I will also echo some of the other suggestions from others by highly recommending Carlisle, Bedrock, & even Sandlands = Banging QPR!
Louis Martini cabs also deliver excellent QPR for the price.
It just depends, are u an old world lover, new world, or open?
No such thing. I’d hate drinking the very same wine again…and again…and again. Even reading about it gives me the cheevers. Instead of a single wine you buy a lot of, branch out and get a few? If you have a lot of people over all the time and like red wines, you could probably find some Portuguese Dao or Alentejo for less than 10-bucks and you could buy cases of them, save lots o’ money.
Jim - I’m glad to see so many helpful suggestions in between people telling you you shouldn’t want what you clearly know you want, and that you should want what they want instead.
Welcome to our community.
Then just suggest 11.
The Carignan got its claws into you too, huh? 
Truly a great wine.
+1
The whites from Spain and Portugal are hard to beat (excluding the occasional Muscadet or Picpoul).
If I had to add anything to the recommendations posted on this thread, I would mention the mandatory Marietta Cellars “Old Vine Red” (~$13), as well as the Borra/Markus “Nativo” and “Nimmo” white blends (~$20). Then there’s the Dirty & Rowdy Familiar Blanc… 
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc…hard to beat at $12-13… 
I would call these our “house” wines. Collestefano Verdicchio for white and Clos du Mont Olivet Cotes du Rhone and Felsina CCR for red.
![[basic-smile.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/83717c74df9b0ce202453063bc4f11baf0ee6b8a.gif "smile"){kind=small}
Coming back to this, the answer is really very simple Jim. Keep buying, drinking, tasting, and when you find a wine that you really enjoy, would enjoy drinking regularly and with the sort of food you often like, you reckon is very cheap for what it is, and available… then that’s your next ‘house’ wine. You’ll know it when you taste it!
regards
Ian
p.s. the challenge of trying to emulate what you experienced with Italian house wines may be difficult to achieve. The setting makes a huge difference, as does the way they often matched the food so well, plus you were on holiday, so in a pretty happy & easy-going mood. Add onto this restaurant markups on their house wine being comparatively modest and/or the base wine being very cheap and it’s actually quite a high benchmark to take on.
When ever John Cabot, Marcus, Todd, Jim or Seven of Hearts wants to unload a bunch of wine, that becomes the new house red. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Our everyday go to wine is 2012 and 2013 BV Rutherford. We never paid more than $20 per bottle shipped, and it is a great wine at that price point. We have a dozen cases in reserve.
Or even less money. I get my secretary wine every year for a holiday present. She likes richer reds and I usually stay under $15 of so a bottle. Warren always does a great job helping me put this together. Hint, I always start with Charvin.
I think that overall the board really does a good job of honing in on what are some of the best values. Monsanto, Vajra, Pepiere, Baudry are all great values. I’ll add Guion Bourgeiul, Lanessan, Senejac, and lots of AOC Chablis, particularly 2014s, Gulfi, Occhipinti’s SP68, Landron’s Muscadets, and tons of Beaujolais,
Raffault
Lanessan
Baudry
Prum
Donnhoff
Ridge
Roilette
Guion
Thivin
Lauer
Clape Vin des Amis
Gonon Iles Feray
Breton
Some Bedrock
This is a lot of what I have enjoyed over the weeks this past year, great wines, simple pleasure, not bank-breakers.
If only that was the wine list at some mid-tiered restaurants…
How could I forget my profile picture… Bierzo Pétalos!
If I did not live in Wine Country, the Loire would satisfy my needs well.
Jim - I’m glad to see so many helpful suggestions in between people telling you you shouldn’t want what you clearly know you want, and that you should want what they want instead.
Funny and just about right too.
I agree with Howard, Markus and some of the others - we never had a “house” wine.
That said, I tend to pick up wines that I like when they’re on sale or clearance somewhere, just to have them around. Qupe Central Coast Syrah for example, or a few of those from the Loire already mentioned, or Vina Barrocca, a Mencia that I’m drinking now, something that I found on clearance somewhere. There’s nothing that we buy cases of with any regularity, but there are things that we’ve picked up multiple bottles of on more than one occasion. The thing is, it’s not like you come over and we’re always going to open such and such wine or even have it.
But it’s a good idea to have in the back of your head a few wines that you know are inexpensive and kind of reliable, so that if you do need such a wine, you’ll be able to pick it up.
