UNCORK THE LATEST BARGAINS

You don’t have to break the bank to find some delicious deals this month at LCBO

The quest for wine bargains is never ending. But being on a budget doesn’t mean having to settle for bland, one-dimensional wine.

Expand your horizons and you can score some impressive wines without busting the bank.

It’s clear there’s no shortage of enjoyable wines that can be purchased at the LCBO in the $20 range. Looking for choice wines at half that price becomes more of a challenge, which inspired me recently to search local stores looking for bargain bottles to enjoy in these cash-strapped times.

Of course, the relationship between a wine’s price and its ability to please isn’t always a direct one. The price attached to a wine seldom correctly predicts how much you’ll enjoy it.

If you’re not a fan of red wine, you’re bound to have the same reservations whether the bottle costs $10 or $100.

My advice to you is keep tasting, looking to key in on what you most enjoy about the wines you like. Wine appreciation is an adventure that can take you around the world. The more you know what styles of wine you enjoy, the more coldly calculating you can become when you shop.

Since the launch of this column in 2000, wine-buying patterns have dramatically changed.

Savvy wine lovers have become ruthlessly disloyal. Burgundy has a bad year and they look for quality wines with similar characteristics from other regions.

When the popularity of a producer or particular brand sends its price skyrocketing, they look for the next big thing, often with special attention paid toward smart money regions like Spain, Portugal, southern France, Chile or South Africa.

Highly rated bargain wines are always in demand, so this column will continue pointing out suitable examples like this week’s featured wines from Chile and Portugal.

A flavourful white and fruity red, these are prime examples of great values to be had.