I hear many complaints that customers have a hard time finding good value in Burgundy. Well, the problem is you; you aren’t looking in the right place.
Certain transformations occur when wine takes over a big part of your life. One of the most common is the born again Pinot Noir lover. After tasting 200+ wines per week, wines like those of Australia starts to be just a whole lot of T-n-A. The better comparison is probably BBQ sauce, though. I love BBQ, but could you sit and taste through 20 or more? You’d barely be able to tell Kansas City smokey from Carolina tomato tangy. All that sugar would screw with your taste buds. Everything would start to taste the same.
And then someone comes along with a perfectly subtle, slightly perfumed, light, seductive wine. Think Ava Gardner in a room of L.A. Barbie dolls. That’s what a great Pinot does to you as a taster.
So odds are, every self-respecting wine shop has a Pinot freak. They do. It’s pure statistics. Which means, every great wine shop has someone looking out for, at the very least, their own best interests. So figure out the best wine shop in your area. You should see Burgundy under $35. You should see $25, even the occassional $18 from a direct importer. Go and ask if anyone has a keen interest for Pinot Noir or Burgundy.  Tell them you’re just getting started, or just want an everyday great value Burgundy. You won’t be disappointed. You probably won’t be able to shut them up.
OR, turn the bottles around and look for these names:
               Becky Wasserman, Neil Rosenthal, Weygandt, Deevine
These are my favorites. If you see a bottle of Burgundy in your price range with one of these names on the back label, just buy it. Their selections don’t need any recommendation or explanation. They are all Pinot freaks and have forgotten more about Pinot than any of us gomers could ever hope to learn.

COMMENT:
AUTHOR: jenny k
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IP: 216.162.200.216
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DATE: 02/13/2005 06:55:17 PM
OK, I’ve followed your advice twice and have not been disappointed yet. Is it really that easy? Just look for a little name on the label? Then why do most wine shops make it so hard? I will try your advice for a third time tomorrow… Pinot Noir seems like the perfect red for Valentine’s Day, no black teeth!
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