Paisano by Carlo Rossi

[Lucky13csa]

I'm relatively new to wine. I just finished reading "Windows On The World-Complete Wine Course" by Kevin Zraly....twice. Very good book. Windows On The World was a resturant in the World Trade Center-God Bless.
I chose to learn mostly about Merlot wines and my favorite turns out to be Ecco Domani Merlot- an Italian wine. It's fruity, med body, slightly dry(dry wine isn't as dry as it used to be to me....do I get used to it?......go figure....LOL), and smooth all around. I don't want to get carried away with Merlot here(I have a post in the Merlot section of this forum).
I can't afford to drink Ecco Domani on a daily basis @$8/750ml bottle. So, I drink it on occaisons. Instead, I drink Carlo Rossi's Paisano @$8/gal bottle. I know that Carlo Rossi is among the top 15 in California mass produced wines but, I've never heard of Paisano and I can't seem to find any info on it. All I know about "Paisano" is that the word means "buddy" or "friend" in italian. Can anybody help me on this? I would appreciate it. I bounce around between Carlo Rossi's Paisano, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Burgundy. I'm also currently trying other wines like: Pinot Noir and Chardonay (I'll try different vineyards and vintages till I find something that appeals to me). Any input on Paisano or any suggestions as to specific wines that I should try would be appreciated.