I don’t consider myself a wine expert, I just try to keep them busy stocking the shelves. Over an ample number of years my wife and I, along with an ever changing group of fellow winos, have tasted and downed a lot of grape juice.

As one poster stated, Marguax is an excellent wine, as is many of the top Bordeaux options. However, when compared to the top red wines of Italy, I find them generally to be a watery version of the better Italian offerings. If you have not had the experience I’d suggest trying an Amarone from the Veneto region around Venezia. My suggestion would be any of the selections offered by Tommaso Bussola. They go from the BG to the TB to the Vigneto Alto (high vineyard).

This producer is very small and hard to find but if you do try it you will be rewarded. It’s not for all tastes – very dry but very fruity. Alcohol is generally around 15-16.5%! Other Amarone producers with variations in their style include Allegrini, Bertani and Zenato.

The “Super Tuscans” are generally blended varietals usually including Sangiovese, Merlot, etc. You can find many good blended wines from Tuscany at a reasonable price. The “Kings” of course are the Barolos from Piedmont but don’t pass up the Brunello di Montalcinos.

The problem is the price. The good wines cost more than most sane people are willing to spend. For them I’d recommend the old standby: Chianti from the Classico Region. If you buy a bottle of Chianti with a black rooster on the top of the label – you won’t go wrong. Cin cin!

absolute props, D.Bird! maybe upper-end French (and CAL) wines are still best, but for the price--say under 20$, and I think your average Trader Joe's regular will agree with me, Italian wines are best.

I am with you. I love Italian wines. I find that as a short-hand DOCG wines are much better than the DOC's. Not sure why, but I've used it as a trick for years and generally serves me well--even for the cheapo wines.

I really like the Montepulciano's. The Vino Nobile, not Montepulciano D'Abruzzo. I've found a few in the $20 range that are great--although they need time to breathe!

Likewise, I have never been disappointed by aglianico. Sometimes hard to find, and generally not cheap, but have some great ones in the $15-25 range.

Fontodi's 2004 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo. A bit pricey (for me), but excellent.

Also, during the summer months, drinkers of pinot grigio should check out a soave from Veneto -- much tastier, in my opinion.

Aglianico! yes. I call it my 'house wine.'

Someone will have to tell me though, why was it that when I actually went to France (twice) and Italy (once), EVERY wine in every French restaurant was great, while the Italian wines served in restaurants weren't nearly as consistent.

Real Slime K -

When and where were you in Italy? We (me, my wife and her brother) were last there in 1998 - GOD, how time flies!

We were from the top to the bottom. Spent three weeks + drinking our way through Italy. Never once bought anything other than the house wine - the first phrase I mastered (my B-in-L was in charge of finding the bathrooms) was: "Un grande carafe del vostro vino rosso della casa per favore." By the end of the trip I was saying it in my sleep. Our experience was that the house wines (cheap at twice the price) were better than almost anything we ever had here - at any price.

I hope things haven't changed, we plan on making another raid soon.

I was there in the same week as 9-11. We unpacked that a.m., watching the bleep news. They didn't single out US-Air, despite the name--and our NYC change, lucky for us.

I will say this--and I know that I will fall onto the Sopranos side of the debate, as we went South from Colombus' home town, over to Milano, down to Tuscany, over to Venice, and the great Romeo and Juliet town was in there somewhere, eventually down to Rome, the food and wine in restaurants became better and better and better. Pity we never made it SOUTH of Rome, since Rome supplied our absolute favorite fantastic greatest days/and food/wine.

Though I don't know nearly as much about Dirty Bird about Italy--I've not been that lucky to stay there for 3 weeks, I agree with the Slim line about the food being better down South. My own Sicilian sister is law told me that eating in northern Italian restaurants makes you want to take a bag of garlic into their kitchens, cut it up for them, and show them how to cook with it. THAT's a mighty diss, huh?

We did make it down to Naples for a couple of days. Didn't get over to Sicily. The food, as I recall was as good overall as the rest of the trip. We actually didn't like Venice that much.(We may be the only people on the planet.) The gelato was fabulous but the food and service was not up to the rest of our trip.

Garlic wasn't in great evidence north of Rome and while we like it, we didn't miss it. The wines were the best (including the rich reds of Veneto) north but even so, the wines in Naples were still better than most of the swill sold here.

I can't say enough about the people. Friendly, helpful and delighted when you attempted to speak Italian - probably just giving them a laugh or two. I can't wait to go back.

I have a brother who didn't like Venice--but also a very good friend who called the entire area in and around Venice, her very favorite in all of Italy. BTW: Christopher Columbus' home town I believe was Genoe, Italy; and the "Romeo & Juliet balcony" town was Verona.