by Ted Onulak

Created on: November 22, 2009   Last Updated: December 16, 2009

The science and craft of winemaking have made such enormous strides in the past 50 years, that frankly, the casual wine drinker is generally going to be pleasantly satisfied with a $10 to $15 bottle of red wine.

But a connoisseur who has more than a passing acquaintance with fine wine is looking for great wine at value prices.  There is nothing more fun than serving an excellent wine to educated palates, then revealing the bargain price and watching those high- brow eyebrows shoot up in amazement. 

Here are some personal wine strategies that may take you off the beaten track and offer some really exciting wine drinking experiences. 

The first tip is to look for areas of value.  This may be a little difficult at first since there is wine produced all over the globe.  But there are some unique regions that may be just flying under the radar. 

Have you noticed all over the media and on food packaging there is the constant adjective “Tuscan” being used everywhere you look?  It is one of the most popular food fads of the moment and unfortunately, usually has little to do with the cuisine of Tuscany.

Historically, Tuscany has been home to what are arguably some of the best Italian red wines, but you are going to pay much too much for them.  Moving down the price scale will be particularly disappointing, as you will be paying for what is on the label as much as for what is in the bottle. 

But if you shop for wines from the Abruzzo region, which is famous for it’s beef and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, you will get a delicious medium-bodied red wine that will outshine its neighbor for the equivalent price. The 2003 Bosco Nestore even with a few years of bottle aging is around $15, but many younger examples of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can be found for under $10. 

Spain is another value region that yields delicious, decadent red wines.  Besides the classic regions of Rioja and Rubero del Duerno, where it is almost impossible to find a bad bottle of wine, there has been much investment from international winemakers in Toro and Jumilla, where there is special care to preserve the traditional varietals and winemaking techniques.  There are also new movements towards experimentation with blending grape varieties.  Why are they doing this?  The answer is to make wine that is easy drinking in order to satisfy the world market. Two personal favorites are Sembro Ribera del Duerno 2006

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