Enormous strides in modern winemaking have essentially eliminated "bad wine" from our shores. Sure, there are some pretty funky wines out there but we rarely see any. Most American importers and wine merchants carefully and pragmatically edit their selections to avoid them. Unfortunately, sometimes the editing is too careful and eliminates well-made, distinctive, possibly even controversial wines. Too many shops and restaurants offer a sea of "flawless" but boring wine, from wherever, much of which is overpriced. Some people are tone deaf; some people have stone palates. I believe that in both cases that is not the norm. Some people may not know better or care and buy only well recognized "brands". That's fine if there is no interest in looking further. My contention is that people who are really "into wine" want to find the best, most flavorful wine at the most favorable price. As I often say, wine is a commodity like any other. We all want the most bang for our buck at various price points. And regardless of disposable income, no one wants to overpay.

Anyone who has a genuine interest in wine should attempt to broaden their palate by trying new things. Newsletters from me and merchants like me attempt to feature interesting, diverse wines that have good price to quality ratios. These are often somewhat obscure wines which you may not have known about but which might be fun to try. The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator have "best buy" lists in a similar vein. There are inexpensive, absolutely delicious wines from nearly every country. France, Italy, Spain, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Portugal all offer tasty, interesting wines of character at affordable prices. Many distinguish themselves from flawless, "squeaky clean wines" that offer little more pleasure than soda pop and have no soul.

A recent trip to California was enlightening. If I lived there undoubtedly I would drink far more California wine. There are values from California, Crush from Mill Creek and Rancho Sisquoc's River Red are good examples. But too many are over priced and "under wined". Going from tasting room to tasting room looking for new suppliers was, frankly, disappointing. We were under whelmed by most of what we tried and perplexed by the pricing. That said, I am very happy with the people I have been doing business with for years and happy with the wines offered on sale this month. There are some exceptional wines, such as those from Mount Eden Estate, Forchini, Mill Creek, Ottimino, Robert Mueller, Inmann Family Winery and more. Both my self and Gregg, on a separate trip, found some new to us producers who are making exciting wines that do have soul. But there are far too many who offer mundane wines that cost way too much. Not all California wines are equal within price points. As much care must be given to choosing them as is needed in Burgundy and elsewhere. If the emperor is running around naked, someone should have the nerve to say, "Put on some clothes!" With our dollar at historic, frustrating lows daily against the Euro, making importing wine challenging, there is a great opportunity for California wineries to prosper. But they still have to earn our trust and loyalty.