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"Really," mused the prof. "So what do you intend to keep it in?"

Happily, today's Thanksgiving quest - the search for a universal wine to accompany all the meats, poultry and other goodies that load the holiday table - may be a difficult challenge, but it lacks the fatal flaw of the universal solvent. It can be done.

As I've observed before, roast turkey is the most traditional meat for Thanksgiving dinner (and often Christmas and secular winter celebrations too). But it's certainly not the only possibility. In our family, we've chosen duck, goose, guinea hen and even moved away from poultry in favor of standing rib of roast beef. Or perhaps a pizza.

Wine enthusiasts have little difficulty picking a wine to go with any of those main courses specifically, even turkey, although that big bird poses a special challenge because it's built with both light meat and rich, dark meat, contrasting flavors and textures that may not go equally well with the same wine.

When you consider the appetizing side dishes that load the holiday table - mashed potatoes and dressing, cranberry sauce, green-bean casserole and even candied sweet potatoes - the idea of finding a "universal wine" looms almost as pardon-the-expression insoluble a challenge as that universal solvent.

One easy out involves forgetting the whole idea of a perfect food-wine match and simply pulling a special wine off your wine rack or out of your cellar and enjoying it in the spirit of Thanksgiving, sipping between courses and frankly deciding not to worry about a precise pairing.

If you're having a festive meal for a crowd, it's also fun to open both red and white wines, giving your guests the option to choose one or the other or a little of both, as their taste buds dictate.

But what specific wine? I've often invoked what I call the "cranberry sauce rule," looking for a wine with a flavor profile similar to that of the traditional condiment for turkey: Cranberry sauce is fruity, tart, with only a touch of sweetness at the most; you'll find no scent of oak, nor tannic astringency in your cranberries, whether you choose them whole or jellied.

Quite a few wines have this flavor profile, not least the Nouveau Beaujolais, the first French wine of the new vintage, which was released into the marketplace last week and is widely available at wine shops for $10 or so. It's a good wine, not a great wine, but it will work well on your holiday table.

Other wine-grape varieties that fit the cranberry-sauce rule are Riesling, Gewurztraminer or Chenin Blanc if you're in the mood for a white wine; if you want a red, the aforementioned Beaujolais or the American Zinfandel - the real red Zin, please! A sparkling wine affords a completely different approach, washing down the holiday fare and inspiring a festive table with the happy pop and fizz that attends its opening.

Saving the best for last, however, the king of holiday wine in my hierarchy is Pinot Noir, the grape that the comic movie Sideways made famous. Smooth, complex and balanced, with flavors of red fruit and earth and a texture that makes you think of velvet, an excellent Pinot Noir - choose among France's Burgundy region, California's cooler valleys or Oregon at your leisure - is a star in its own right and should go with just about anything on your table.

For my tasting report on a California Pinot Noir favorite with a distinctly French name and a mid-Atlantic mix of Old World and New World flavors, see below.

Today's Sponsor

A Message from The California Wine Club

In this age of high-tech, mass-production and big business we are proud to be the same "mom & pop" company we started 20 years ago.

We personally select every wine and share the winemaking family's story with you. Our dedicated staff answers your calls, processes, packs and ships your orders…all from our office here in breezy Camarillo, California.

We don't outsource, we don't sell bulk wines and we don't take our customers for granted! Your business (and referrals) is greatly appreciated.

Wishing a safe and happy holiday season to you!

Cheers, Bruce and Pam Boring, Proprietors, The California Wine Club

A gift from The California Wine Club is a unique way to say "Happy Holidays." Order now and your gifts will arrive right in time for the holiday season!

Visit www.cawineclub.com to send a gift or call 1-800-777-4443.

Today's Tasting Report

Au Bon Climat 2008 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir ($19.99)

Very dark ruby with a clear edge. Black cherry and subtle spice aromas with a distinct hint of "barnyard," earthy and not unpleasant. Fresh tart-cherry fruit and snappy acidity come together in a mouth-filling, food-friendly flavor, with a fresh acidic tang and soft tannins in the finish. (Oct. 3, 2009)

FOOD MATCH: As a well-balanced example of a "universal" food wine, this appealing Pinot will go with just about any choice of meat or poultry, not to mention a variety of cheeses and dark, flavorful fish from salmon - perhaps its No. 1 partner - to tuna, mackerel or bluefish. It would even make a fair pick at the sushi bar!

