Here are two delicious Italian red wines that I've been drinking at home this winter and can heartily recommend:Savuto Odoardi 2005
This is a full bodied, dry red wine from the Calabria region. It is delightfully complex, but also smooth and easy-drinking. Not overly fruity, there is a lovely and restrained plum flavor to this wine. Beautiful dark color as well. Savuto is a varietal and Odoardi is one of the most well-known and historic estates in Southern Italy. Tremendous value, around $15 retail, and you might be lucky to find it in selected Italian restaurants.
Ramitello Di Majo Norante 2005
From a large producer of some of Italy's greatest wine values, most notably the Di Majo Norante Sangiovese ($10). An unsual blend of 80% Prugnolo and 20% Aglianico, Ramitello is another well balanced, medium-bodied wine. Dry, spicy, and somewhat earthy, it's much better as it opens up and aerates. Around $15. From the tiny Molise region on the Adriatic coast.
