Wine for very large dinner

[PrincessUA]

Hi, I am a hospitality student at Florida State University, and my group and I have to put on a dinner for 85 people for a class. We have to have two different wines during the course of our dinner. To stay in budget, we have to choose wines that range from $10-$15. Our theme is the Southwest, but I do not know of any wines from that region. The main course is duck, so it was recommended to me to have Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel. Does this sound good?

My main problem though is picking the wine for the appetizer and salad courses. We are servng chilled avocado bisque an a spring mix salad with cilantro-lime vinagrette. I would really prefer to have a white wine. Does anybody have any suggestions? I could really use the help. Thank you in advance.