WEB LINK: The Au Bon Climat Website includes information about the wine, the winery and wine maker Jim Clendenen, plus a winery wine club and online store allowing shipping at winery prices where the law permits.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look for vendors and compare prices for the Pinot Noirs of Au Bon Climat on Wine-Searcher.com.

Today's Sponsor

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Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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What's your pleasure? Rich, full-bodied Chardonnay with its range of flavors from tart green apples to luscious tropical fruit? Or leaner, meaner Sauvignon Blanc with its flavor spectrum reaching from citrus on the sunny side to herbal, "grassy" aromatics in the shade?

Or perhaps you're a fence-sitter who doesn't take sides in this combat? You'll enjoy this, then. Here's an odd, affordable alternative: A Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc blend from a Southwestern French winery that glories in its historic preference for disobeying the rules.

Famille Grassa, a producer in the Bas-Armagnac region of France's Gascony (imagined home of Dumas's fourth Musketeer, D'Artagnan), defies the conventional wisdom by growing - and blending - an assortment of white varieties not normally scene or grown in Gascony. And if today's tasting report on their 50% Chardonnay and 50% Sauvignon Blanc serves as evidence, they do it very well.

Here's what the Grassa family has to say about their philosophy on an English-language page of the winery Website, in an essay charmingly titled, "In Praise of Disobedience ... Breaking the rules."

" ... The fact that Tariquet wines and Bas-Armagnacs brandies have been acclaimed with the best of their class is due largely to the boldness of one man. Yves Grassa, now an internationally renowned winemaker from Gascony, began 25 years ago by breaking the rules of traditional winemaking, proposing white wines that were consistently characterised by a fresh finesse and fruity elegance.

"He was the first in the region to dare to plant Chardonnay, Sauvignon or Chenin grapes, which were far from popular in those days. Worse still, he conjured up combinations of sworn enemies such as Chardonnay with Sauvignon or Chenin with Chardonnay. The Tariquet brand was born of contemplation, rebellion and reason, followed by continuous observation and improvement. ... Defying his detractors, Yves Grassa took on the challenge of producing white wine and was duly rewarded for his work by being selected as Winemaker of The Year in 1987."

Crisp and refreshing, the "Côté" Chardonnay-Sauvignon is a fine value in the $10 to $12 range, but not a wine for keeping. With its slick-sleeve synthetic label, the producer recommends storing it upright, not on its side, and drinking it up within a year or two after the vintage. Here's my tasting report:

Tariquet 2007 "Côté" Gascogne 50% Chardonnay - 50% Sauvignon ($12.99)

Transparent straw color. Apples and a hint of grapefruit and "sappy" herbal notes combine in the nose, pleasant enough if not really strongly recognizable as either Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Mouth-filling and tart, green-apple and grapefruit, just a hint of fresh-fruit sweetness and the faintest touch of spritz, with a light 11.5% alcohol to make it a pleasant aperitif or dinner wine. U.S. importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D.C. (Oct. 23, 2009)

FOOD MATCH: An attractive aperitif, as the label suggests, and certainly passable with fresh fish, chicken or - my choice - a fresh, natural locavore pork chop braised with onions.

WEB LINK: Famille Grassa, the producer, has its Website in French, English, German, Spanish and Italian. Click the tiny flag icon for the language you prefer.

Click here for a fact sheet on the C Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blend.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look for vendors and compare prices for Tariquet "Côté" on Wine-Searcher.com.

Today's Sponsor

Give Confidently With The California Wine Club!

This holiday season send a gift that will be enjoyed and remembered! Give The California Wine Club!

We are confident your gift recipients will be delighted because The California Wine Club does what other wine clubs do not:

* Guarantees that every wine comes from a smaller, real-working winery
* Visits each winery, gets to know the family and shares their stories with you
* Tastes thousands of wines before choosing the best
* Promises that every wine you receive is one you will pour with confidence

Give a holiday gift to cheer about! Each month includes two bottles of award-winning wine and detailed 12-page publication, Uncorked. Just $34.95 per month and you may choose to send as many months as you wish. Schedule deliveries to arrive monthly, every other month or quarterly. Visit www.cawineclub.com to send a gift or call 1-800-777-4443.

The California Wine Club takes the guesswork out of picking the right gift and delivers the best wine, every time!

