Gallo Family Twin Valley - White Zinfandel @@ (2 corks)

Retails: $5.99 (Wal-Mart)

The Boss family in America when it comes to exporting wine is Gallo. If Tony Soprano (of The Sopranos) were into wines, he'd be Julio and/or Ernest Gallo.

The Gallo name is a paradox for me. They are synonymous with both high-end wines and also the crap that comes in a four-pack at your local 7-11--don't lie, we've all been there. I can remember days when I was on the road with the video crew and we'd be in some po-dunk town and have nothing better to do than raid the local convenience store for cheap beer and wine in a 4-pack. Gallo distributes wines under several brands including Ecco Domani, Bella Sera, Turning Leaf and Barefoot. If you're an avid wine drinker, you know that there's quite a bit of difference in price between Ecco Domani and Barefoot.

Twin Valley is one of their lower-priced varieties and I can say truthfully, it tastes more like a very diluted cranberry juice than wine. Don't get me wrong, if you're not in it for the taste and rather, in it for the after effects, it's not a bad wine--FYI white wines will give you less of a hangover than reds because the amount of sulfates in this and other light colored liquids is less. But, if you do enjoy a more full-bodied wine, this is probably going to leave you somewhat disappointed.

Carlo Rossi - Burgandy @@@ (3 corks)

Retails - $9.99 / gallon (Total Wine)

I used to be a part of a traveling video crew who ventured to San Antonio, Texas on a week-long trip. During our exploration of the famous River Walk, we followed our ears one evening to a tiny Italian Restaurant called Delores del Rio that featured live jazz music nightly. We were thrilled, for one, to find a restaurant serving something other than Tex-Mex, and second, this place had a certain off-kilter charm that drew us back night after night. Delores del Rio was the kind of hangout where all of the furniture was mismatched and dimly lit by 70's style lamps found at a garage sale. (Photo: My fellow blogger Amon Focus )The clientelle looked more like New Yorkers than Texans. Tiny circular tables had candles protruding from empty wine bottles, they drizzled candle wax all over the bottle and table. The food was incredible and the restaurant was about the size of your living room. My co-workers and I had found our "hang" in San Antonio. Plus, the house red was delicious. So, delicious, that it prompted us to ask, after three glasses a piece, what the wine was.

The waiter stammered and said "oh, it's some bulk wine we buy." We persisted until finally he admitted that the "bulk wine" was in fact none other than JUG wine---Carlo Rossi to be exact. The funny part was, they were passing off the Carlo Rossi Burgundy as a "Chianti" and pricing it at $7 per glass! We were completely fooled.

This Burgundy/Chianti is undefined, undoubtedly a mix of a few grapes, hence why this restaurant was able to pass it off for something other than true Burgundy. Having none of the signature brusqueness that Burgundy possesses, this wine was extremely drinkable. Very light, fruity, with a touch of acidity, the wine went down easily with our Italian fare. The moral of the story is, although we may turn up our noses at jug wine from time to time, there are in fact some good varieties out there that are worth a shot. And for under $10 per GALLON, throw a party and fool your friends with your bulk "Chianti."

Final Word: Totally drinkable especially if you're pinching pennies @@@ (3 corks)