Wine Buying Tip #1

I enjoy wine and I really enjoy finding a good wine for an inexpensive price. My price classification:

• $15 - $20 - No more than once a month on my budget
• $10 - $15 - Once a week at the most.  I tend to stay in the under $12 range
• $5 - $9.99 - Everyday drinking

Defining a good wine is more difficult because everyone has their own taste.  But if I am pushed against the wall, this list is a good starting point. (from a post on Blog Your Wine ) 

To me, a good wine” must satisfy 5 primary points (listed in order of importance):

• A price that, when compared to the taste, would have lead you to believe it could/should be more expensive. 

• An element of “excitement” and “complexity” that almost urges you to take another sip.

• A balance of fruit and savory notes (or primary and secondary elements, as I like to call them).

• An elegant and fairly extensive finish.

• A “sense of place” i.e. it tastes like where it comes from (a Chianti that tastes like a Chianti, not like a Napa Cabernet)

There are also some wine importers that do a fantastic job selecting wine.  They go to the growers, taste the various barrels of wine and select only those that meet their quality level. Once you find an importer you trust, you have gone a long way toward unraveling the mystery of how to select a wine from the wall of wine you encounter at the store.

Two importers I trust completely.

1. Kermit Lynch -  He has never steered my wrong.  For my palette, any of his wines is fantastic.  His wine is not always cheap but it is always spot on. Here is what his artwork looks like. 

2. Jorge Ordonez - A wonderful selection of Spanish wines.  Spain is a great place for value wines.  His artwork looks like :