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
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Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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Despite a serious defensive response by the cork industry, wine lovers have begun to view the once-maligned metal screwcap, in particular, as an appealing alternative to natural cork, which bears at least a slight risk of "tainting" wine in the bottle thanks to a cork fungus that can impart a musty, chlorinated scent that spoils the beverage.

While barriers remain - most significantly, controlling the precise rate of oxygen exchange into the bottle at a rate that matches the ideal median for natural cork, allowing maximum aging for cellarworthy wines - synthetics and other alternatives continue to gain market share.

Now joining the horse race, er, cork race, is a relatively new, reportedly strongly effective option, made out of, well, cork.

The DIAM closure, made by France-based, international OENEO Bouchage, looks a lot like a cork. In fact, it looks suspiciously like an agglomerated cork, an early substitute technology that spectacularly failed when it proved to be much more prone to taint than the original.

But DIAM is different. Without going into extensive detail (which, however, may be found at DIAM's Website, http://www.diam-cork.com/proof/), DIAM's process involves boiling the natural cork, then grinding it into a "flour" of tiny granules, washing them in a specialized form of carbon dioxide, then reassembling the granules with patented synthetic "microspheres" into cork-shaped stoppers.

OENEO declares these "technical corks" to be taint-free, and the British supermarket giant Tesco, the UK's largest wine retailer and a strong advocate for eliminating cork taint from wines, is apparently persuaded, having accepted DIAM as one of its three acceptable wine stoppers. (The others are screwcaps and high-quality natural cork.)

DIAM looks a lot like a cork, albeit a cork with an attractively variegated surface that looks a bit like corky marble. It acts like a cork, OENO's scientists say. But it doesn't smell much like a cork. Thanks to the cleaning process, the resulting stopper is clean and virtually odorless.

Great stuff? Sounds like. But how can we find wines that use it? Ah, there's the rub. Few wine producers advertise their closure, even when they've expended the effort to come up with a taint-free version. Among all the corks I've pulled over the years, I knowingly encountered my first DIAM just the other day, plugged into a 2006 Pietra Santa Cienega Valley (California) Sangiovese from The California Wine Club. No taint here! But no notice on the bottle, either.

Want to find a DIAM? Trying the Pietra Santa wouldn't be a bad idea, as it's an excellent wine (notes below). DIAM also posts a list of some of its international winery clients on its Website at this link:
http://www.diam-cork.com/proof/client-list/.

Happy hunting!

Today's Sponsor

Why Wait? Order now from The California Wine Club!

Why wait? Order now and The California Wine Club won't bill or ship your holiday gifts until December!

Since 1990 The California Wine Club has been spreading holiday cheer with gifts that can't be found in local stores.

Each month features two bottles of award-winning wine, hand selected from one of California's best "mom & pop" wineries. Wine club deliveries also include Uncorked, an entertaining and informative 12 page, full color newsletter that offers an up close and personal look at the winemaking families. Uncorked also includes wine country news, wine tips, recipes and much more. Each month is like a trip to wine country, from the comfort of home!

Send as many months as you wish, just $34.95 per month. Save on gifts of 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Call 1-800-777-4443 or visit www.cawineclub.com to order now and receive no billing and no shipping until December!

Today's Tasting Report

Pietra Santa 2006 Cienega Valley Sangiovese ($18)

Sealed with a taint-free DIAM cork, it's clear and very dark blackish-purple, shiny as patent leather in the glass. Delicious aromas of mixed red and black cherries with a distinct whiff of fennel and a lighter touch of warm spice. Flavors are consistent with the nose, ripe but not overstated cherry-berry fruit, mouth-watering acidity and soft but perceptible tannins; it carries its substantial 14.7% alcohol with style. Wine maker says the fermented wine was kept on the grapeskins for 20 days to pick up maximum color and intensity; then the wine aged 24 months in French oak. A splash (8%) of Cabernet Sauvignon was blended in just before bottling to enhance the wine's aging potential. (Oct. 24, 2009)

FOOD MATCH: Needs an appropriate food match of beef, bison or venison to smooth its youthful astringency at this point - We enjoyed it with a Dreamcatcher Farm Kentucky natural grass-fed rib eye, pepper-crusted, pan-seared with garlic and oven-finished medium-rare - but it shows considerable promise for five to 10 years in a good cellar.

