Recommended (red) wines ...

I am no wine connoisseur. On the rare occasion that I buy a bottle of wine, I’ve followed the advice (given to me by many people here in Paris) that anything at or above 5€ is probably fine. But what do you do if you’re buying wine as a gift for someone with a more refined palate than mine? It is common knowledge that price is not always an indicator of quality (although sub-3€ bottles are distinctive). If price is no problem at all, you could hunt down a bottle of Pétrus or Romanée-Conti. As a mere mortal, I decided to ask for some recommendations and received the following list (in no particular order):

• Mercurey (Bourgogne) 2006, 2007;
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Côtes du Rhône) 2004;
• Savigny-lès-Beaune (Burgundy) 2006; and
• Bourgueil (Indre-et-Loire) 2008.

As a general guide, you should be able to find these wines for 20–30€.