Twice this year I have seen the metropass kiosk offline on the first day of the month. I find this amazing. I am not sure what the problem is, but it should get fixed.

The old way I used to do it was to go into the store and ask the staff. That’s still a good way to do it, but there is a faster and easier and better way.

The better way to do it is to go here: http://www.vintages.com/frame_results.html?ITEM_NAME=value

By entering that into your browser, you will get a list of the wines at Vintages that are associated with value. Now, not all of them are cheap. For example, this wine, DOMAINE ALAIN JEANNIARD MOREY-ST-DENIS VIEILLES VIGNES 2005, goes for $50. On the other hand, it is….

“… sourced from 80-year-old vines, (and) only five half-barrels of this wine were made.(Furthermore….) From its garnet-hued mantle and openly fragrant nose (reminiscent of crushed red fruits) to its well-structured palate and silky tannins, this lovely wine will charm any Burgundy enthusiast, especially those hunting for superb value.”

I tried this and most of the wines I checked had such phrases as “excellent value” or “outstanding value” associated with them. And while there were some expensive Burgundies, there were a number of wines from the new world for under $15 (and one French dessert wine under $10!).

Times are tough, but life is good. Especially if you get one of these value wines.