WEB LINK: Pietra Santa ("Sacred Stone") Winery is located at Hollister, Calif., where Alessio Carli is the wine maker. Here's a link to the winery Website.
http://www.pietrasantawinery.com

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for the wines of Pietra Santa on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Pietra%2bSanta%2bSangiovese/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP

Pietra Santa 2006 Cienega Valley Sangiovese is appropriately priced at $18 at the winery, but it's a no-brainer at $10.99 for half- or full-case reorders by California Wine Club members. For details on this particular wine, click
http://www.cawineclub.com/Pietra-Santa-Vineyards-%26-Winery-2006-Cienega-Valley-Sangiovese_PD735.html

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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Liquid Memory: Why Wine Matters
This new book by Jonathan Nossiter follows his controversial film, "Mondovino." It's controversial, too, drawing widely mixed reviews. Draw your own conclusions?
Buy it for $17.16 from Amazon.com, a 32 percent discount.
Liquid Memory on Amazon.com

Delicate, white-fleshed seafood like sole, cod or scallops rarely works with red wine, I join most wine enthusiasts in saying, because red wine's tannic astringency and bold flavors don't work well with such delicate fare.

But anyone who thinks the rule invariably applies has clearly never sampled the joys of Pinot Noir with fresh wild salmon or rare fresh tuna.

Today, a Japanese research report on just this topic hit the general media, inspiring a lot of "gee whiz" stories expressing surprise that science has apparently confirmed the old wisdom.

But has it? Let's take a quick look.

Science has confirmed the "golden rule" about red wine with fish, ScienceDaily concluded: "Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific explanation for one of the most widely known rules of thumb for pairing wine with food: "Red wine with red meat, white wine with fish. ... The scientists are reporting that the unpleasant, fishy aftertaste noticeable when consuming red wine with fish results from naturally occurring iron in red wine."

In an abstract of a study published Wednesday in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists Takayuki Tamura and colleagues reported that a "fishy aftertaste is sometimes perceived in wine with fish and seafood pairing. However, what component of wine clashes with seafood or what compound contributes to the unpleasant fishy aftertaste in the mouth remains an open problem."

The scientists acknowledged exceptions to the rule, pointing out that "some red wines actually [go] well with seafood. Until now," they added, showing apparent ignorance of the Pinot-and-salmon experience, "nobody could consistently predict which wines might trigger a fishy aftertaste because of the lack of knowledge about its cause."

The scientists convened a panel of tasters to sample 38 red wines and 26 white wines served with, of all things, dried scallops. The tasters ranked the wines in order of how unpleasant they found the combination, whereupon the scientists subjected the wines to chemical analysis and found "strong positive correlations" between the intensity of the chemical flavor and the presence and degree of iron compounds in the wine.

Tweaking the experiment further, they added iron ions to some wines, and used a chemical technique to reduce the amount of iron in others. Sure enough, the tasting panel responded appropriately to the changes, finding a direct connection between the amount of iron and the unpleasant flavor combination.

Concluded ScienceDaily: "The findings indicate that iron is the key factor in the fishy aftertaste of wine-seafood pairings, the researchers say, suggesting that low-iron red wines might be a good match with seafood."

This is interesting material, and I for one am always intrigued by research that sheds light on the tasting experience. I've got a few questions about this one, though.

First and foremost, anyone who's ever cooked with Asian dried scallops knows that they have a distinct aroma and flavor that's a far cry from Dover sole or fresh cod. This strikes me as a distinct flaw in the study, and I'd love to see similar research done with a variety of seafood and fish ranging from delicate and mild to dark and oil.

Nor did the abstract disclose the specific varieties and regions of the 64 wines tasted. Did they broadly represent the world of wine, or was it an imbalanced selection? I don't know, and frankly, I don't particularly want to pay $30 for the full report to find out.

Finally, it's not going to be easy to translate this advice into practice. All wines naturally contain some iron from the soil - 30 milligrams per liter is typical, according to Emile Peynaud's Knowing and Making Wine.

Indeed, trace amounts of iron in the soil are essential to vine health, and some of that iron is taken up through the roots and into the fruit. But wines don't list ingredients or nutritional information, and iron content isn't something you're likely to learn from the label. I'd guess that red-soil vineyards (like Australia's Coonawarra) are more likely to contain iron in quantity than chalk or limestone soil (like Burgundy) or granite (like the Loire).

