Value wine worth the time

I'm often asked: "What's a good inexpensive wine?" It makes sense: Everyone wants to save money; everyone wants their wine to be drinkable.

About 10 percent of the low-priced wines I've tried are any good, but recently I was truly amazed by a line out of Spain. Bodegas Juan Gil Family Estates encapsulates everything good about wine from Spain: It's inexpensive*, very good quality, and the labels are beautiful.

• Honoro Vera Blanco 2013 (around $11 retail) is a new offering that has the tropical notes and floral backdrop that the Rueda region is known for. The label is gorgeous and the wine is just as beautiful.

Find it: Skip One Seafoods or Sanibel Summerlin Liquors.

• Shaya Verdejo 2013 (around $15 retail) Fancy's Southern Cafe picked up this beautiful white made from old vine Verdejo. It's a bit richer and rounder with stone fruit dominance and some nutmeg depth. It will pair brilliantly with Fancy's fabulous Southern cuisine.

Find it: Fancy's Southern Cafe

• Honora Vera Organic Monastrell 2013 (around $11 retail) This wine is a smooth crowd-pleaser with plenty of fruit (cherry and plum) and a little tobacco along the mid palate.

Find at: Skip One, Sanibel Summerlin Liquors, Sanibel Steakhouse.

• Juan Gil Silver Label 2012 100 percent Monastrell (around $18 retail) For the filet lover in your life, this insane value is a must. Long tannins are balanced with rich deep fruitiness and a bit of smoke from oak aging. Referred to as the "Silver Oak" of Spain, it consistently scores 90 points or higher ... for less than $20. This wine is a must. Cru and Sanibel Steakhouse are pouring this beauty.

• Tridente Tempranillo 2011 (around $19 retail) is an elegant expression of a grape I once pigeonholed as "too dusty." Oh, how wrong I was. Fifteen months of oak aging takes off any rough edges and turns out balance in a masculine, leather-scented full fruit wine.

It will pair beautifully with a New York Strip at Sanibel Steakhouse or a rack of ribs at Fancy's Southern Cafe.

*Here is why Spain has good inexpensive wine: It's go big or go home in Spain so wineries have a lot of wine to sell and when you make that much you can drop the price.

Pair this prevailing business model with centuries of winemaking experience and infallible terroir and you have a pretty good blend on your hands.