August 2012 — “There is, however, one last value area remaining for those of us looking for our aged red wine fix without having to pay exorbitant prices. A region that has long made high quality, ageworthy wines that, with a few decades on them, are very reminiscent of fine old Barolos and Bordeaux is Rioja—Spain’s illustrious red wine producing region. Older vintages of Rioja are, unfortunately, fairly scarce in the U.S. When they can be found, however, they tend to still be quite reasonable in price compared to other traditional style wines of a similar era, like Burgundies and Barolo. And if Mannie Berk’s Rare Wine Co. has anything to do with it, these wines are likely to become a little more accessible in the U.S.”

- Richard Jennings