There’s never just one answer to any challenge. In terms of finding great values in wine, there are indeed numerous approaches, and I’d like to discuss a few here as we enter the new year eager to taste more good wine:

>> Carignan variety: First, consider wines produced from the carignan variety, a widely grown though relatively lesser-known grape. Most of these wines aren’t as showy or flamboyant as those produced from cabernet, syrah, malbec or grenache varieties. Still, carignan-based reds can be quite delicious, interesting and wonderfully food friendly. They are also reasonably priced.

From France, a superb example is the Domaine Fontsainte Corbieres Rouge (about $16.50 a bottle). This red-wine blend hails from the southern part of the country near the Mediterranean Sea. Year in and year out, this country-styled wine is light and absolutely delicious, and it works with a wide range of cafe-styled foods — light meat or vegetable-oriented pasta, pizza and lighter fare — all of which need a gulpable wine to help wash down all that food.

A newly discovered Californian counterpart is the Folk Machine “Labor & Parts” (about $16.50). It may be a bit of a challenge to find this wonderfully tasty red-wine blend, but let me just say, if you do, you’ll find it is worth the effort.

>> Hidden gems: Another arena where great values can be found is lesser-known winegrowing areas. Edmeades Zinfandel “Mendocino” (about $17) is a wine that overdelivers for the dollar spent. My first encounter with this estate and its wonderful zinfandel specialties was the 1994 vintage. These wines put the Mendocino winegrowing appellation on our wine radar screen. While they produce an intriguing lineup of single-vineyard zins, their Mendocino bottling is the one to focus on in terms of value.

Another top value is the Clos La Coutale Cahors (about $19). Cahors is a small appellation in southwestern France that is believed to be the ancestral home to the malbec grape variety. It’s inexplicable why prices have not escalated even though the quality in the bottle is so remarkable. This is a masculine, hearty, savory, soulful artisan wine produced essentially by a one-man show.

>> Pet projects: Yet another venue for finding values is the side projects of highly respected wineries. Case in point: the Foxglove Chardonnay ($18) from Varner brothers Jim and Bob. These men had a long run producing some of the most acclaimed chardonnays and pinot noirs from the Spring Ridge Vineyard of the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation, located just above Stanford University’s golf course. They deserved high ratings for their deftly crafted small-batch bottlings.

Thankfully, along the way they created the Foxglove label, which featured zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay from lesser-priced appellations such as Paso Robles and parts of the Central Coast. Their chardonnay is a perennial best-buy selection of many in the wine media. I love its charming, “bright eyed and bushy tailed” personality and its crisp, refreshing, nervy edge that keeps the palate fresh between sips.

I would be remiss not to also mention the Neyers “Sage Canyon Cuvee” (about $26). The core of this delicious, joyous, spunky red-wine blend is 139-year-old vine carignan, all foot stomped, wild-yeast fermented and aged in old oak. This is a wonderful drink, especially for hanging out with friends at a barbecue.

Then there’s the Marcel Lapierre “Raisins Gaulois” (about $17). Marcel Lapierre was a game-changing, visionary winemaker from Beaujolais, France. Lapierre and his friends started a movement focused on a “back to basics,” sustainable approach to grape growing and winemaking that has now spread throughout the world. His most famous bottling, Morgon, has won accolades and many awards through the years. But it is the “Raisins Gaulois” that he would serve at his dinner table. It is a tasty, wonderfully food friendly, gulpable French “country” red that is all about pure enjoyment.

Finally, my last recommendation is the Elvio Tintero Moscato d’Asti (about $16). This ever-so-slightly sweet, effortlessly light, fizzy Italian white wine is ideal for those seeking something thirst-quenching and cooling. It also provides an uplifting way to end a meal.

With many Italian Moscato d’Asti bottlings on the market today — it is, after all, one of the top wine import categories into the U.S. — I suggest this as the one to try first because it really is a benchmark, the one by which to measure others.

I wish you all a wonderful 2019.

Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants group. Follow his blog at chuckfuruya.com.