Good red wines that are cheap

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I'm gonna be 21 in about 2 months, so I'll be able to legally drink. Oddly, me being the boring person I am, I'm most looking forward to it for the ability to have wine or maybe beer with my meals I cook. I, though I am a 20 year old male, like the taste of wine, especially red, but I'll probably drink some white occasionally.

So, I'd like some recommendations from you guys on some good wines I can get cheaply when I turn 21. Also, in the fridge, recorked, how long does wine in a bottle last? I'm not terribly experienced in the matters of wine, so if anyone has any long boring essaylike posts to answer my questions of wine, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Here's a link that might help you:
http://www.compleatwinegeek.com/cheap.html
I haven't heard of most of what they mentioned, but here are a few that I personally enjoy.
Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel
Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon
Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir
They are not at all fancy, but on a budget they are my go-to.

Riunite is the best. Cheap as hell and delicious. Drink it straight from the bottle at room temperature.

Where do you live? The U.S. I take it?

If you want good red wine, it depends where you live. Try the local wineries and/or cideries. Have you ever had cider, especially some of the strong fruit ciders? They're amazing.

There's a Malbec by the name of Portillo that I was quite impressed with. It was in the $7 a bottle range but really quite good.

If you are just wanting one or maybe two glasses at a time with dinner, boxed wine might be a good option. Not all of it is terrible, Black Box is drinkable (Franzia is not).

Clearly I'm no wine snob.

Teq, you can't buy real british farm cider in the states. My step has been looking for it across the country since 1981 or so with no luck. Cider here goes to about 5%, not like that brutal double fermented brainhammer you make over there. Also we only make cider out of apples. Yep. I'm American, "proud to be stupid."

As for local wines in the States ... well ... unless you live on the West Coast...or you like Concord Grape wine that tastes like jam... :p

If you're in the USA, the Trader Joe's chain has a brand that sells for $2 to $4 dollars, called Charles Shaw. It's probably considered unsophisticated, but I like it.

Oh and as far as spoilage, those caps that come with a pump to create a vacuum in the bottle really do help. Also, if an uncorked bottle spoils after a week you can alway cook with it.

(I actually live in the California wine country, but don't know much about wine!)

I call "ignorant". You can get it no problem, although it's rare.



RateBeer says it goes to 10%+.

Also, there's a beautiful winery I can tell you about in Southern Ontario if you can get that far. Their stuff is loopy. I went there. They produce the strongest cider in the world - 22%.



Outside the farm-produced ciders, our cider rarely goes over 8% due to tax rates here.

As for your ciders:



Now, you were saying?

Neither do I. I take the alcoholic's approach to wine: if I can drink it, and it's strong, all to the good. Though I'm not an alcoholic.

RateBeer says it goes to 10%+.

Also, there's a beautiful winery I can tell you about in Southern Ontario if you can get that far. Their stuff is loopy. I went there. They produce the strongest cider in the world - 22%.



Outside the farm-produced ciders, our cider rarely goes over 8% due to tax rates here.[/quote]

That 22% - that's what my step's after, right there. Farmhouse cider. Who who who? Who makes that, and I wonder if we can import it across the border? He turns up his nose and scoffs at all the 5-7%s and says "that's not cider, that's crap." That table up there shows flavor ("flavour" to you Brits) quality, but not the strength.

His whole family are dedicated brewers and vintners. H has a 5x10 foot room in his house that is nothing but racks of homemade wine, as do his brothers at their houses and his father before he passed. Grapes, Elderberries, Raspberries, Dandelion, whatever. Will make wine from anything. His definition of "good wine" is one that he can easily remove the label from so he can put his own swill in it later.

Applewood Farm Winery, of Stouffville, Ontario. It's not a cider, more a liqueur, but they produce the stuff in 500ml bottles. Put it this way: a bottle shared between me and my mum after a few sherberts down the pissholes they call pubs in Toronto more than did the trick.

The guy's name is Matt Passafiume.

Oh, and here's photos taken by my own big fat hands:









My enthusiasm for their stuff is undimmed.

I have another question!

I'm dying to try port wine! How much should I expect to pay for some port wine? What are some good varieties and brands and whatever. Port wine looks wonderful.

Rite Aid has good prices on wine too. And if you buy 6 or more bottles at grocery stores here you get a 10% discount. I've had some tawny port that was tasty, don't remember brands or prices.

If you want some fine whine one can always go to PPR and bring up controversial topics.

Eh--I'm a wine nerd, but these questions are difficult for me to answer.

Your best bet is to find some local wine tastings and see what types of wine and styles you like. And hopefully find some brands in your price range.

Recommending is hard; because of distributors, a bottle I suggest may not be available to you. Plus I'm not sure what styles you like.

Port is much easier for me to answer! For starters I'd grab a bottle of tawny. See if you actually like the style first. For many wine-drinkers the flavour profile and alcohol of port is a turn-off.

Hardy's Whiskers Blake Tawny Port is scrumptious and cheap.
Can't think of other Ports to suggest right now. I've had a lot of "eh" port. Had a bottle of Rainwater Madeira that was yummy but it's name eludes me.

I would not worry about varietals with port--most of the time they don't even list them, and plus they're mostly blends anyway.

Hope this helps, and if you have any specific questions I can answer them or point you in the right direction!