According to a recent article on Japan Today, an audit into properties owned by the Foreign Ministry found that an official residence of an ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in a Parisian suburb contained a collection of nearly 8,000 bottles of wine.

The audit, in addition to finding the 7,896 bottle collection, also revealed that in the last [luxurious] year at the residence, only 268 bottles were served to guests in the prior year. That’s two more than I serve at my house a year.

Much of that wine will go to waste if they don’t drink it or call in an auctioneer, much like the consulate general in New York that had to discard 198 bottles due to deterioration of quality. Now I’m no government lingo expert, but I don’t think their use of the word “discard” meant to drink rapidly and hide the evidence. The cost of the discarded wine? 2 million yen, which is roughly $24,728 US dollars, or the equivalent of the purchase price (including tags, title and license) on two brand-new Hyundai Accent Blue, a product of the Japanese’ slightly more frugal South Korean neighbor.

In either case, it looks like the US isn’t alone in it’s wasteful corporate and governmental spending. At least the Japanese officials have good taste!

Australians have also become very knowledgeable about wine as the country consumes twice as much wine per capita as the U.S. A wide variety of grapes are grown in this country, but Grange is often considered the best. Produced by the Penfolds winery, Grange first came onto the scene in 1952. However, Grange production does not meet its world-wide demand, so the wine is often expensive and at times hard to get. Recently, a bottle of the pre-release 1951 Grange sold at auction for $50,000, according to the New York Times.

While you may not be able to get your hands on a great Grange, here are some inexpensive Australian wines that can still please the palate.

The 2006 Leeuwin Estate Siblings Sauvignon Blanc Semillon offers a complex citrus fruit note with a classic hint of berry. The mouth-feel is very crisp and this white wine is highly acidic. There are also hints of lemon grass but while a complex wine, it is still very approachable for many people.

The 2009 Tumbarumba Chardonnay is a well balanced wine with a smooth body and caramel like texture. Blasts of berry and subtropical fruits hit the palate making this a great wine to serve with fish, especially trout.

The 2002 Redbank Fugitive Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a grape that has found lots of success around the globe. However, this Australia wine is particularly known its big taste and diverse fruit notes. Ranging from plum, stone fruits, black fruit and bramble fruits, the Sauvigon is a complex wine that goes down smooth.

Australia wines are well worth exploring and can offer some great surprises. Wines from Australia can be great to bring to a party as you will most likely be the only one with a wine from this region and you can help introduce some new favorites to your friends.

A recent San Francisco Chronicle article highlighted the growing movement of restaurants serving wine from a tap.  “Wine on tap is taking flight in Bay Area restaurants and bars as a cheaper, greener and fresher alternative to bottled wines served by the glass,” the article says.  “No more tossing out half-used bottles.”

In a similar fashion to draft beer, the wine is stored in kegs that can hold the equivalent to nearly 25 bottles of wine.  While tapped beers use high-powered carbon dioxide the wine kegs uses a low pressure of nitrogen to push the wine out.  This process keeps wine fresher and fights against oxidation.

In addition to producing less waste and cutting down on production costs, kegging wine allows restaurants to produce wine that particularly pairs with their own food.  Wines can also more easily be served by the glass, opening up more expensive and high-quality wines to more consumers.

The Chronicle reports there are several restaurants on both costs that are using the new method but plans are in the works for wine on tap to be offered in markets such as Portland, Atlanta and Chicago in the near future.  Most wines offered on tap are priced between $4 and $8 per glass, but there are some offerings as high as $17 per glass, which is still much less than its bottle equivalent.

A growing interest in wine and all things local has resulted in new attention on Mexico’s wine producers who are quickly making a name for themselves in the world of wine. Mexican wines have not always been considered to be high quality, but strong showings in numerous wine festivals and awards have brought new attention to wine produced south of the border.

“Serious international wine and food lovers have awoken to the stark reality that Mexico is more than tacos, beer and tequila,” said Steve Dryden in Mexidata.info. “2010 is the year of discovery for the distinct wines being produced by talented winemakers in Baja California.”