But it's not really practical to seek out low-iron wines to match with your fish.

My advice? Stick with Pinot and salmon and be happy. And in general, take science reporting in the general media (or, for that matter, in this column), with a grain of salt.

Today's Wine Book

Poetry or manure? "Mondovino" maker's new book sparks controversy

Here's a new book from Jonathan Nossiter, the filmmaker who made waves with his indie film, "Mondovino," which attacked, among other targets, industrial-style wine making, globalization of wine, and the influence of "flying winemakers" like Michel Rolland and influential wine critics such as Robert M. Parker Jr. and Wine Spectator.

The book is just as controversial, maybe more so. Reviewing it on Amazon.com, the author Bill Buford (whose recent book about Chef Mario Batali was a personal favorite), loved it with an almost embarrassing passion, writing, "I'll put myself right out there and declare that this is the greatest book ever written about wine and that I cannot imagine coming across a more resonating or important one before I die. Samuel Beckett meets Martin Scorsese meets Malcolm Lowry meets dirt meets a poet named Fermentation. Bravo, Nossiter!"

Uh huh.

In Sunday's New York Times Book Review, author Jim Holt, who writes about philosophy but not, apparently, about wine, took a more balanced view:

"This can be an irritating book. It is full of little eruptions of pomposity ... and self-regard. ... But it can also be extremely entertaining, especially when Nossiter’s hackles are raised, which (happily for the reader) is a lot of the time.

"... if this book were a bottle of wine, I’d describe it as having a firm structure, a core of mature but voluptuous fruit ... lots of bracing acidity, with just a hint of manure on the nose."

You have to love the snark in that "hint of manure."

My copy of the book just arrived from Amazon. I'll enter my own opinion after I've read it.

Want to draw your own conclusions? Click to buy it for $17.16 from Amazon.com, a 32 percent discount from the $26 list price.

As always, purchases made by using this exact link will return a small commission to WineLoversPage.com, helping us maintain our online publications (and this E-letter) without charge.

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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A Memorable Business Gift with The California Wine Club!
The California Wine Club is a memorable holiday gift for clients and colleagues.
The California Wine Club

Discover the heart and soul of Rioja
Join the Vibrant Rioja Community for a chance to win a case of wine or a trip to Rioja, Spain.
Vibrant Rioja

When it comes to smelling, humans take a distant second place to our dogs and cats. Still, we can train our sense of smell, and you don't have to be an expert wine taster to learn to sniff out the differences among wines.

When new wine enthusiasts read wine-tasting notes, they're often puzzled by references to a fruit bowl full of aroma descriptions: Apples, pears, blackberries and melons, oh my, not to mention such un-fruity characteristics as chocolate, coffee, vanilla and warm spice.

I frequently field questions from readers wondering whether wineries actually add fruit flavors to wine to provide this complex and tasty mix. Answer: No, never, no way ... at least not in the realm of fine wines, although a few "pop" wine-like beverages such as Wild Vines and Arbor Mist do offer low-alcohol beverages that mix fruit juices and wine.

The real stuff, though, is made from 100 percent wine grapes, and that's what makes wine such an intriguing beverage: Fine grapes, fermented and aged in oak barrels or stainless vats, influenced by the taste of the land and the skill of the wine maker's hand, pour from the bottle with complex, intriguing aromas and flavors that you just don't find in Coca-Cola, iced tea or fruit juice.

With the understanding that these are generalizations with many exceptions, let's look at a few specific examples of aromas commonly associated with popular wine-grape varieties.

The aroma of Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, is classically associated with "cassis," or black currant liqueur, sometimes with back notes of cedar (in Bordeaux) or eucalyptus (in Northern California). Some add hints of green olives, green peppers, tobacco leaves or grass. Extended bottle aging may lend a toasty quality and impart earthy scents as variable as mushrooms, old leather, roses and wildflowers.

Merlot, often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, typically presents an aroma of black cherries on its own. West Coast Merlots aged in new oak barrels may add hints of chocolate and vanilla, creating a wine that almost gives the impression of a sundae in a wine glass.

Zinfandel's trademark scent is raspberry and blackberry. Pinot Noir at its best can be so complex as to defy definition, but the list starts with cherries and subtle, pleasant hints of earth, roses and spice, with a texture that invites comparison to velvet.

A fragrant floral scent of freshly ground black pepper signals Syrah, the No. 1 grape of the Northern Rhone valley in France.

