Pasta and red wines go well together, the bolder the spices in the dish, the bolder the wine.

If its a lasagna or saucy hamb. helper I would suggest merlot or a blend "dry red"

If its a creamy or gravy based... Rose or a blush might work better.

It is hard for me to suggest a brand, as I work in a Cold Beer and Wine store, and we always suggest one of our local wines first :)

Hmmm perhaps if you can find it, Jackson Triggs merlot They are under $10

buy it in a box, or a jug. drink it all. shit the bed.

repeat

For the lasagna, try a chianti. The Cheeseburger Macaroni really wants a beer, rather than wine.

Pretty much think about what kind of real food the Hamburger Helper is simulating, and then go for the appropriate wine.

Beaujolais is a good choice for hamburger helper

I'm not a connoisseur, but I notice that round here, Hamburger Helper seems to be most commonly paired with the "Why do I have to have Vegetables" whine.

Mad Dog 20/20 goes best with burgers, especially those little slimy burgers you get from White Castle type places.

Well I am going with what was already said, go with the cheaper ones until you find the ones that you personally love. Then work your way up from there. Then you will be able to distinguish cheap wine in an expensive bottle. lol!

Hamburger Helper? Two Buck Chuck -- Charles Shaw Cabernet.

Pleasant wines to learn on... hmm. Try any Bordeaux if you're buying French. "Meritage" -- a made-up word -- is the Californian idea of how to pronounce "Bordeaux." Similar, and tasty. A budget port, whatever's on special at Trader Joe's on the port shelves. Rhine wines, German whites, run to sweet and fruity. Good with sausage, good with fruit and cheese.

Any wine that isn't expensive is darn good to cook with. An expensive wine should be drunk from the glass, not hidden in food.

There's an awful lot of wine-bore cultiness that goes on, but frankly just ignore it. Let your own taste be your guide; for one thing it will evolve over the next ten years anyway. Drink those wines you like; the ones you don't take to can best go all the more to those who do appreciate them. Cook with the wines you like to drink.

Red wines age well when you've got a dark, preferably rather cool, undisturbed place to cellar them in, whenever that may be. Wines that age well are tannic, and reds are far more tannic than whites, which mainly should be drunk young as they won't age and smooth out very much more once in the bottle. Reds with a tannic content will slowly react in a bottle to become less puckery, smoother, and full of little complex flavor notes. Ravenswood wines, all mid-priced, cellar very handsomely. If you keep one resting for four or five years, it comes up nicely. I like doing that with their Merlot. I've moved rather from Merlots to Cabernets of late; there are about a bajillion Cabs, but they're just about always fun.

Most cooks/chefs I know suggest that if you wouldn't drink it from a glass, don't cook with it, and vice versa.

I think that's a good adage actually. After all, if you open a bottle to make a sauce, what're you going to do with the rest if not drink it? Can't put wine away till the next time you want to cook that particular dish can you? ;)

I made chicken fajitas the other night, and served them with a Sainburys Basics Rose - £2.49. It went down very well and a good time was had by all!

Seriously, you've been given some good advice here. I'm a big fan of tasting sessions, whether they're organised for you or you do it yourself. It's the best way to decide what your own personal preferences are. I can drink any wine except dessert wines (too sweet and syrupy for me) - cheap red wine is fine by me. But for preference I like a good Rioja. Rioja Gran Reserva if given my druthers. I'll pay about £20 for it and really enjoy the taste. Above £20? I wouldn't know - in fact I'd rather not know because if it was amazing it would spoil the wine I could afford. It's my decadent treat - I don't drink it to get drunk and I savour every mouthful. Haven't had it for a while ;)

I won't drink cheap champagne though. I'd rather have a decent Cava. Well - I say I won't drink it... if it's free I will :) But it's usually given out at work occasions, and if I'm there it means I have a job, and if I have a job I have the money not to salivate over free booze!

Have fun with it.
There is no right and wrong, it's all personal taste, like finding your way around the world of cheese. Some people are only ever going to enjoy processed slices by Kraft, some will travel miles to get just the right Camembert. If what tickles your fancy is squeezy cheese then just go with it - finding out you don't have expensive tastes doesn't make you plebian, it just saves you money.

Actually, you can. If used in cooking, you can freeze your left over wine in ice cube trays, then transfer into a ziplock bag. Each ice cube is more or less 1 ounce, so half a cup would be 4 cubes.

Ewwww!! !! !!