As we reported last month, the post-holiday season generally offers good values in local wine stores. But February is looking even better. We stopped in the other night at our local Bortársaság, and discovered that most or all of the foreign wines stocked by Hungary's open-to-all "wine society" are 20% or more off for the rest of the month, including the Fonterutoli Chianti Classico 2003 pictured above, which you can get for Ft 3,480, instead of the normal Ft 4,350.

What makes this sale different from your normal winter bor-blowout is the ongoing speculation in international markets that the Hungarian forint may soon be in for a "correction." So not only are you saving 20% buy buying some of these wines now. Were the forint to go down 20% against the euro and other currencies (as some believe) the next time you buy that bottle of Sangiovese loveliness it may cost you Ft 5,220. And even if the forint doesn't go down against the euro, dollar and other key currencies, you'll still have some nice wine.