In volume terms, this is largely thanks to Yellow Tail, created only in 2002 but has since quickly hopped to the biggest wine brand in the history of the world!! Oh, yes, researching my Ph.D. Everyone’s looking back! The signal trend highlighted by Jonathan Ray is making pink wine acceptable.

If you're a fan but like me, don't have the cash or the time to do the research yourself, luckily there are a few others who do it for us. I've enjoyed Maréchal's wines since 2002, always finding a particular wine that I like enough to buy a few bottles. In a normal year good wine makers make good wine. But that's part of the fun.

You can do your research, think about things carefully, spend wisely, and still get mediocre wine in Burgundy. opened a bottle of 2002 Meursault en la Barre, a wine that retailed for about $50 back then, and man, did I feel unsyatisfied, as John Malkovich said in Rounders. Here I'm talking about simply mediocre wine. Uh uh, not likely.

little Wine Blogging Wednesday research, if you will. 2005 Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Tuffeaux (about $23, Dressner stuff again, might be sold out at this point but there are other Chidaine wines on the shelf - try one). 2002 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses (about $17, readily available). But I really like it.

So why, when I decided to research and report on Pinots that cost less than $25, did I all of the sudden take a little break from Pinot, and re-discover my passion for the reds (and whites) of the Loire Valley? Like the wonderful $14 2002 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir. Why not? So that's it?" You ask, "only those two wines?

have been sampling some older experiments using this strategy, a few 2001 Pinots from Oregon and Burgundy, 2002 was considered the star vintage in both regions. 2005 is supposed to be an incredible vintage, and from the little I have tasted so far, it's not hype - the wines are amazing. So beautiful.