"Will Sell Husband for Wine"

... so a T-shirt I have says anyway. My husband has one that says, "will sell wife for beer" so I always make sure I look good when he wears it. :) Once a guy at Hoppy Brewing Company (good local beer) took a picture of his shirt with his cell phone while we were there having dinner. No, I'm not kidding.

Back to the point - there has recently been a huge push toward bringing wine out of the snob circles and make it more of a beverage every adult should just enjoy drinking. The "drink what you like" credo has become more common. And with that have come many names to wines like "Seven Deadly Zins," "Toasted Head," "Smoking Loon," "Sixth Sense Syrah," and so on. Now I must admit, I did turn my nose up at these... until I tried them.

Lesson learned. Wines do not have to have two first names to be good. I say this as I finish another Toasted Head Cabernet. (Hiccup!:))

Here are the good wines I will consistently reach for: (And they are all affordable)

REDS:
Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon (the most expensive cab on this list, but very worth it at about $25 a bottle)
Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon
Kendall Jackson Cabernet
Blackstone Cabernet and Syrah
Meridian Merlot and Cabernet (Most beginners will like the Merlot - makes a great gift if you don't know what wine someone likes.)

WHITES: (Admittedly, I'm not a huge white wine fan, but I do like them in the summer)
Mondavi Chardonnay
Napa Valley Chardonnay

On the same subject of wine, if you haven't been to Lodi to taste wine, you're missing out. More about my experience later.