91 is the new 90... and 17 is the new 20

Wine makers practice better vinification than ever before. Even in stodgy old Bordeaux, the top wineries, which get all the press, but account for less than 3% of production there, have made serious upgrades to their equipment and their methods. The result is that there is more good wine being made than ever before.

The world wine economy underwent a significant recession in 2008 and is still slowly recovering. Wine priced under $20 sells decently; wine over that price has been hammered in the market place. In many, but not all, cases, wine prices have fallen to better align supply and demand.

The upshot is that 91 points is what 90 points used to be. And $17 is the price point that $20 used to be. Put another way, a 90 pointer for under $20 was a good bargain a decade ago. You had to hunt a bit if you wanted to find variety but it was doable. Now, finding 90 points for $20 is like shooting fish in a barrel. The modern version is 91 points for $17. (Or if you insist on staying at 90 points, I'd say find 90 points at $13. ((Or if you want to stay at $20, uncover 92 points at $20)).

Here are some recent finds in this mold

• Columbia Crest 2007 Merlot (WS 91; $12) - it scores even better than its Cab Sauv twin, which a tad ironically is actually the better wine (and my likely wine of the year).
• Yalumba 2008 Viognier (WS 92; $13) - what ripe Viognier should taste like. Pure, fruity with a lovely floral nose.
• Zaca Mesa 2006 Shiraz (WS 93; $17 CC) - Their 2005 was 92 points and the 2006 should be just as compelling. Snatch this while this 5000 case production lasts if you like Central Coast Syrah with it's big, meaty style.
• Hall 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (WS 96, $45) - A Napa cab scoring over 94 points for under $75!? This world has gone mad, I tell you!

Great buys on sub $10 wines

I've been loading up on these bargains all under $10 bottle, listed in order of goodness. The BevMo deals are due to their current 5 cent sale where you get a 2nd bottle of select wines for $0.05. All of these have production of 30,000+ cases, except the first.

• Penley Estates 2007 Shiraz Hyland Coonwarra ($20 for 2 at BevM0; WS 90). Intense dark and red berry flavor with good acidity. Some minty and coffee notes. Nicely integrated, this tastes classy. Very good the first night; less good the second night but the herbal flavors come out, which can be interesting. Only 5000 cases imported. My score: 91.
• Sterling 2008 Chardonnay ($6 Costco with $2 discount; WS 88). Good ripe yellow fruit with toasted oak (I get a hint of Cheerios). A solid by at $8, so a super buy at $6. I got case. My score: 89.
• Paringa 2008 Shiraz South Australia ($12 for 2 at BevMo; WS 89). This is a rare wine under $12 that actually needs to breathe a good bit, as in overnight. The roughness and restraint disappears by the second night and it was still good the third night. Bold berry with some spice. Not as well integrated as the Penley's but still a very fine wine at $6. My score: 89.
• Brancott 2008 Sauvignon Blanc ($7.80 Costco; WS 89). A solid New Zealand SB at under $8 is getting very rare. It is a bit lighter than the best NZ SBs I'm used to. It has got interesting green peach, lime and guava flavors. Very dry. Not as good as I expected. My score: 87.