A 2009 Tempranillo from Jorge Cortes or Rancho Cortes has become a popular Mexican wine, so has a 2008 Almixia Grenache.

The increase in quality from Mexico is a result of continued traditions among families that have been creating hand-crafted wines for several centuries but it is also a result of newcomers to the wine industry that have begun showcasing their talents.

This emerging wine scene can be best found at the annual Guateque artisan wine exposition in Valle de Guadalupe. The growing region of Baja California is well represented at this festival with Tempranillo, Carignan and Nebbiolo wines making a strong showing. Mexican Cabernets and Merlots have also been credited with great improvement by several wine experts.

With Mexican wines still flying somewhat under the radar, now is a great time to find great values. Researching Mexican wines can allow the wine novice to be ahead of the curve on what may become one of the most popular wine regions in the coming years.

How does the title Educated Guess sound? Well, the folks at Roots Run Deep Winery hope it sounds intriguing enough to purchase. Educated Guess, the name of this Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, was inspired from a conversation on winemaking that revolved around a conversation on the role or price in wine selection.

The Roots Run Deep Web site asks, “have you ever found yourself in a wine shop or restaurant pursuing the wines and wondering…how do I choose the best wine for the money?” Many consumer rely on an educated guess based on several factors (price, reviews, labels, etc…), and thus the name was born.

Those who were raised in the church might recall the Ephesian (5:18) scripture that says, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery,” but for the Gerard Wine Company they hope their new wine called Debauchery will entice buyers with a sense of spirit and fun.

“Ask 10 people the meaning of the word (debauchery), and you’ll get different answers,” said Gerard Wine Company president Jerry Prial in an interview with Seacoast.com. “But they’ll all smile.”

Its a smile and a desire to buy that many wine makers are hoping catchy titles will invoke. Other wine names such as Chaos Theory and Oops are meant to catch the attention of wine buyers, but the producers of these wines say that the names are inspired by the wine making process and contain a story as unique as the name itself.

In an age when the story behind a product is almost as important as the product itself, its not unusual to be drawn to these quirky wine names. Obviously a wine should not be purchased simply because of the label but if you are inspired to find out a little more about the oddly named wine and discover its worth a try, you may become acquainted with a new favorite.

Sales of 3-liter table wine boxes increased nearly 20 percent this past year, according to market researcher Nielsen.  Lower costs may be partly to blame while the nation continues to deal with a recession, but wine producers are also attempting to change the look of boxed wines and their appeal to the younger wine consumer.

A recent Time magazine article highlighted the work of Underdog Wine Merchants who has unveiled a new box packaging called the Octavin Home Wine Bar.  The Octavin is a collection of several styles of octagonal cylinders that attempt to bring a higher level of style and art to the packaging.

Other boxed wine producers are turning to wood packaging instead of the typical cardboard.  Companies experimenting with wood advertise themselves as an eco-friendly alternative as the wine boxes can be used as bird feeders or lunch boxes once the wine is gone.

“The packaging attracts people, but it’s really about the wine,” Adam Richardson told Time magazine.  Richardson is the director of international winemaking for Underdog Wines. “The effort and focus we put into $15 bottles is the same as the effort and focus we put into the Octavin wines.”

Wine is a cultural product so design and packaging play an important role in the overall wine experience.  However, no matter how attractive the bottle or box, the real value of wine comes down to the taste.  Many of these producers of new boxed wines are hoping to attract wine drinkers with not just sexy design but quality taste for a reasonable price.  Experimenting with new styles of boxed wine might be a great exercise for the wine novice and expert alike.

I am not usually susceptible to marketing gimmicks. In fact, the more “new and exciting” wine paraphernalia I am exposed to the more numb I grow to them. I pour through dozens of catalogs and magazines each month (pun intended) and probably drink close to 20 bottles of wine in a month. It’s all a part of the job.

The Wine Fugitive is synonymous with a lack of bull in an industry quite full of it, and to this day the only wine paraphernalia I own is a compact wine cellar, an old-fashioned corkscrew and a cooler for outings. Today, though, there’s been a new addition to the family.

