So, being a drinker of sweet, white wine, when I do drink, I have no idea what dry, red wines are good! Can you recommend a good dry red, including the name of the vintner and the type of grape (i.e. Wagner Merlot or Bully Hill Cabernet Sauvignon)?

I know many of you love a good glass of vino...will you share your expertise with this novice?

I like shiraz. It is dry and plummy. It packs a punch so I find a glass is good. It took me a while to get used to red wine, but now when I drink white it tastes like water.

That's so hard because wine is such an individual taste thing AND the selection you have at the store varies SO much, even from store to store... never mind state-to-state or country-to-country. But I have two suggestions for you, see if you can find them:

First, is one called Masi. They have four different selections of red wine (Italian), and they're all pretty easy drinking. You can ask the clerk at the store if they know which is the EASIEST drinking one. It goes with pizza, even. Quite smooth.

But, better than that, is a wine walled "Morettoni Montefalco Rosso" (its number is +856 799). It's another Italian red, and it's just the most delicious, smooth, red wine I've ever had. I don't have a good palette for bitter wine, so I don't like a lot of Italian reds... but this stuff? It's like kool aid. Holy crow! Rob and I polish off a bottle of that before dinner. That said, trying to FIND it might be the challenge -- there's only one store I've ever seen it in, a specialty wine shop here in Winnipeg. But if you go to a specialty wine store where you live, and ask if they a) have it, b) could get it in or c) could look it up online and recommend a similar wine, that might work.

Good luck!

Great ideas, ladies! Thanks so much!

Are all Shiraz wines from Australia or are they also made in other regions?

I'll definitely look for those, MittenNKim!

Has anyone tasted red wines from Simi winery in the Sonoma Valley? I love their whites, but have never tried the reds.

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon

Hop Kiln - all of their reds are very good. They are out of California - and we belong to their wine club.

We're kinda wine snobs, but honestly they have a few $6 bottles that are worth oooohing and aaahhhing over.

Ahhh, yes, Wolf Blass! Good stuff, I haven't had that in years! Though, I will say... I know it's lower on the scale, but I REALLY like the Wolf Blass Green Label. It's got tones of coconut and... I can't remember what else, but it was one of my first experiences of being able to pick out the undertone of a wine.