I hear it all the time: Where should I look for the best wine values?

The answer is simple: They are all around you.

You have to keep your eyes and ears open, and even so, sometimes they are hard to find. But in my research for this latest installment of 20 Under $20, I have reaffirmed some key principles for getting the most wine for your money.

Great values come from all over the globe, but the greatest percentage comes from Old World wine regions.

Why? Simply because the diversity of wines available from, say, France or Italy (home to a vast number of ancient, indigenous grapes) far exceeds the variety made in the United States, where few producers depart from the handful of most popular grapes. That said, five of my 20 choices are American, exceeded by only the six from France.

The ratio of quality to price is greatest in the area of $15 to $25 a bottle.

Even that price is more than many people want to pay. For those who wish to spend less, many sound bottles are available for less than $15. But I am not searching for sound. I want exciting and distinctive, which often requires more labor-intensive, expensive farming and winemaking.