From: Cotes du Roussillon, France
Price: $20
Serve with: Lamb, beef, roast poultry
With the price of such great red wines as Chateauneuf-du-Pape heading to the sky, wine lovers have good reason to consider some of the less storied regions of Southern France. This gem from the Cotes du Roussillon is a worthy $20 substitute for a $50-plus bottle from a more renowned region. This blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre is a full-bodied, complex wine with a seductive texture. It delivers deep, layered flavors of blackberry, earth, herbs and smoked meat. This is simply a great value.
--Michael Dresser