Need advice: Inexpensive red and white?

I'm going to a friend's house for dinner tomorrow and I'm bringing 2 bottles of wine - one red, one white. I don't drink wine much these days and would love to hear recommendations for your favorite inexpensive bottles (definitely inexpensive - we're not aficionados). We're having farm fresh veg, mussels, and filets. And LOST. We'll be catching up on the last two episodes of LOST, so it will be a grrrrreat evening! I don't wanna screw up the wine.

(I know this is not the perfect forum for this topic, but it gets the most traffic and time is sensitive.)

Hey Mambo is always good for the Red. It runs $9.99 and is always in stock at Old Town. Approachable and food-friendly. It's a blend of Barbera, Zin, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignane & Alicante Bouchet (?!?!?).
I like the Crios Torrontes from Argentina for a white. Same price range. Not sure if Old Town carries it, but i would be surprised if they don't. Peachy, floral, light to medium body. Off dry at first but crisp and clean finish.
Have fun, Jackie... I'm catching up on the last four episodes as we speak!

Ya know, I've actually had Hey Mambo plenty. It's a little tart for my taste, but that could just be me. I always lean toward the silkier varietals of red. Maybe I'm more willing to go into the 10-15 dollar range in order to avoid that.

And Krista, I'm glad you're not giving up on LOST. It's getting good... I think.

Great suggestions, Krista. May I suggest a couple wines from lesser-known regions, as they always come at a discount, yet have great conversational value...

Pinotage- South Africa
Rueda- Spain

Jackie,

If you have time to get over there, I strongly recommend "Sacred Stone" Red from Westport Whiskey and Wine ( in the same shopping center with Wild Eggs and Napa River). I started drinking it after enjoying it at a friend's house. We love it, find it hugely drinkable and it's around $9.99 a bottle. I took a bottle with us on vacation and got raves (versus their more expensive wine) from the friends we served it to.

Deb

Perfect, Deb ~ that's on the way to their house! And of course I live right around the corner from Old Town, so I'll check to see if they carry the white that Krista suggested.

.

Jackie,

Glad to be of help.

Actually if you go to Westport and ask for Chris ( owner) he can also give you some other excellent recommendations to pair with your menu- with your budget in mind. We went there last month on the recommendation of a friend, to get wine pairings for a Gourmet Mardi Gras dinner we were hosting. Personally I would not have thought to go to such a nice wine store as budget was a major concern. But Brian went to the store with our menu in-hand, explained that our budget was around $10 a bottle and needed pairings for 6 courses. Chris didn't pause at our budget ( as I've had other shops do), personally selected all the wines and made Brian feel like a special customer. At our dinner, the pairings he recommended were all wonderful! When I needed wine for Passover this week, I headed straight there and again was very pleased with his recommendation.

Deb

I went only to Westport Wine and Whiskey because I was pressed for time and not coming directly from home. I purchased the Crios Torrontes (16.99) that Krista suggested and the Sacred Stone (10.99) that Deb suggested. Both were wonderful. I can't supplant the description Krista offered with a better one. It was a perfect compliment, so thank you. I would do this again (ask for advice). The red was wonderful, too. I mentioned to the man, who ran right to my aid when he saw that I was looking for direction, what I was looking for and that I heard it was nice. He told it was one of their favorites. I was reminded of (and please forgive if my pallette is way off-base here ~ I never talk wine because I don't really know as much as I should about it) Osbourne Tempranillo-Cabernet. I used to drink that a lot as a very inexpensive but complex red (I think it used to run for about 8.99 - absolute value in every sip). Lots of earth.

These wines were great, so thank you Deb and Krista. And of course thanks to Steven and Jay as well. I wish I could tell you how great the dinner was but that would just bore the tears out of every reader. I will say that it took us about 5 hours to prepare and eat. And in my scope ~ that's a life worth livin!