What country/region do you feel offers....

[Innkeeper]

Agree with Roberto generally, but the wine glut in the U.S., Australia, and elsewhere has produced some fantastic spot values. You may think that North Liberty, IA is not the best place to take advantage of these, but you are wrong. I take advantage of these all the time from my tiny town in Maine.

The best place to start is your own reliable retailer. He/she will, having any savy at all, should be able to grab bargains proffered by distributors and pass them on to you. Next you should be on the mailing/e-mailing list of some of the major retailers, such as Wine Expo, Pops Wines, and Southern Hemisphere Wine Center. These, and many others will alert you to the bargains out there. Magazines and newletter writers such a Wine Spectator and Dan Berger will also advise you of the "bargain of the week."

We are seeing the development of small, independent importers and distributors in this area. Sort of reminds me of the rise of craft beers after the big guys consolodated down to two or three companies. You would think that the small operators would only be handling expensive stuff, but that is not the case here. We are finding wonderful values, particularly in Spanish wines right now, right here in our own back yard.