Chardonnay in its natural state recalls crisp, ripe apples, figs, pineapple and tropical fruits. It may add rich notes of butter or coconut if it's aged in oak.

Riesling, the king of German grapes, starts with apples, too, adding elements of mango, pine and even citrus fruit.

Sauvignon Blanc may be grassy and herbal or citric and grapefruity, depending on the amount of sunlight it receives in the vineyard.

Chenin Blanc evokes melons, sometimes with a touch of orange blossom. A sultry smell of peaches identifies Muscat; the hard-to-prounounce Gewurztraminer shows aromas of grapefruit and Chinese litchee nuts.

This month's tasting (see below) features a California Sauvignon Blanc so consciously made to heighten citrus flavors that it's named "Pomelo," and features a bright drawing of three of the oversize Southeast Asian citrus on the label. Tangy and fresh, it's a very good bargain wine at just under $10.

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Today's Tasting Report

Mason Cellars 2008 "Pomelo" California Sauvignon Blanc ($9.99)

A distinct white-grapefruit aroma distinguishes this pale, brass-color wine. Its mouth-filling flavor offers a mouth-watering blend of grapefruit, lemon-lime and bitter-orange. Crisp acidity cloaks a hint of sweetness, and it finishes tart, citric and dry.

FOOD MATCH: It made an excellent match with a turkey and fruit salad with a whiff of curry. Its food-friendly citrus flavors and fruit-acid balance should make it versatile at the table with roast poultry, shellfish or pork.

WEB LINK: Pomelo is made by Mason Cellars in Yountville, Calif., with its tasting room in the village of Napa. Here's a link to the winery's Pomelo fact sheet:
http://www.masoncellars.com/ourwines_sauvignon_pom.asp

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Mason Cellars' Pomelo on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Pomelo/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP

The winery Website offers a list of U.S. distributors by state at this link:
http://www.masoncellars.com/distributors.asp

There's also an online store offering Pomelo direct from the winery for $10 plus shipping where the law allows:
http://www.masoncellars.com/store_wine.asp

Today's Sponsor

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And if you're in the wine trade, you can join the Vibrant Rioja Trade Community! You will also have the chance to win a trip to Rioja as well as receive invitations to seminars and tastings, Rioja images and POS, newsletters that are aimed at helping you build your business, merchandising materials and much more! Just click here to get started.

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Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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A Sonoma County, California winery owned and operated by wine maker Chris Bilbro and his family since 1979, Marietta makes varietal Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah and oak-aged blends called Angeli Cuvée and Emilia's Cuvée.

Most thrifty wine lovers, though, may know Marietta best for its Old Vine Red, a Zinfandel-dominant modern model of an old-style California field blend, wines made from gnarled old grapevines - typically Zin, Carignan, Petite Sirah and others - planted hodgepodge in a single vineyard.

Marietta Old Vine Red is non-vintage, designated by Lot Numbers rather than harvest years; and I'm pretty sure I can remember it back when the lot numbers were still in single digits. Now No. 50 has been released from the winery, while No. 49 - reported here today - was released in April 2009 and is widely available at retail in the $10 to $12 range in most markets.

The winery no longer clearly discloses the varietal blend on the label or Website, as far as I can see, but chances are it hasn't changed much since Lot No. 31, which I reported in July 2003 and which was 60 percent Zinfandel, 25 percent Carignane, 10 percent Petite Sirah and 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, all grown in old-vine patches in several California regions. Lot No. 49, the winery says, is grown in Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

Not a wine meant for aging, it's best drunk up within two or three years after the vintage while its very berry fruity flavors are fresh. But it's a fine value, and a particularly good match with meats from the grill, burgers, chili and other simple fare.

Marietta Cellars "Old Vine Red" Lot 49 California Red Wine ($11.99)

Very dark reddish purple, with a garnet edge against bright light. Berry fruit and spice, full and intense. A mouthful of dark berry fruit, structured with fresh-fruit acidity and a firm backbone that suggests a little more alcohol than the 13.5% that the label reports. Predominantly Zinfandel, it's made to replicate field blends of old vineyards in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties, the back label says. (Sept. 26, 2009)

FOOD MATCH: Fine with a spicy Midwestern-style beef chili.