You can’t write about wine in any serious fashion without acknowledging someone whom, in my opinion, might be the greatest wine writer of our time… Natalie MacLean. Aside from the common ground we share as border-line excessive drinkers and a disdain for the pretentious and elitist snobs who have ruled the wine world for oh so long, that’s where the commonalities stop.

Natalie is, and might always be, THE wine expert for the layman like you and I. She reviews more than a hundred wines  per month and, unlike some unnamed big-shot magazines, lets her tastebuds guide her reviews and not the advertising dollars wineries spend with her. In short, she writes precise, easy-to-understand wine reviews that you can trust and believe in.

That being said, let’s talk for a minute about her wine pairing application for mobile phones, Mobile Matcher.

Mobile Matcher, a downloadable application for the iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Droid, Nexus, Nokia, Palm Pre and other smartphones, combines her many years of experience and modern technology, bringing you over 380,000 wine and food pairings all in the palm of your hands. Aside from the incredibly fast and easy-to-use interface, this application carries a tremendous amount of residual appeal. I mean, seriously, what could possibly be more discreet than whipping your phone out for what appears to be nothing more than a quick text message when in fact you are looking for the absolute perfect pairing when grocery shopping, ordering at a restaurant or arguing with the clerk at the liquor store?

Mobile Matcher allows you to search a directory of over 10,000 wines by winery, price, score, and region, and also gives you access to wine terminology, delicious recipes and the ability to track your own wines in a virtual wine cellar. This app has lots more great features but for the sake of brevity, we’ll end with this:

The staggering price for all this wonderful information at your fingertips? Between $0 and $2.99. There is a standalone version of the app that does not require internet access available for $2.99 on iTunes, and a free version that does require internet access but includes different features. For three bucks, I would recommend downloading them both and using them together.

With the weather warming up and the sun inviting all of us to enjoy some time outdoors, a summer wine party can be a great way to gain better insight into the world of wine while spending time with friends around bottles of good wine.

Wine parties can be especially helpful for those wine enthusiasts on a budget. Set a theme for your party and invite guests to bring a bottle of wine with them, but set a price cap such as $20. You are bound to drink from some not so spectacular wines, but there is bound to be at least a few diamonds in the rough. The beauty is that you can discover what inexpensive and great tasting wines are offered in your area.

You can even establish a few contests for your guests to participate in. Pick a winner who brought the best tasting wine, but also have winners of such categories like bets looking bottle. The prizes? Hit up a local thrift store or big box store for some inexpensive stemware and wine glasses.

The beauty of wine is that it truly is an approachable hobby that can not only be enjoyed by people of all tastes and styles, but makes for a great excuse to have a killer summer party.

In a world where there is an app for nearly everything, owners of smartphones like the iPhone, Blackberry or Droid have an increasing number of phone applications designed to make wine buying a less risky adventure.

Applications like Swirl, a free app download for Droid phones, offers access to a quick database of wines. You can search for wines by name, varietals or by location. If you are looking to save on price but not on taste, you can select the tab for wines under $20. Based on your search of reds or whites, a list will appear that is ranked by user feedback. For example, a 2008 Wyatt California Pinot Noir received a four-and-half (out of five) stars rating. By selecting that wine you are given access to reviews written by customers like you. One reviewer wrote that, “it is virtually impossible to find a high-quality Pinot Noir that actually tastes like Pinot Noir for under $25…but Wyatt is a real winner tasting like a delicious Cotes de Beaune.”

A pairing tab also suggests dishes like grilled salmon or lamb to go with this particular Pinot Noir and you can search for other wines based on the meal you have already planned. Many of these wine guide apps encourage their users to leave their own comments and reviews, making these apps a perfect place to find out what the Average Joe or novice wine enthusiast consider a great buy or a waste of time.

There are also apps for those looking for wineries while on vacation of in their neck of the woods. For example, the Dallas Winery Guide app for Droid gives reviews and contact information for wineries in the Dallas and the North Texas region. Other apps provide information for wine growing regions from Northern California to Western Missouri.
In your quest to become a more informed wine buyer, phone applications might be one of the best tools at your disposal.