by Andy Stricker

Created on: April 23, 2009   Last Updated: April 24, 2009

Principal force among the french wines the Bordeaux region comprises over 125,000 hectares of vineyards which is greater than all of Chili. Among the more prestigious wines in the region are the grands cru classes of which the most popular ones are now selling at record prices. This price increase was mainly due to the exceptional vintage that was attained in the year 2005.

The Bordeaux region produces many fine wines at reasonable and competitive prices. Here you will find many excellent quality controlled wines between $20 and $30. With its rather large production Bordeaux remains still today a very important region!

The best production years since the year 2000 would be the 2000 and 2005 vintages. If you can find some bottles with these exceptional vintage years be sure to purchase them and store them in your wine cellar for that special occasion.

Although this region is well known for the red wines it produces there white wines are also very interesting. For example if you try the dessert wines such as Sauternes you will notice that they are thick very sweet and are excellent with many stronger cheeses.

So as you can see the Bordeaux region is well worth discovering due to its quality and variety of fine wines to suite every occasion!

If your budget limits you to wines that are less than $15 you will find that most wines from Argentina are in this price range and they truly are decent quality wines for the money!

Other countries to consider in this price range are Chili, South Afica, Portugal and wines from the south of France. Italy also has some excellent wines but in general they are a bit more expensive than the other countries mentioned just above.

When choosing your wine it all comes down to a matter of personal taste. For example if you prefer light and dry red wines then you should purchase some of these varietals pinot noir, merlot, valpolicella just to name a few.

If you prefer heavier tasting red wines then I would recommend trying these varietals Syrah, zinfandel, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and chianti. There are also many wines available from California that will more than satisfy your taste buds!

If after reading this you are still not sure which wines to choose I would recommend going to your local wine store and asking a wine consultant that works there to recommend some inexpensive wines to you. They are usually quite knowledgeable and ready to help you in your quest to find the perfect wine for your occasion!

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