"Wine writers are boring, redundant and pretentious," opined a recent dinner guest. "Au contraire madame," came my retort, "we still have our uses." Critics and journalists are pretty good at sniffing out regions, and wineries, that deserve to be better known. We also excel at proselytizing overhyped – and overpriced – blue chip labels, but that's another story.

Thus: a recent blind tasting provided an entry into Tuscany's less exalted brands, eschewing the classic quartet of Tignanello (superb though it is), Solaia, Ornellaia and Sassicaia. Instead, we moved into (relatively) modest territory, at least in terms of fame and recognition. The wines ran the gamut from Sangiovese with a dollop of Merlot to Bordeaux blends crafted in the Maremma. Some bottles were exceptional, others inevitably disappointed. But it was a very illuminating event nonetheless, particularly once the labels were revealed.