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Ann Clark's cooking deserves serious French wine. But we want to make sure we have plenty of money left over for the best recipe ingredients, and top-flight French wines can require a second mortgage. Lucky for us, the French make some wonderful wines that are inexplicably cheap. Wines that taste like they cost two to three times as much as they actually sell for. We'll concentrate on three geographical areas where the cost/quality quotient is in the consumer's favor. Then, to make it easy to remember, I've selected just one expert producer from each area and focused on their offerings.

Alsace is a small area on the border of France and Germany that both have claimed and fought over for centuries. The upshot is a borderland that resembles both cultures. For centuries, the Alsatians have developed voluptuous white wines in a dry, French style that can stand up to a German schnitzel or a sausage. The Hugel family is one of the oldest in the area, making wines in Alsace since 1639. Their lowest priced wine is Gentil ($8), a blend of five floral scented grapes with surprisingly rich flavors. A little more expensive and worth the difference is their Pinot Blanc ($11), a great match for seafood. Hugel's Gewürztraminer ($16) smells like a rose garden with a lemon tree sitting in the middle. It's delicious all by itself. The big gun in their low-priced line (Hugel's wines go into the $100-plus range) is their Riesling ($16). It has enough grip and intensity to stand up to a braised pork shoulder.

November 21 is Beaujolais Nouveau release day around the world. The wine usually isn't all that good, but it is easy on the pocket and entertaining. But pity the poor Beaujolais -- they are a captive to their own marketing. After tasting the limited charms of the Nouveau, most folks never take the time to try their premium wines. That's good news to us because the prices remain below the value. My favorite winery in Beaujolais is Georges Duboeuf. At just over $15, Duboeuf's Moulin-a-Vent is a rich red wine with floral aromas and a rich flavor that tastes like it should cost $40-plus. For under $15, sometimes under $10, you can try Duboeuf's Morgon ($13). It is an amazing bargain -- rich enough to have with a steak yet easy to drink by itself. Others worth tracking down in the same price range include Brouilly, Fleurie, and Juliénas. By the way, Beaujolais should be served a little cooler than most red wines, about 60 degrees.

Our last stop in France is the Rhone Valley. There are literally hundreds of outstanding winemakers in the area, but one that excels in every price range (from $8 to over $300) is Guigal. Their Côtes du Rhone Blanc ($8) is a phenomenal bargain. If you're stuck on Chardonnay, but want to try something new, this is your wine. Their Côtes du Rhone Rouge ($8) is a delicious blend of Grenache, Mouvèdre, and Syrah that works with any richly sauced meat you can imagine. For a stunning food bacchanal, albeit an expensive one, buy a bottle of Guigal's classic take on Viognier -- Condrieu la Doriane ($65). Pair it with scrambled eggs and shaved black truffles for a glimpse of pure heaven. I think Ann Clark would approve.