Italy’s Finest Wine Values

by Antonio Galloni

How to Drink Well Without Spending a Fortune

There has never been a better time to be a wine drinker. Period. Generally more favorable climatic conditions across the world, the emergence of high quality wines from once- dormant regions in Europe and newly developed areas in the New World, and increasing technical expertise in the areas of viticulture and oenology have come together to present consumers with a staggering array of delicious wines that can be found for under $25. All of this comes at a time when the current global economy has been particularly hard hit and countries battle to emerge from a very painful period of contraction. The business of selling expensive wines – from any region – has completely ground to a halt, creating numerous opportunities for readers to pick up higher-end wines at massively discounted prices. On a broader scale, however, the only bottles that are moving are those that offer compelling value.

Italy seems well-poised to capitalize on current events, as the country offers an enormous selection of delicious, value- priced wines. One of the curious results of the state of markets is that as wineries have reduced the production of their top- end selections in response to slackening demand, much of the juice that was once destined for those expensive bottles is now being blended with lower-end wines, improving their quality in a meaningful way. Simply put, producers are paying far more attention to their-value-priced wines than they ever have in the past, and it shows.