A great way to discover new wines is to partner up with other wine lovers, for periodic tastings at home. To compare and contrast wine's try selecting one varietal from a specific growing region or Country. Try comparing the same varietal from Country to Country or from year-to-year. Then try different varietals in the same way, you'll be amazed at how much you'll learn in this exploration. When you're given the opportunity to taste side-by-side you'll start to get a feel for wine making styles, how climate and weather affect taste, how aging in oak versus stainless steel adds complexity, etc; it's a lot of fun too and doesn't break the bank!
A wine I discovered doing this very exercise was the Sebastiani Cabernet, a wonderful specimen provided you give it ample time to open up. I would suggest an hour in the decanter to really coax it open. Sebastiani is a well rounded wine, perfect combination of acid, tannin and fruit. Frankly it's a steal at $12 in the world of overpriced California Cabs. I tried my first bottle several years ago and still return to it in the wine store, knowing I'm getting an affordable yet solid wine for my buck.
Try a tasting at home, see what value wine's you can uncover. Cheers!
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