I was discussing wines with my friend Doug who loves Zinfandels. He had just discovered the Costco store-brand version ($14) and was giddy over the cost-to-quality ratio. I almost always concur about its wines. I don’t often recommend them since you have to have a membership, but they make terrific varietals that you can buy with confidence. Sadly, Zinfandels have become strange beasts. They used to be big, blockbuster, Italian-style wines, primed for an immense bowl of pasta or a slab of lasagna. Then folks with money started bidding them up, and the wines moved either toward over-oaked vanilla bombs or quiet, English-style Clarets. Suddenly, wineries like Biale, Martinelli, Turley, and Carlisle thought $75-100 a bottle seemed fair for Zinfandel. What happened to our $10 treats?

Well, it turns out one maker is still out there taking care of those of us who drink wine nightly. It’s a winery that has its share of $75 wines and big awards, but it’s also a winery that started with the 99% and is definitely not forgetting its roots, and that’s Gallo. It makes three styles of Zinfandel worth searching for: Dancing Bull is the cheapest, the Gallo Family Vineyards Sonoma County label is the most restrained, and the Rancho Zabaco Sonoma Heritage Vines is most reminiscent of the old Cal-Ital powerhouse versions. Gallo and Rancho Zabaco make Zinfandel at multiple price points, but it’s these three starter wines that interest me. Just like the old days: Here are lusty food wines that run $8-12 and always deliver the goods. Plus, they’re available everywhere.

This article appears in January 20 • 2012.

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Wes Marshall is the author of What's a Wine Lover To Do? (Artisan) and The Wine Roads of Texas (Maverick), as well as the Executive Producer of the PBS television series of the same name. Wes has written for The Austin Chronicle since 1999, covering wine, cocktails, food, and travel.