Cheap wine from a good winemaker

Friends have sometimes asked me over the years how to pick a 'good' wine when confronted perhaps by a confusing restaurant wine list, since 'good' usually means an enjoyable wine that doesn't cost the earth my usual advice is "Always choose a cheap wine from a good winemaker".
My rationale is that 'good' winemakers put the same care and attention into all their vineyards, all their wines benefit from the same skill and expertise in the winery and any 'bad' or faulty wine would do untold harm to their hard won reputation.  That said a winemaker often has wines that will not command premium prices - perhaps it does not meet the appellation rules because the vines did not grow in quite the right place or maybe the blend contains unapproved grape varieties.  Some winemakers (especially of the 'old school') often make a simpler wine that is sold 'locally' without the expensive marketing and distribution that is aimed at 'sophisticated' (and more affluent) consumers.
The "Coudoulet de Beaucastel" (left) is made by the famous Perrin family of Beaucastel, however the vines grow on the wrong side of the N7 to be included in the Chateauneuf appellation, actually the terroir is almost identical but the wine can only be sold as a Cote du Rhone and therefore not at stratospheric Chateauneuf prices.  I bought this bottle of 2005, maybe not at the winery but somewhere locally for €13.  You can frequently find the Coudoulet on wine lists where the owner knows his wines and it will be a fraction of the price of a good Chateauneuf du Pape.  If you see it try it, it's an outstanding wine that you won't forget - and you can afford!

Here is another example from the Faravel family of Domaine Bouïssière, one of my favourite Gigondas producers.  "Les Amis de la Bouïssière" which is sold as 'Vin de France' instead of Gigondas, probably because it contains a little Merlot, not one of the approved varieties for the appellation, but in every other respect it is a great Gigondas!
I'm not going to tell you how much this excellent wine costs or you'll all be buying up my secret supplies!

With perhaps one or two exceptions I am afraid that the "Cheap wine from a good winemaker" strategy only really works with Old World wines.  New World winemakers are not encumbered by appellation rules (for good or ill) so these bargain outsider wines do not exist.  There is also a widely held belief (in USA for example) that higher prices indicate higher quality and this drives producers to price their wines to meet market expectations.  'Cheap' wine in USA is usually just that, cheap plonk - unless of course it comes from a 'good' Old World winemaker!