Wine Rec
 

Cool. That's right in my normal price range. I can get two cases, and still have change from my hundred.

Wine Rec
 

What kind of red -- nothing too grape-y?

Wine Rec
 

I prefer zins and cabs, but I'm willing to try something different if it comes with a recommendation.

I had a Rancho Zabaco zin (I think -- maybe it was a cab) that was pretty cheap and pretty good recently.

Wine Rec
 

You ought to try K&L (SF or MP). They stock all kinds of interesting stuff. I went in not too long ago and asked them to find me six interesting reds (no merlots), all under $15.

Kid you not, the guy was spot on. Everything was interesting and of great quality. Made for a fun dinner party with plenty of rave reviews from my wine snob friends.

AM(can't stand that pink porch wine!)M

Wine Rec
 

I love really crappy reds -- I am a sucker for Cotes du Rhone. My typical price point is $10-12.

I heard good things about the new Montes Cab. I was told that they have released a wine that competes equally with the most elite cabs for about $40.

Here are some recommendations from my serious red wine friends:

For under $50:
Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages or the Cain Five

For under $25:
1998 Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes-Du-Rhone,
1998 Chateau du Grand Bos,
2000 Chateau Bellvue.

For table wine:
Mouton Cadet, Marques De Caceres, Niebaum-Coppola Merlot or Claret,
Wente.

Wine Rec
 

I'm not a wine expert, but I like Montes reds very much. Their Merlots are a great value. I have a '98 Cabernet and a '99 Special Cuvee Merlot on my wine rack.

Back when I lived in SF, Wine Impression(s?) was (is?) a great place to find inexpensive quality wines. There are plenty of wine shops down here in LA, but I couldn't make a recommendation.

Wine Rec
 

K&L is very good, but I recommend Weimax in Burlingame for picking up individual bottles for a particular dinner or housewarming gift. Amazing selection if you know what you're looking for, but you can do pretty well just naming a price and your entree.

If the budget is $50 or under for a red, you can't go wrong with a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It will beat the pants off most Napa wines in that price range. I've heard the same is true of any Brunello di Montalcino, but everything I know about Italian wines could be crammed into a Chianti bottle and topped with a candle.

If the budget is under $10, ask the wine merchant for the best Spanish wine in that range. Under no circumstances agree to anything from Minnesota. Nice people; fucked up wine.

Wine Rec
 

In my immediate post-college days, used to by "Cheap Red Wine" - that was the label - from the local safeway. About $5.

Seriously, can usually find a decent red in Chilean wines for less than $10 -wouldn't serve it to wine snobs - except at a blind wine tasting - always fun to see wine snobs fawning over Boones Farm.

Current favorite "Fat Bastard" label chardonnay and cabernet - just love the name and its pretty tasty - priced below $20.

Wine Rec
 

I serve the Chardonnay for the same reason.

I also love Bonny Doon wines for lable purposes -- and they are good drinkin'-- especially the Cardinal Zin and Heart of Darkenss.

A New Low
 

This is hugely outable to a small number of people, but during law school we had a trivia team for the weekly pub quiz; one regular on an opposing team showed up with chaps one week. The next week, our team name was "Chaps are Buttless Pants." Hard to argue, really.

str8

1 down 15 to go.

Chaps-Shtick?
 

Does anyone else think Kimberly Caldwell will end up singing "Black Velvet" on AI before all is said and done?

str(if she doesn't, she should)8

1 down 15 to go

There Is No Justice in Primetime
 

Does anyone know anyone who still watches "Frasier"? How the fuck is that show getting renewed --- AGAIN --- when shows like "Andy Richter" and "Sports Night" get cancelled by network suits, and shows like "Good Morning, Miami" get greenlighted? Is it some bizarre effort to set a record for Kelsey Grammer?

While we're at it, who watches "ER" anymore, anyway? I can understand that there is a geriatric Patch demographic that keeps the CBS lineup from changing and ruining millions of people's boring evenings of "Becker" or "Raymond" or "JAG," but I guarantee the oatmeal-for-breakfast crowd isn't keeping "Just Shoot Me" on the air. NBC's got no excuse for keeping that show, "Frasier" and "ER" limping along like this.

I have never once met a person who's sat through an episode of "Third Watch." And yet, it lives. For the love of God, how?

Wine Rec
 

You BOUGHT that?

(Dude, it's made from ferented fish picked up around icehouses in March. We sell it as a gag gift. Literally. Not a "joke" gift, a "gag" gift.)

There Is No Justice in Primetime
 

I tried to watch Frasier the other night but couldn't stomach it. Sports Night was one of my favorites, I don't understand why it didn't last. Maybe they didn't think it could compete with all those ESPN commercials.

ER last night was pretty good. I only tend to watch it at the end of the season, too many re-runs mixed in during the early part of the year.

Third Watch y-a-w-n

To MR or Leagl
 

Question re: PM's:

I just got a slough of e-mails saying "such-and-such has sent you a PM and your box is full . . ."

I only have three messages in my box.

What's a poor girl to do?

(I deleted messages earlier - do I have to empty a trash folder or something?)