com, www.groezingers.com, www.dukeofbourbon.com, www.shwc.com). For Australian, try mid price wine such as d'Arenburg's Laughing Mugpie ($35-40), Torbreck Struie ($45). I would actually suggest some older Bordeaux in 3rd and 4th growth, such as Clerc Milon, d'Armallaic, Duhart Milon. You can get some great Italian Amarone for this price as well, and they are drinking fabulous.

As for your high dollar wine to be stored, you need to be picky. Cost of the wine vs value is important when buying wines to store. You can get carried overboard wanting the top stuff like Margeaux and Lafite and Opus and Insignia. You should seriously look at something that will keep value over time. French Bordeaux gives you that, and I always recommend people to look at 2nd and 3rd growth such as Cos d'Esternal, Pichon Baron, some of the St. Emilion such as Chateau Pavie and Chateau Angelus are great in quality and in value. For California, try to pick some cult wines - like Paloma Merlot ($60), Revana Cabernet ($105), La Sirena Cabernet ($120), Robert Foley Petit Syrah or Merlot ($55); some bigger wineries make good wines still, such as Nickel and Nickel/Far Niente ($80-120), Caymus (reguar $65, Special Selection $130), and Robert Mondavi Napa Cabernet Reserve ($120). However, the price of some large winery stuff are outrageous - Opus One has increased to incredible $175, and they are not even worth half of the price. Insignia is a great wine, but a jump of price from $120 to $180 makes it hard to swallow. Also, go for some great SuperTuscans - Oranella and Solaia. Even Tignello is great in quality and actually cheaper. If you want to go for premium, think of high dollar stuff like Lafite and Gaja and Harlan, but you will be paying for those.

Good luck on your selection. Cheers!

Everyday wines I would try some Pinot Noirs from the Santa Barbara area (Foley, Lincourt, Au Bon Climat are some of my faves) or some Zinfandels from Paso Robles (Eberle and Four Vines are great). If you are feeling adventurous you could try some Pinotages from South Africa. A very unique wine with a unique flavor. There are also a lot of good Riojas and Chianti Classicos in this price range, just make sure to go for the Riserva. Some good Syrahs are Qupe, Ojai, Cakebread and Clos du Bois.

For the mid-grades you could pick up some of the more expensive variteals / vintages of the wines listed above or go for some smaller producers from Napa and Sonoma. Au Bon Climat has some Pinot Noirs in this price range that are fantastic. If you are able to get your hands on one, I would suggest a Turley Zinfandel. You will not regret that purchase. Some good Cabs in this range are Stags Leap, Caymus, and Duckhorn (though some of these wines can be a bit out of the range you have listed as well).

For your put aways, I would really only go with some higher end Bordeauxs and Burgundies. You can find some nice Napa and Sonoma wines that are age worthy, but most American wines are meant to be drunk young. Opus One and Dominus are a couple of exceptions.

There are a few suggestions. Hope they help. Sorry if I listed a lot of California wines, I just happen to be a big fan of Paso Robles and the Santa Barbara area.

A good book to check out related to this is Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World Complete Wine Course. It is a great book and very useful.

Cost of wines do not necessarily determine quality. Much of wine enjoyment is determined by the drinker. I have had $80.00 wines that I didn't enjoy as much as $7.00. For me part of the enjoyment of wine is to get to know the regions the various wines are grown in. For example warmer climates are usually better for reds than for whites. I don't enjoy spending a fortune for wine. I used to live in the central coast of CA so can recommend 2 regions Paso Robles and the Monterey wines. Estancia and Hahn Estates are excellent red wines especially Cabernet Savignon and Merlots all between $10 and $25. Try red table wines which are blends. Fire Alarm gives part of it's profits to burn victims. For really inexpensive very drinkable reds in the $7.00 range try Rex Goliath.

One of my very favorite reds is "Blue Jean Red."

It is a California wine, a bit on the hearty side with a peppered finish. I literally crave this wine sometimes. In my area, I pay about $12 a bottle, but I am "rural," by most standards.

I also tend to enjoy Sangiovese (I'm bettin' I spelled that wrong). To me, they don't seem quite as dense as merlots and some have a subtle, tart "ping," that wakes up my taste buds. I like to drink "Sangio" with beef & sometimes pasta. I'm thinkin' Bolla is the brand I've drank lately, but I'd need to go back to the store to be certain.

Sounds to me like you've got an excuse to do lots of experiementing!!! Enjoy.