that's not 'not very expensive' for a lot of people, so ... what are we talking?

NOT a pro here, clearly!

Can get it even at reasonably stocked supermarkets that sell wine. Goes for about $20-$25 a bottle and it is an excellent wine from a little know area next to Napa Valley California.

My wife's favorite wine.

which seem to have good variety. There are a couple stores near me here, so will try to figure out which would be best.

If you think these folks are discerning, and you're looking to make an impression, I can tell you that these vintners make some FINE wines ... though I'm not sure how much you'd be looking at in MD ... I know in Cali you can find $50 bottles from all of them as long as they're not really special vintage years ...

Silver Oak
Stag's Leap
Jordan

And pretty much everyone who 'drinks wine' in a remotely snobby way ... knows these are all excellent wines. Like if you 'drink wine' and someone gifts you a bottle of any of those ... you go 'F***ing A, THANKS!'

And if those are all too expensive out your way, another very nice company is Sterling. Get one of their actual Napa/Alexander Valley wines, they have some cheaper wines from other areas that are good but not great, but their Napa appellation stuff is wonderful, and it's pretty widely available and not terribly expensive, a good value, and definite quality.

And not 'remotely snobby,' maybe discerning, and I think I've made my impression already, as been their tenant for 5 years!

They are true blue Dems! 'Upper middle class,' with triplets graduating from colleges this year!

Can't go wrong with any of those top 3, or a Napa/Alexander sourced Sterling. All fine wines that say "I appreciate you" ... to anyone who's 'discerning'

The part I don't know is how much of a price premium is involved when you go cross-country for any of those top 3 I mentioned ... for all I know you can't get a bottle from any of them under $75 in MD. I just don't know 'how it works'. But I'd be shocked if you can't get a nice Sterling for around 50.

I went to Sterling Vineyard on the first day of my honeymoon, along with Mumms, Beringer, and V. Satui (just cause it's great place for a picnic). They have this gondola ride up to the main facility, like you're at a ski resort ... that's super-cool ... but I've always liked their stuff, excellent quality for the money.

I often choose Mirassou. They are good wines and reasonably priced. I can find a good selection at my grocery store.

Gave a bottle of their Merlot to my hairdresser for Christmas and she said it was very enjoyable. I can vouch for the Chardonnay too. Also very good.

and may not have cross-country transport costs factored into their prices. Cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and pinot noir are good, full-bodied reds. Chardonay and riesling are good whites.

but 300 miles away. Neither do I have any idea about cross-country transport costs.

Will hit the liquor stores here soon.

If they're handy enough to install a new gas stove, I'm going to bet that they would appreciate a 6 pack of Underwood Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris in a can. Don't laugh, it's actually really decent wine -- they have this blue collar wine vibe going on in their marketing (from Union Wine Company). You can get it in bottles, too, but the cans are just kind of cool.

It's about $10/bottle around here ($5 per can, so $30/6 pack, which is 3 bottles).

Skip the Rose, but they also have champagne in a can ('The Bubbles') that my wife really likes.

http://thewineidiot.com/home/the-wine-idiot-reviews-underwood-pinot-noir-pinot-gris-and-ros-in-a-can-499-each

NOT as electrician or plumber!

that is just me, though.

popular these days I hear; I've had some too.

Even when you do have a general sense of their tastes it can be tricky to pick wisely. In other words if you know they like dry reds you might pick a cab and they dislike cabs.

On the other hand, just about everyone who drinks wine generally has a use for champagne even if they don't particularly like it themselves. It makes for a tasteful accompaniment to an aperitif, you can make cocktails with it, or you can save it for a special occasion. You can also get a pretty decent bottle in the $40-50 range, especially if you shop at places like Costco.

If you have a Total Wine store near you, I'd recommend you go there and present the question to them. I'm sure they get the same question several times per day and in my experience their advice is quite good.

As a landlord, I'd have to regift wine but I'd still be grateful. I was very grateful for our tenant's gift of chocolates this year.

Yes, I know they drink; see them spring/summer with glasses as they walk toward 'our' little beach!

Their merlot is good too. Seven Deadly Zins is a good zinfandel.

Another favorite is anything by Stag's Leap. It's a bit more expensive, for me it's a special occasion wine, but I've really liked everything I've tried by them. The last I had a couple years ago was their petite sirah & it was great.

...its a nice desert wine

for a recipe, and have kept the beautiful blue bottle due to the color!

Approx. $50, $24, $27

Pinot Noir-red.
Pinot Gris-white.

Read labels for descriptions.

Grocery stores usually have a selection of decent wines. 🍷

If they don't drink wine, they can always use it in "koo-king". [Jacques Pépin.😊]

Educated Guess, the cabernet. The price range is $20-25. You might be able to find it at target or a krogers (if you have them)

Josh by Josh Cellars is good.


I also like most Columbia Crest for a chardonney. They start at $10 a bottle and up. The more it costs, the more I like it.

Ghost Pines Cabernet can’t be beat. It is dry, luscious and like velvet on the tongue. Around $20 at Costco and $23-$24 at the grocery store. Maybe pair it with good sourdough and a lovely cheese? Edibles/drinkables make such nice gifts. Congrats on your new stove! You’ll have so much fun with that!

My grocery store(s) don't carry wines, but do good sourdough!

Looking forward to the stove (tho I don't cook much, as I'm usually 'home alone, as retired and the 'kids' are elsewhere, so I enjoy my time here with y'all!)

This is my absolute favorite red wine. I don’t often drink $20 a bottle wine. That’s a treat in this house. We always have a bottle of Ghost Pines for Christmas dinner.

I must say, you fooled me elleng! I was sure you cooked a lot with your foodie posts and all. Maybe you did at one time? I follow your posts and have bookmarked so many of them. Cheers!

I USED to cook, when family was together/growing up, and ended up with some favorites (the girls, now 30-somethings, still ask me about!)

Dad had great taste, did the best pancakes, and encouraged our adopted mother, who adopted us when she married Dad at ages 4 and 9, and never made a bad meal (as I recall.)

Really.

You don't need to go anywhere near fifty bucks for a good bottle of wine.

First off, do you know if they'd prefer red or white?

Although a sparkling wine is a good idea and Prosecco can be an excellent choice. Most of them are going to be under twenty dollars.

I don't know which they'd prefer.

of decent liquor store. When you say you are in Southern Maryland, any chance you mean not far from DC? Or do you mean the part that's on the Delmarva peninsula?

3 liquor stores nearby, so not 'starving' in that respect!

Go to whatever seems the best of the lot and see what an employee can tell you. Most of the time the people who work there are pretty good at recommendations.