April 25, 2007

April in Paris may be a joy, but around here it's the month that can, and often does, pack an entire year's worth of weather into 30 days. It may be a few weeks before we can safely tuck our down comforters away for the season, but it's not too early to start thinking about stashing a few cases of wine under the cellar stairs for when back porch life begins in earnest.

The calendar says 2007, but in wine time it's really 2005, since many reds appearing on shelves now will be of that vintage. Lucky for us, because 2005 was a pretty terrific growing season in Europe -- the second in a row. Good years give the makers of fancier wines an excuse to raise prices, but in the realm of plonk it's usually quality that gets a boost -- good news for those of us in search of a $ 12 wine that thrills down to the toes.

By mixing reds and whites, we're hedging our bets during this transitional season. There's no regional, varietal, or stylistic theme . These picks have nothing more incommon than delicious sipping and excellent value.