Bordeaux Fights Price Fear With Buff Tastings, Labels Under $50

Ward Kadel, facing a congregation of thirsty wine bloggers, tried to preach heresy: that France’s Bordeaux region, source of the world’s most expensive wines, also has worthy bottles for less than $50.

The occasion was a speed-tasting at a Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia, in July. It was part of a broader effort by the Bordeaux Wine Council, which hired Kadel as one of several “Le Wine Buffs” promoting the region’s less-famous producers in the U.S.