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 - Subscribe  - Contact Us  - Rate Card  - Place an Ad Valley&State      Backpage      O&E      Sports      Archives      Classifieds      Faith&Beliefs      Obituaries      Revels August 24, 2004 Off The Vine Bargains in wine still available Lorn Razzano So what about wine prices? I hear people groaning from time to time about their favorite wines shooting through the roof, prices going ballistic seemingly overnight. In some cases it is true, prices of some wines are going up, while other wines are going down in price. Let's look at what affects wine prices and where some of the bargains are: Exchange rates The Euro has knocked the dollar around for over a year. There has been at least a 30-percent rise in many imported wines. A wine costing $10 last year may be as high as $13 in today's market. Once bargains are simply not bargains any longer. Some of the mid-range French Rhone wines seem particularly hard hit. Vintage dates Bargains can be found on "off" year wines. Comparing very good vintages next to not so good vintages on the same shelf can and do look like good deals. Try vintages that are "closed out" or on special sales. These can be little gems. The 1998 vintage Chiantis are stuck between the grand 1997 and 1999 vintages and I've seen them on shelves for as much as a third off. If you go for the best vintages, look to pay some real dollars. Cost of doing business Prices stay high on many wines simply because the cost of producing the wines stay the same or rise. Rising cost of water, insurance and property taxes are reflected in the price of wines, as are hundreds of other small but significant variables such as label paper and corks. Don't look for prices dropping on Pinot Noir anywhere in the world. This grape just seems to be a costly little bugger. French Burgundy as well as Oregon pinot Noir rarely gets under the $30 mark for quality juice. If you are a pinot noir drinker, look south. I've seen Pinot coming from California at an occasional very nice price - under $20. California may not be the best place for the grape (with some notable exceptions) but bargains can be found. Look for wines from Chile, especially the lovely cabernet and merlot. Also look for the very nice Malbec (terrific red wine) from Argentina. Malbec is becoming one of the new fad grapes and the Argentine producers are putting out some lovely wines indeed. You should easily find these wines under the $15 mark with some very nice wines to choose from. The Mezzo Giorno from central and southern Italy can be superb values with broodingly dark fruit and spicy oak flavors. The Italians are craftspeople in making nice everyday wines that are easy on the pocketbook. Spain is bringing in some very solid wines with fine character and many years of fine winemaking under $15 as well. Keep your eyes open for Australian Shiraz under $10 and New Zealand sauvignon blanc under $15. These white offerings from New Zealand are very nice wines and worth a special effort to find. These are some wines to search for. See you in a couple of weeks! Lorn Razzano is a commercial wine and spirits judge and is a co-founder of KSOR wine tasting. He was on winery staffs of various Italian and French wineries in the 1970s and has owned Ashland Wine Cellar since 1980.     DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams