Wine of the Week: 2006 Rosso & Bianco Rosso

Rosso & Bianco Rosso 2006 red table wine is warm buttered toast and blackberry jam in a bottle. If it were a puppy it would be a St. Bernard, all adorable big feet and soft brown eyes. The pronounced caramel aroma that rises as you splash it into your glass is guaranteed to make you smile. This is a warmer, friendlier wine than one might reasonably expect from the movie director who gave us Apocalypse Now and The Godfather.

Rosso is a very California blend of zinfandel (48 percent), syrah (27 percent) and cabernet sauvignon (25 percent). It is produced by movie legend Francis Ford Coppola near Geyserville in Sonoma County and is just one of his six labels. Rosso & Bianco is the everyday-with-dinner label. Its pricier siblings are Coppola's FC Reserve, Director's Cut, Diamond Collection, Encyclopedia and Sofia labels. All six are under the general direction of winemaker Corey Beck, whose credentials include a tour as vineyard manager for pioneering California winery Chateau Montelena.

Rosso is one of our standbys. Not only is it reliable, full bodied, drinkable and easily paired with a wide variety of dishes, it also is readily available at the supermarket for about 10 bucks. We can make a selection from the butcher counter or the deli or the pasta aisle and pick up a bottle on our way to the express check-out lane.

We drink it with just about anything that isn't fussy or delicate. Try it with cheddary, crusty baked mac and cheese or Hoppin' John with andouille sausage.

Colette and John Bancroft. Colette Bancroft is the Times' book editor. John Bancroft is a freelance writer specializing in food, wine and travel.