2001 Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon

This just might be my new house wine.

As far as daily drinkers go, I have a few staples. You can't go wrong with the 7 Deadly Zins ($15), or the Maramonte Syrage ($11). Raphael and I used to keep about a half case of each on hand for when random people stopped by for dinner. Setting the dial on the way-back machine even further, we would keep Penfold's Bin 128 around, but it's gotten too expensive to keep as a daily drinker.

Now I've found a new wine, the Red Diamond Cab. A very unpretentious Washington cab that costs a whopping $9 at the Safeway near my house. It has good color, good legs, good smell. I'd cook with it, and I'd drink it. My one complaint is it's not the smoothest wine in the world; you can feel a little burn while it's going down.

I heard this was the house red at a very upscale Seattle steakhouse, but I haven't verified this. I could believe it--it's a great by-the-glass wine if you see it on a menu somewhere.

Follow-up: The Whole Foods in Bellevue has The Ball Buster for $17 if you're looking for some.