A friend who isn’t overly savvy about the vast and wonderful world of wine asked for help the other night, requesting a short list of my go-to daily-drinking bottles. She has tasted enough with me to know my palate is reasonably trustworthy and she didn’t want to get bogged down in geeky details.

“Please,” she said, “just tell me what you like and how much it costs.”

OK, here goes . . .

When it comes to bubbles, Kirkland’s pink Prosecco (under $10) and Brut Champagne (under $20) at Costco can’t be beat. They’re well-made and offer remarkable value. If I’m feeling fancy, however, I default to either the Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut or the Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve, both of which can be found for under $50. Having said that, I’ve drunk more of Matthew Massey’s Madame Zéro of late than all other champagnes combined. Although it’s about $60 at Spec’s, it checks a lot of boxes — including the drink-local one.

Well, sort of. While it’s a for-real French sparkler from the heart of Champagne, the intense young man behind the brand grew up in Galveston and learned about wine working in Houston’s restaurant scene. All things being relatively equal, I’ll support a home boy any day. I can’t wait to taste his rose sparkler, which should hit the market soon.

Speaking of homeys, Jeremy Hart’s Explicit Content Châteauneuf-du-Pape has become a fixture in my Vinotemp, too. The native Houstonian has held down almost every kind of job there is in the wine trade, so it’s exciting to see him roll up his sleeves and release this gem from the Southern Rhone’s big-dog AOC. Hart makes it in a partnership with Chateau de Font du Loup, a respected boutique producer with some 20 hectares of organically farmed grenache and syrah vines that are up to 100 years old. Regularly $60 at Central Market, it’s $47 during the store’s just-begun red wine sale. Worthy every penny, believe me.

Why “Explicit Content?” Because Hart is into purity and intense fruit flavors. His wine, made in concrete vats, never sees any oak — just like the wine that I think is the best under $20 red in the Houston market, the Domaine de Mourchon Tradition, a Côtes-du-Rhône Village from the lovely town of Seguret.

I’ve known Mourchon’s owner Walter McKinlay who turned 89 this summer but still made it back to Houston to host a dinner at Rabelais a couple weeks ago, practically since he released his first vintage in 1998, but our friendship might not survived if he didn’t have such fine, value-driven wines. McKinlay turned 89 this summer but still made it back to Houston with his daughter Kate to host a dinner at Café Rabelais a couple weeks ago,

Note he Mourchon Loubie rose (about $19) also happens to be my favorite pink. But, when at Spec’s, I always pick up a few bottles of the Saint Marc Reserve, a Pays d’Oc rosé of syrah from Provence that goes for about $8. Really, eight bucks. It’s delicious. So is Gerard Betrand’s Gris Blanc, an under-$15 pale pink grenache from the dry, sun-splashed Tautavel neighborhood about 30 miles north of Perpignan. And the $10 Liberation of Paris rosé from another Houstonian, Jean-Francois Bonete, always tempts me as well. I’m such the sucker for good, cheap pink wines.

Another one of my default reds is the Allegrini Palazzo della Torre, an under-$20 corvina-centric blend from Italy’s Veneto. Or, if it’s Barolo you want, visit Kelly Prohl’s Double Decanted near Sam Houston Parkway on the west side of town and ask her for the 2016 Ceretto (about $60). Then again, forget I said that. I want every one of those bottles for myself.

As for whites, I’ve recently discovered a new favorite, Warwick’s The First Lady Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa’s Western Cape Region. (The name pays tribute to the winery’s founder, Norma Ratcliffe, a seminal figure in her country’s wine evolution.) It’s under $15, yet offers the vibrant minerality and citrus notes I want from sav blanc. As for chardonnay, the Duckhorn Decoy, which can sometimes be found for under $15, is a no-brainer buy that can be purchased almost anywhere. Ditto the Decoy Rosé and Cabernet Red.

Cheers!

The Sports Page

Raising a glass to . . .

Jim Crane, for setting the forever standard of excellence for Houston sports franchises. He’s not always the nicest guy — ask James Click — but he knows how to run a business. Signing Jose Abreu was brilliant. Who needs a general manager?

Pouring one out for . . .

Cal McNair, the nice guy who has made the Texans beyond irrelevant. Under his “leadership,” they have become the worst franchise in Houston sports history. It’s not even close.

Pouring a bottle over the head of . . .

Deshaun Watson, a seriously bad guy. He’ll beat the Texans Sunday, but that, of course, says nothing. He’s a loser.

H-town Happenings

Seasonal Sip Tasting: 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1: the SIPstahood Winery Tasting Room. http://thesipstahood.com $25 http://eventbrite.com

Happy Cab Franc Day wine dinner: 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. Atkins House. $60. http://eventbrite.com

Wine Tasting Fundraiser for the Alliance Francaise Houston: 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7. Hanover River Oaks. $150. 713 526-1121 or info@alliancehouston.org

Pur Pairings Food & Wine Pairing Class: 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13. Pur Noire Urban Wineries. http://purnoirewines.com $42. http://eventbrite.com

Indulge Your Palate – A Food, Beer, Wine-Tasting and Toy Drive: 5 p;m. Thursday, Dec. 15. The Hermann Park Golf Course Center. $30 http://eventbrite.com

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Others to follow

Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com): My podcast partner in crime talks about his cool new home in Westbury, not far from where he’s been living since he moved to Houston eight years ago. Can’t wait to see it in person!

Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com): Sandra shares the “Beginners Guide to Bordeaux” piece she did recently for Galveston Monthly. She’s hardly a beginner herself, however, having traveled there frequently.

Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com): The Texas Wineslinger goes deep with Hill Country winemaker Doug Lewis about a very special wine for him, the 2012 Round Mountain Vineyard Reserve.

Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com): Jeff focuses on stickies from Bordeaux and how to pair them. Would you believe beef and chorizo enchiladas?

Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com): Kat [pays tribute to the “mountain merlots” that she loves.