I won’t mention any names but someone in my household is a wine snob.   When I buy wine I have to mislead that someone into believing it cost more than it did or someone would not appreciate the wine.  But I am a firm believer that you don’t need to spend $50-$100 or more for a great bottle. 

Last year I met my brother and sister-in-law and we went wine tasting in Paso Robles; they boast a number of great wineries and we discovered  Le Cuvier and were able to purchase some wines in the $30 range. My sister has relocated to Washington (state) and introduced me to the wines of Walla Walla  which are also excellent values.

Of course I love a great Barolo but the lower our dollar sinks, the better value our U.S. wines become.  And besides, I’d rather keep my dollars in California’s stumbling economy if possible. 

During the holidays, I especially find myself scouring for hostess gifts... the thank you, for having me gift. A bottle of wine is always easy but it can be expensive... Anyone can find a $40+ bottle, but I pride myself on finding great bottles for under $30 and they can be an impressive (and thoughtful) hostess gift any time of year.

Check here for Wine Spectator's top 100 - there's even a $20 bottle in the top 10! Trying to find these bottles is another trick, I looked at a few local websites such as Bevmo, Vendome and Glendale’s Red Carpet but didn’t have much luck. Wine.com has some great prices but I didn’t find much from the Top 100 there either.  I did have some luck at JJ Buckley.