Eighth 2008 Tasters Guild Event

 WORLD'S GREATEST WINE VALUES
A Tasting of the Highest-Rated Under-$15 Wines

at Best Western  2900 Jackson Rd, Ann Arbor

Monday, August 25; 7:00 pm

Map of 2900 Jackson Rd, Ann Arbor MI

I’m not ashamed to use numerical scores to express my relative enthusiasm for wines, nor to publish others’. I find they’re useful references and measuring rods. So long as there’s text.

Sometimes I’m reading my favorite wine magazines, noticing prices soaring, wondering if these days it costs $30 or more to buy a 90-pointer, and suddenly an extraordinary value pops off the page. And just when I’m thinking the magazines are becoming all about expensive and famous wines, a best-buy section leaps up to remind me that Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits, and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate have not lost sight of the wines we consume 90% of the time. Indeed, the first three parallel their annual Top 100 lists with Top 100 Best Value lists, while Parker frequently includes best-value sections in his publication.

Each year I peruse these lists and sections to make a selection of 60 best-value wines for upcoming wine-auction fund-raisers, and, boy, do these lots sell for big premiums over retail. If they’re so popular, I got to thinking, how about a Tasters Guild event along similar lines? Indeed, the First and Second Annual Best Values tasting were really popular events, worth repeating.

 So early next month I’m going to peruse the year's Top 100 Wine Values lists and Best Value sections of the above-mentioned magazines, and select 60+ wines in good availability that have rated 86/100 to 90/100 (or higher!) and that retail for $15 or less. Who knows? I may end up with all 90+/100 wines. That’s what happened when I put together this year’s auction lots!

We’ll have a much-improved Best Western buffet, plenty of Renner bread, and a sampling of best-value olive oils and cheeses.

Making reservations is a little easier now. Need 4 member and 2 non-member reservations? Type in the numbers and click the Add All Reservations button.