and new wines ready to taste and compare.

The show covers all aspects of alcoholic spirits: wines, beers and distilled spirits. Accordingly, I'll be talking to winemakers, grape growers, brewers and distillers. We will also talk to the dispensers of spirits, restaurants, wine bars and micro-breweries. We will hear from restaurateurs, sommeliers and others that support our love of fine spirits and fine food.

We will chat with those behind the big wine and food events in New Mexico, and those supporting the food and wine industry. The Spirits of New Mexico is your first stop to learn about everything new and exciting going on in the state. Along the way you'll discover new wines you need to try, new restaurants and chefs you'll want to patronize and upcoming winemakers to follow.

Winery of the Month:  Cecchetti Wine Company

Roy Cecchetti has over 27 years' experience in wine making and knows all wine drinkers were not created alike. The five distinctive brands of Cecchetti Wine Company  cover varying tastes and pocketbooks and offer good variety. The brands are Austerity, Backhouse, Exitus, Line 39 and Redtree.

I will review the four wines I have tried. I have mentioned a couple of these wines as I sampled them, but now it is only fair to talk about the company that makes these diverse wines.

Winemaker Bob Broman fosters relationships with several grape growers and vineyard managers to select the fruit that goes into each wine. A lot of capital is tied up in vineyard purchase, planting, vine installation and pruning and the general running of the vineyards. Many wineries use the model of forming relationships and establishing contracts with vineyards rather than setting up their own plots. That said, many do maintain, at a minimum, an estate vineyard. Cecchetti uses this model, which clearly works well for them and provides a rich variety of wines from which to choose.

Austerity wines have a proprietary white and red blend sourced from California vineyards. The Austerity White Blend

The Line 39 brand is a very large one, with a selection of varietals from California's Central Coast and North Coast Appellations. The 39th parallel runs through the heart of California wine country and is home to Line 39. Wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah.

Wine Question of the Month:

Where can one find bargain wines?

These days it is easy to see why even wine connoisseurs are shopping for bargain wines. Where to find them is our wine question of the month.

Shopping by regions:

There are many wine regions that offer good bargains on wine in both the Old and New World. Chile is a great place to shop for Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere. Argentina Malbec and Torront�s wines are consistent winners. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are all excellent price performers.

Washington State has outstanding values in Riesling and Chardonnay. The Indian Wells and Horse Haven regions offer outstanding wines for the price. Naturally there are many wine regions in California that offer good prices. Lodi Zinfandel, Central Coast wines and a sprinkling of under-rated wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains all represent a good value to price ratio.

In the Old World, the southern French region of Languedoc-Roussillon has a broad variety of wines and more lenient regulatory strictures than Burgundy and Bordeaux. Most areas of Spain represent good values, including cava sparkling wines. Even the basic Sherry wines are less expensive than domestic versions. Portugal wines other than Port are very popular, but the low end Ports of Portugal are superior to domestic Ports in price and taste.

Shopping by Internet:

New taxes may impact Internet shopping, but many bargains are available even when considering shipping charges. Many wineries offer their product over the Internet and provide case discounts as well as special pricing of certain wines. There are many Internet wine shops that offer free shipping for 6 to 12 bottle purchases and other discounts. Many also have videos of the product being tasted and described in detail. Interstate purchasing is not available everywhere, but it is in New Mexico, so use it.

�         WineExpress.com - Josh Farrell is always entertaining to hear and product descriptions are a fun read . . . OK, for me they are, anyway.

�         WineAccess.com - Excellent descriptions of many wines and great stories of why you should buy them.

�         WineLibrary.com - The New Jersey wine shop went viral after Gary Vaynerchuk began doing wine tasting videos that at one time were the most popular on the Internet and set the standard. The website has become very sophisticated, and could have you hooked for hours if you aren't careful.

�         WineEnthusiast.com - This website also has all manner of wine gadgets and wine cellars for the enthusiast as well as wine sales.

Shopping by Taste

If one remembers it is their wine palate that needs to be satisfied and not what some expert tells them - Yes that includes me! - then going to numerous wine tasting events and visiting wineries are two ways to find which wines one really loves. In many cases those choices are not $90 wines, but more in the $8 to $15 range, which is where the majority of us shop anyway for daily consumption.

 Jim's Picks of the Month   

Most of the holiday wine sales are over, although many are replaced with first of the year wine sales. The following wines are high on my list for cramming into that wine cellar, or picking up for tomorrow's dinner. I'm going to stick to still wines after the glut of sparklers I've mentioned the last couple of months.

Please note that all prices here are retail and may be lower at discount stores. Also many wineries offer good discounts to wine club members. For example; Black Mesa club members receive a 20% discount, special offers, and limited release choices not offered to the public.

Black Mesa 2012 Vermentino- $18.95:   

The New Mexico interpretation of this grape was a pleasant discovery. 

Black Mesa 2012 Velarde Riesling - $17.95:  

Riesling is a very good grape for New Mexico. While much is sourced from the Deming area, the high altitude regions south of Taos also provide a quality wine. This one comes from Velarde, which is also where the Black Mesa Winery is located. Green apples, melon and a bit of lychee in a crisp, easy-drinking wine make this a great choice.

Black Mesa 2009 Coyote- $34.95:

Chateau Ste. Michele 2012 Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling - $20:  

There are few Rieslings that can compete with this wonderfully rich and mineral-laden wine. If you wonder why I rate this winery's Rieslings the best domestically, then just try this wine. Even if you don't think you'll like Riesling. Try it.

Chateau Ste. Michele 2012 Columbia Valley Riesling - $9:

Chateau Ste. Michele 2012 Columbia Valley Dry Riesling - $10:

January Events

"Wines of Enchantment the Centennial Edition"