$20: Wine’s ‘sweet spot’

A wine can be a value at any price, but $20 marks a “wine bull’s-eye,” said Eric Asimov in The New York Times. You can spend half that and find wines that satisfy, but $20 seems to be a “sweet spot” where the odds favor your finding a bottle with “the capacity to inspire.”

2009 Nusserhof Vino Rosso Elda Nusserhof wines, from northeastern Italy, are “always pure and honest.” Made from the workhorse schiava grape, this “lightly fruity” red also offers “touches of olives and herbs.”

NV François Pinon Vouvray Brut This dry sparkling wine gets its “undertone of honey” from chenin blanc grapes, which here achieve “the perfect combination of voluptuous body and laser-like focus.”

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2011 La Clarine Farm Sierra Foothills Rosé Produced in a region known for bold zinfandels, this rosé is “light enough for an aperitif yet substantial enough to drink throughout a meal.”