Australian reds are excellent, and often lower priced than comparable California wines. (Although when I checked the bottle, it turns out my current glass is from California :-).
Lindemann's is a good winery; we love their Shiraz-Cabernet blend. Yellow Tail and Little Penguin are inexpensive and predictably tasty.
We like Lindemann's blended wines and Yellow Tail Shiraz as well. Chile's red wines are fine too; Santa Carolina's Reserva is a good label. Haven't bought any French since 2002 and don't intend to.