My amp only goes up to ten so that’s not a real number. Out of over a thousand, I think these are eleven wines currently available for under $29, some well under $29, some 375 ml, some might go over $29 with commission and tax, on Winebid that I would like to drink. You can tell by the repetition of some names that I think that a few of the labels would make good house wines at these prices::
N.V. Drappier Carte d’Or Brut
N.V. Sean Thackrey Thackrey La Pleiade II
1983 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
1994 Real Companhia Velha Royal Oporto
1995 Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Villa Gemma Riserva
1996 Ravenswood Wood Road/Belloni Zinfandel
1997 Moris Farms Morellino di Scansano Riserva
1997 Romariz
1998 Newton Naturally Fermented Claret
2000 Ceja Cabernet Sauvignon
2000 Fonseca
2001 Brown Estate Zinfandel
2001 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
2001 Feudi di San Gregorio Aglianico del Vulture Vigne di Mezzo Efesto
2001 Vietti Moscato d’Asti
2002 Bernardus Marinus
2002 Long Vineyards Botrytis Estate Grown Johannisberg Riesling
2002 Red Car Some Like it Red Proprietary Red
2003 Arcadian Stolpman Vineyard Syrah
2003 Charles Smith K Vintners Ovide En Cerise Vineyard
2003 Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Cabernet/Merlot
2003 Ridge Jimsomare Zinfandel
2003 Tom Eddy Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Arcadian Westerly Vineyard Syrah
2004 Crane Brothers Crane Ranch Vineyard Hillside Block Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Havens Hudson Vineyard Syrah
2005 Domaine Laurens Marcillac L’Ecir
2005 Domaine Les Grandes Vignes Terra Vitis Vaillant Bonnezeaux Le Malabe
2005 Rudius Grenache
2006 Betts & Scholl The Chronique Grenache
2006 Dry Stack Cellars Dry Stack Vineyard Maries Block Syrah
2006 Etude Carneros Pinot Noir
2006 M. Chapoutier Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine
2006 Rudius Grenache
2006 Saintsbury Brown Ranch Pinot Noir
2006 Turley Duarte Vineyard Zinfandel
2006 Turley Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel
2006 Turley Moore Earthquake Vineyard Zinfandel
2006 Turley Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel
2007 Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha
2007 Ridge Carmichael Zinfandel ATP
2007 Two Hands Angel’s Share Shiraz
2008 Robert Mondavi Reserve Pinot Noir
2008 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Goldert Gueberschwihr
2009 Jean Grivot Bourgogne Rouge
2009 Turley Duarte Vineyard Zinfandel
2009 Turley Grist Vineyard Zinfandel
2009 Turley Juvenile Zinfandel
2009 Turley Mead Ranch Zinfandel
2009 Turley Old Vines Zinfandel
2009 Wind Gap Orra
2010 Carlisle Old Vines Russian River Zinfandel
2010 Carlisle Two Acres Red Wine
2010 Giuseppe E Figlio (Mauro) Mascarello Barbera D’Alba Scudetto
2011 Bedrock Wine Company Hudson Vineyard South T’n’S-Blocks Syrah
2011 Carlisle Compagni Portis
2011 Carlisle Montafi Ranch Zinfandel
2011 Carlisle Sierra Mar Vineyard Syrah
2011 Carlisle Steiner Vineyard Grüner Veltliner
2011 Carlisle Steiner Vineyard Syrah
2011 Carlisle The Derivative
2011 Carlisle Two Acres Red Wine
2011 Davis Family Vineyards Soul Patch Pinot Noir
2011 Kutch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
2011 Ryme Wine Cellars Luna Matta Vineyard Aglianico
2012 Bedrock Wine Company Bedrock Vineyard Carignane
2012 Carlisle DuPratt Vineyard Zinfandel
2012 Carlisle Saitone Ranch Zinfandel
2012 Carlisle Sonoma County Zinfandel
2012 Carlisle The Derivative
2012 Carlisle Two Acres Red Wine2013 Bedrock Wine Company Dolinsek Ranch Heritage Red
2013 Bedrock Wine Company Papera Ranch Heritage
2013 Carlisle Compagni Portis
2013 Carlisle DuPratt Vineyard Zinfandel
2013 Carlisle Kirschenmann Zinfandel
2013 Carlisle Sonoma County Mourvedre
2013 Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah
2013 Carlisle The Derivative
2013 Keller Riesling Trocken Von Der Fels
2013 Mount Eden Domaine Eden Chardonnay
2013 Ryme Wine Cellars Las Brisas Vineyard ‘His’ Vermentino
2013 Thibault Liger-Belair Bourgogne Gamay les Deux Terres
2014 A Tribute to Grace Wine Company Hofer Vineyard Grenache
2014 Bedrock Wine Company Old Vine Zinfandel
2014 Bedrock Wine Company Pagani Ranch Heritage
2014 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
2014 Carlisle Sonoma County Petite Sirah
2014 Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah
2014 Ryme Wine Cellars Lago Vineyard Fiano
2014 Ryme Wine Cellars Las Brisas Vineyard ‘Hers’ Vermentino
2014 Ryme Wine Cellars Las Brisas Vineyard ‘His’ Vermentino
2014 Ryme Wine Cellars Testa Vineyard Carignane
2014 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spatlese
2014 Wind Gap Sceales Vineyard Old Vine Grenache
2015 Ryme Wine Cellars Las Brisas Vineyard ‘Hers’ Vermentino
2015 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spatlese
2015 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Riesling Trocken
2015 Wind Gap Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard Trousseau Gris
Whoa!!
Funny you mention that. I’m in Boulder overnight, headed to Breck. Had lunch and dinner at two local joints that had a wealth of geeky, moderately-priced wines. Saw Domaine Pallus, Thivin, Roilette, Sociando, Dirty & Riowdy, et al. Had a Huet with dinner.