Global Wine Values A roundup of 200 affordable wines from five continents
		Europe A powerhouse for firm-flavored wines
		United States Look to California and the Northwest
		Australia Fruit-forward wines with an edge

While the wines of Chile, Argentina and South Africa offer flavors and styles as diverse as their geographic settings, they share a common denominator as solid value regions. Chile has the most experience in the values field. Its vineyards, thriving in valleys that lie in the shadow of the Andes, deliver full-bodied reds, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Firm in structure, these wines deliver crisp plum and berry fruit flavors, with less of the overt spice flavors common to Australian and California reds. Other interesting reds in Chile include Carmenère (a long-lost Bordeaux variety rarely grown in France anymore) and in Argentina, Bonarda. Both offer plummy and smoky flavors.

Whites from South America include no-nonsense renditions of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. A distinctive Argentinean white is Torrontés, which has a Gewürztraminer-like spiciness on a light-bodied frame.

Most of South Africa's best wines come from the Cape of Good Hope region. The climate is Mediterranean, and the African heat is tempered by breezes from the South Atlantic. South African reds share similarities with Europe's in structure, with crisp acidities and lean flavor profiles. Cabernet Sauvignon is finding increasing success in this region.