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Best wine values of 2001 As in the past, for my year-end report I focused entirely on the wines that I buy and sample at home with some analytical care, both with and without food, for the specific purpose of reviewing and making recommendations. As a result, I have singled out about three dozen wines that I considered best for value or "quality-price ratio" (an online wine-slang term often abbreviated to "QPR") in the range of $12 or less. In a quick breakdown - probably saying as much about my personal tastes as about the intrinsic value of these wine styles and regions - I ended up with 26 red wines, nine whites, one rosé and a single Sherry on the following list. Eighteen of them, almost exactly half, came from France (and all but four of those were from the Rhone, Languedoc or Provence). Nine were Italian, four Spanish, two from the U.S. (California) and one each from Austria, Germany, Portugal and South Africa. The wines are listed in ascending order of price; wines at the same price point are listed alphabetically.
Casal Thaulero 1999 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo ($5.49) A word about availability: I purchased all these wines at retail wine shops in and around Louisville, Ky., and the prices listed are the actual retail price I paid; pricing may vary in other parts of the world. I have no way of knowing their availability in other parts of the world or from online merchants; but in seeking any wine of interest, I always recommend starting with a good wine shop in your own community. Don't be shy about asking the management for help. A friendly and knowledgeable wine merchant can be your best friend in your effort to find any wine of interest or, failing that, to find a good similar alternative. To read more detailed tasting notes on these wines, click to "The Year's Top QPR," http://www.wineloverspage.com/qpr/index.shtml. For another 44 wines I considered particularly excellent in the higher-price ranges, see "2001: The Year's Best wines over $12," http://www.wineloverspage.com/qpr/2001top.shtml.
January 2002 Online Wine Auction Our next live auctions will be Feb. 23 in New York and April 6 in Los Angeles. Deadlines to receive wines for those sales are respectively Jan. 25 and Feb. 28 - get us those lists ASAP while the market's hot! We were glad to end the year with a bang in December with a live auction that posted 88 percent sold, $1.9 million on the gross. Acker Merral's tasting schedule kicks off in February as well, and we look forward to sharing many more glasses and outstanding evenings with you in the coming year. All the best for a successful and productive 2002!
John Kapon
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Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2002
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