I dined with an editor recently at Alto, a slick Midtown restaurant with a very tasty “espresso” lunch menu for $30.The editor, as much in self-defense as anything, handed me the wine list. Even though this was expense-account dining – Disney executives say it’s “on the mouse” – I take pride in ferreting the best wines for the lowest price.

Alto, as you might expect in a Midtown restaurant, isn’t giving anything away. But a good wine list such as Alto’s always has a few deals, which is to say, wines that punch above their price. And sure enough, there was one of Tuscany’s delicious obscurities: Ansonica “Costa dell’Argentario” 2004 from Fattoria La Parrina.

This was a classic example of what might be called “unknown Tuscany.” If you say “Tuscan” to a wine drinker, they hear “Chianti.” That’s not unreasonable. After all, Chianti is Tuscany’s most famous wine. But what’s surprising is how much more there is to Tuscany’s wines than Chianti.

Unless you’re devoted to Italian wines, it’s a good bet that names such as Parrina, Carmignano, Morellino di Scansano, Pomino, Costa dell’Argentario, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Bolgheri are distantly familiar, if that. Even more famous wines, such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano, are only marginally more familiar.

They’re all Tuscan wines. And they’re all worth investigating. Some are wonderfully inexpensive. Others, such as Bolgheri, cost as much as a good Burgundy or Bordeaux, selling for $75 a bottle or more.

But the best deals are off Tuscany’s tourist wine track, as it were.

HERE’S THE DEAL

PARRINA ROSSO AND ANSONICA COSTA DELL’ ARGENTARIO Now here’s a marvelous Tuscan wine “secret.” Parrina is the name of a district located in the southwestern corner of Tuscany. Yet, unusually, Parrina is also the name of the district’s biggest producer, Fattoria La Parrina. They are almost one and the same, as La Parrina owns 60% of the district’s total of about 250 acres of vines.

Making matters even more confusing is that La Parrina makes both a red and white wine. The red is a blend which, depending on the vintage, is typically 70% sangiovese, 10% cabernet sauvignon, and 20% “other reds” such pinot noir and canaiolo.

The white is the previously mentioned ansonica from the 10-year-old district called Costa dell’Argentario, the silver coast. Ansonica is one of those goofy Italian grape varieties found nowhere else. It’s a delicate beauty delivering a distinctive scent of bitter almond along with restrained notes of tropical fruits, especially in warm vintages such as 2003. Fattoria La Parrina is one of the leading producers of ansonica in this newly named zone.

La Parrina rosso, for its part, is a drink-now red that has a memorable – and quite discernible – whiff of rosemary, along with more conventional scents of cherry and almond.

Both wines are bargains at about $11.95 each. Look for the latest vintage, as neither wine is meant for long aging.

VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO One of Tuscany’s biggest tourist attractions is the town of San Gimignano. Famous for its narrow medieval stone towers (13 remain today, down from a 14th-century high of 72 towers), San Gimignano is also known for its dry white wine made from indigenous vernaccia grape variety.

But tourist fame led to you know what. Until very recently, Vernaccia di San Gimignano was synonymous with dull, dilute, lackluster white wine that was flogged to starry-eyed tourists. No more.

Success bred self-contempt. Starting in 1993, the zone took on more rigorous regulations that required lower yields, among other features. Still, you have to be choosy.

A good Vernaccia di San Gimignano should have a fleshy density, a faint almond scent and slightly bitter, invigorating aftertaste. The bad ones are thin, watery, and fruitless. Steer clear of the riserva bottlings. They are almost always unnecessarily oaky, as well as more expensive.

The family estate is called Tenuta Mormoraia. This is Vernaccia di San Gimignano as it should be: dense and aromatic with discernible notes of pear and minerals. Vintages such as 2002, 2003, and 2004 are all admirable. $12.95.

CARMIGNANO This is one of Tuscany’s best stories. The Carmignano district is just west of Florence, a relatively easy carriage ride in the old days. That’s an important fact, because it explains a) the multiple Medici villas in the tiny area and b) the ancient pedigree and fame of Carmignano’s red wine.

But what’s really interesting is the fact that, unlike anywhere else in Tuscany, Carmignano has been growing cabernet sauvignon and blending it with the traditional sangiovese grape since the 1700s. They called it, not unreasonably, uva Francesca, the French grape.

Once the height of Florentine wine fashion, Carmignano fell out of favor and public attention. It languished until the 1960s and ’70s,when Count Ugo Contini Bonacossi of Tenuta di Capezzana single-handedly revived its fame. His family’s estate, a former Medici villa, has more than 260 acres of vines, from which they produce multiple wines.

Carmignano is a classic Tuscan sangiovese, with all the characteristic warmth and “dusty” scent of that grape. The cabernet addition does contribute backbone, as well as deeper color. Unlike many other sangiovese/cabernet blends, Carmignano wines have finesse. And they do age extremely well, upward of 20 years.

In fairness, Carmignano has other producers and the zone’s overall standard is quite high. But the top estate is easily Capezzana. Their flagship red, which is labeled Villa di Capezzana, is 80% sangiovese and 20% cabernet sauvignon ($29.95).

The real bargain is called Barco Reale di Carmignano. A similar blend to the flagship bottling, Barco Reale di Carmignano is 70% sangiovese, 20% cabernet sauvignon, and 10% canaiolo. It sees less aging in barrel and is meant to be drunk younger. It’s a steal in rich, tasty, ideal-for-pizza-pasta-or-steak red wine at $12.95 a bottle.