Janos restaurant.

• Favorite wine and food pairing:

Pinot noir and salmon.

• Best value:

White: Nino Franco, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut Sparkling NV, Italy.

"Always a great value. Crisp, zesty and refreshing. You can never drink too many bubbles."

Red: Yalumba 2005 Bushvine Grenache, Australia.

"Another value from Down Under. It has flavors and aromas of licorice, strawberry and mint, with a spicy finish."

Both wines retail between $18 and $22.

• Best wine value under $20:

2005 Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz, Australia.

"Scents of eucalyptus and plum and flavors of blueberry, black pepper and cedar make it a steal."

• Fail-safe gift wine:

Cristom Pinot Noir, Oregon.

"Smooth, ripe and well-balanced. If you get a Cristom wine as a gift, there should be a smile on your face."

• Best wine for chocolate:

A late harvest wine like a zinfandel or mourvèdre.

Vin Tabla restaurant. She is a master sommelier. Just 130 people — including 16 women — in the world carry the title.

• Favorite wine and food pairing:

Ten-year-old Knoll Smaragd Grüner Veltliner from any of his vineyards in Wachau, Austria, with cured salmon, artichokes, asparagus, or lentils in various preparations.

15-plus-year-old burgundy (pinot noir) from the Vosne-Romanée in France with variations of duck confit.

• Best value:

White: 2002 Simcic Rebula from Goriska Brda, Slovenia ($36).

"On the nose it smells exotic and lush with passion fruit, mango and guava but once tasted the verve of acidity, crushed seashells and sea brine dominate to confuse even the most gifted tasters who would initially think it a New World wine on the nose alone."

Red: 2002 Lonardi Privilegia from Veneto, Italy ($37).

"Sweet Bing cherry and Morello cherry fruit pervade the nose and palate while strawberry blossom, potting soil and cigar box add seductive balance to this wine." (Fewer than 300 cases were produced.)

• Best wine under $20:

White: 2006 Sigalas Santorini (Sigalas Santorini) from Santorini, Greece ($18).

"This wine could captivatingly woo even the most finicky imbiber with its racy green apple skin and Meyer lemon meringue coupled with wild thyme and crushed volcanic rock."

Red: 2002 Serafini & Vidotto Phigaia from Veneto , Italy ($18).

"A Bordeaux blend of grapes from Veneto, Italy, resembling the true Bordelaise style due to black currant and cassis fruit with undertones of crushed tobacco leaf, cedar, pencil shavings and leather all packaged in an elegant, seductive and refined presentation on the palate."

• Fail-safe gift wine:

An inexpensive sparkling wine such as Prosecco from Italy or Cava from Spain.

"One of my favorites is Trevisiol Prosecco, as it comes from a small producer more aligned with the highest quality possible, thus delivering great value for the buck. It is hard to beat sparkling because it is synonymously linked with festivity and fun and pairs with such a diverse array of foods and flavors."

JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort.

• Favorite wine and food pairing:

Two Hands Bella's Garden Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia.

"This one is a ball-buster (as they call it in Australia), but also shows a lot of complexity by way of mineral/earthy flavors (typical of Barossa) along with cedar, plum and blackberry notes. I would love to open that bottle with any savory lamb dish, the slight gaminess and spice of the wine and the meat would complement each other well."

• Best value:

Red: Garnacha and mencía-based red wines from the Campo de Borja and Bierzo both in Spain have been interesting, complex and affordable. The Dominio de Tares Bierzo Albares is $12.

White: "Viognier has been surprising me lately; there are good ones popping up all over the world." A Cono Sur Viognier Reserva Colchagua Valley, Chile, is $8.

• Best wine under $20:

Red: Marshall Family Barry's Blend Pinot Noir, Napa Valley.

"After a little bottle age it starts to give off some great bright fruit, earth and oaky flavors, and finishes like a $40 bottle."

White: Burgan's Albarino Rias Baixas, Spain.

"Just a touch of 'funk', great acidity and crispness as well as flavors of citrus and some herbiness."

• Best advice for diners who want to pair food with wine:

"Balance is the key. A light dish will pair well with a light-intensity wine. A heavier dish will go better with something more bold and intense. Knowing the sauce and taking its flavors and consistency into consideration is important as well. Being adventurous and open-minded about pairing often pays off."

• Fail-safe gift wine:

"Champagne itself is cause for celebration, so naturally it makes any special occasion a little more special. Plus, with French wine prices climbing like they are, it really shows you care!"

JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort.

• Favorite wine and food pairing:

Châteauneuf-du-Pape with Malaucène lamb, both of France.

"A spicy wine with a spicy dish. What a fit."

• Best value:

"I usually go to Trader Joe's or Sprouts and pick up a $5 to $10 bottle that I've never tried before. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised and sometimes I'm disappointed, but I usually get what I paid for."

• Best wine under $20:

White: Aveleda Vinho Verde, Portugal.

"Light and crisp with a spritz at the start. Great sipping wine, especially when the weather starts getting hot. One of the few wines I buy by the case."

Red: Snoqualmie Reserve Merlot, Washington state.

"A great value and under-appreciated. While most merlots can be simple and uninspiring, this one is full of fruit yet well-balanced and great with food."

• Best advice for diners who want to pair food with wine:

"The flavors of the wine should complement the flavors of the whole dish. Think about sauces and sides more than just white meat or red meat."

• Fail-safe gift wine:

Bollinger NV Champagne.

"Sparkling wine is a great gift, and Bollinger is one of the best when it comes to bang for your buck."

• Advice for hosting wine tasting party within a budget:

"Don't over-think it; keep it simple. Build around a single theme so the conversation stays social and enjoyable. Nobody wants to be lectured about 10 different wines from 10 different regions with totally different styles. Grab four to five bottles of a single varietal or region and have a fun conversation about what is similar and different about each one."

Joe Mascari, Anthony in the Catalinas, the only Tucson eatery with a Grand Award from Wine Spectator magazine.

• Favorite wine and food pairing:

Château Monbousquet with Chateaubriand steak or nice filet mignon. It is predominantly a blend of cabernet franc and merlot, both light red wines, and then cabernet sauvignon.

• Best value:

Bishop Peak out of the Santa Barbara, Calif., area, most of which are under $20 a bottle.

"They own the vineyards; they're able to keep the costs down. They do a wonderful syrah and pinot noir."

• Best wine under $20:

Red: Renoto, a blend of syrah and Nero d'Avola, a grape indigenous to Sicily. Light-bodied, fruity.

White: Teruzzi & Puthod Vernaccia. Medium-bodied, crisp, refreshing, very food-friendly.

• Best advice for diners who want to pair food with wine:

"Go with wines that you enjoy. Take a look at what the dinner is. Is this something that's very special where you want to have a very special wine? Is it Friday and we're having chicken? Keep in mind the context of the dinner."

• Fail-safe gift wine:

"Get a wine that you've already tried that you know is delicious. In front of people you don't want to experiment with a wine. Trust your palate."

• Advice for hosting wine-tasting party within a budget:

Have the guests of the party bring a bottle of wine and have it themed to what you're doing whether it's wines of Spain or red wines of Italy.