amandam

When I mentioned Chilean wines as being great bargain wines, I was referring to them as everyday drinking wines, not higher end or "special occasion" wines. For the price, I think they are very decent wines. In retail shops, I would always recommend them to customers interested in spending no more than $10. Spanish wines are great too, and can be found to be relatively inexpensive. There are also some very expensive ones which are excellent as well. I was merely suggesting Chilean wines as a cheap alternative to other wines, at the same price level, which are horrible.

Being in the industry for a very long time, bartending, retail and working for an importer, it is difficult for me to spend an exorbitant amount of money on a bottle of wine in a restaurant or in a shop, knowing the cost compared to the markup. Anyway, for great value wines, try Chilean. You can buy a great bottle of wine for $8 or $9. Any knowledgeable, honest member of a sales staff working in retail will tell you that you really don't need to spend more than $30 to get a great bottle of wine. There are so many out there.

In the spring I finished the intermediate level course at the International Wine Center. I found it extremely helpful. It provides a solid foundation of knowledge. I will definitely go on to the advanced level. The sessions include one hour of lecture followed by one hour of tasting. I definitely recommend the course to anyone interested in the wine industry.