Help... I'm a Newbie

[zenda2]

Welcome Oregonia, I see that you like zin. It's not a common grape in Oregon and Washington, but you have a local little known grape there that replaces it nicely. It's called Lemberger or Blue Franc. The name Lemberger is a marketing nightmare, but the grape makes some great unpretentious red wine and zinfandel lovers usually seem to enjoy it. The best I've had was probably from Thurston Wolfe (his tasting room is next door to Hogue's in Preston) but it's rather hard to find. You should be able to find Lemberger from Hogue or Covey Run, and it's good, but let me recommend tracking down some Kiona Lemberger from the Red Mountain area of Washington, it's flat out delish. My favorite red $10 wine from Washington (altho I'm very fond of Kiona Cab-Merlot and Columbia Crest Grand Estate Cab in that price range)
Try any one of the number of different Pinot Noir makers there in Oregon, price is a pretty good indicator of Oregon PN quality these days, but there are a few 'bargains'. An inexpensive one that I'm fond of is Bridgeview Blue Moon Pinot Noir, available here for $13 or so. Have fun!