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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote] Could those of you who know wine recommend a 20-30 bottle of good wine to bring as a hotess gift? Or under $20? I dint drink eine, always have to adk for a recommendation at the store. But a couple of ideas might help thise if us who struggle wih this dulemma and run the risk of bringing sn "undrinkable" wine![/quote]

Your best bet is California chardonnay.  It's still America's most popular wine.  There are wine snobs (including me) who got tired of it and went through an ABC ("anything but Chardonnay") phase, but most people like it, it's very versatile, and very easy to find.  If the hostess isn't into Chardonnay, she'll still have no problem serving it to guests, or find an occasion to make an exception to her chardonnay rule.

Chardonnays that are reliable, easy to find, and in your 20-30 range or lower: Sonoma-Cutrer, Simi, Acacia, Chalone, Chateau St. Jean, Dry Creek, Ferrari-Carrano, Kenwood, Kunde, Geyser Peak, Wente.  On the cheaper end, Dynamite, Estancia, Fetzer, Folie a Deux, Greg Norman.

For red, don't feel you have to bring a cabernet.  Many people think so, but cabernet is expensive--a lot of the $20 ones are blah (though some are good), and cheap ones are going to be darn hard to find.  If you must have one, Worthy is good, $25-30, and not that hard to find.  It's the second wine of Axios, a high-end (some would say cult) cabernet.  On the cheaper end, Dynamite is reliable.

Instead, go for an Argentine Malbec -- Catena is a good one and easy to find.  (They also have a good cabernet.)  Or a zinfandel.  Reliable zins are Seghesio, Ridge, Rosenblum, Dry Creek, Frog's Leap, or Ravenswood (but not the entry-level $11 "vintner's blend").  A fun and a little cheaper one is Plungerhead.  Cline makes an affordable one.

Wines to avoid: Anything under $10 (there are exceptions, but ...), anything with a cute name or an animal on the label (yellowtail, little penguin), anything that is available in magnum (1.5 L size) at the grocery or convenience store, generally anything that is stacked in boxes near the cash register.    [/quote]

No one I know drinks Chardonnay, ymmv.

OP, if it were a potluck I would put it out with everything else. If a dinner party I save it for later, then re-gift to someone who doesn't mind cheap wine, or use it for sangria for my book club. [/quote]

Was out in Napa and Chardonnay is popular again![/quote]

Me too!  But not the buttery oak-y barrel kind.  
Yuck.
[/quote]

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