WEB LINK: Here's a link to the winery Website, bypassing the Flash intro and going straight to the content:
http://www.mariettacellars.com/hidden/welcome/
For a quick overview of Lot 49 Red, see this link:
http://www.mariettawines.com/wines/wine_redlot.html

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look for vendors and compare prices for Marietta Old Vine Red Lot 49 on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Marietta%2bOld%2bVine%2b49/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP

The winery's online store offers other Marietta brands, but they don't sell Old Vine Red online, in order to maximize availability at local retail. To see other brands, click here:
http://www.mariettacellars.com/store/

To find distributors by state (and a few Canadian provinces) for Marietta Old Vines Red, try this winery Website link:
http://www.mariettacellars.com/distributors/

Today's Sponsor

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Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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There's still time to take advantage of The California Wine Club's $1 Shipping Sale!
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Discover the heart and soul of Rioja
Join the Vibrant Rioja Community for a chance to win a case of wine or a trip to Rioja, Spain.
Vibrant Rioja

I'm not talking about meat that has turned green in the back of the refrigerator here, and the correct answer is not the Portuguese Vinho Verde, although this Alvarinho-based quaffer that translates as "green wine" might just make the grade with a bowl of collards, kale or turnip greens.

For that summer favorite, basil pesto, though, the wine pretty much has to be Italian. And while the idea of a red wine may seem a little odd with the classic Genovese "paste" of fresh basil leaves, pine nuts and garlic pureed with olive oil, my extensive experiments with this family favorite keep bringing me back to Chianti and other Sangiovese-based Italian reds.

As I wrote in a Wine Advisor FoodLetter about pesto several years ago, "Maybe it's just a matter of mental association, but I find that simple pesto on pasta works fine with a crisp, fruity Italian red, a Chianti or Montepulciano for example. If you want a white, try it with a herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc."

I hope we'll have a couple more months before the inevitable first frost wipes out our basil plants, I thought it would be a good idea the other day to celebrate the remaining days of summer with a big batch of pesto. Soon a couple of steaming bowls of pesto-coated fettuccine graced the table, and I pulled the cork from a Tuscan red, Baracchi 2007 "Smeriglio," a 100 percent Sangiovese, aged in French oak, from the relatively new Cortona DOC in Eastern Tuscany.

As pesto almost always seem to do with Tuscan reds, the flavors worked. Something about the spicy, faintly licorice back note from the basil, the aromatic garlic and, not least, the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese made a natural match with the earthy, acidic black-cherry character of the Sangiovese.

White wine might seem more intuitive for a leafy dish like pesto, but I've tried it so many times with Chianti and other Tuscan reds that it's hard for me to make any other choice.

The wine, a recent selection from California Wine Club's International Selections, is reviewed below.

Today's Sponsors

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Visit www.cawineclub.com to find your favorites, or call The California Wine Club at 1-800-777-4443 and ask for a recommendation!

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Discover the heart and soul of one of the world's greatest wine regions - Rioja

How would you like to discover the land of a thousand wines? How about uncovering the heart and soul of one of the world's greatest wine regions? Vibrant Rioja is giving you the chance to win the experience of a lifetime - a trip to Rioja, Spain, and all you have to do is join the Vibrant Rioja Community. Oh! and you'll receive our newsletters, which will keep you informed of our tastings, events, delicious recipes, tasting notes and much, much more! Just click here to get started: Vibrant Rioja!

And if you're in the wine trade, you can join the Vibrant Rioja Trade Community! You will also have the chance to win a trip to Rioja as well as receive invitations to seminars and tastings, Rioja images and POS, newsletters that are aimed at helping you build your business, merchandising materials and much more! Just click here to get started.

In the meantime, visit VibrantRioja.com and learn more about Rioja, its grapes, climate, terroir, architecture culture, gastronomy and more! Remember, the trip of a lifetime is only a click away! Salud! Vibrant Rioja!

Today's Tasting Report

Baracchi 2007 "Smeriglio" Cortona Sangiovese

This 100 percent Sangiovese comes from Cortona, a relatively new wine region on the eastern edge of Tuscany, adjoining Umbria near Lake Trasimeno. Although it contains no Cabernet or Merlot, it qualifies as a "Super Tuscan" on the basis of its barrel aging, which occurs in new French barriques. The flavors strike me as all-Italian, though: This dark-garnet wine offers up typical Sangiovese black cherries and dried fruit. Good cherry-berry flavors are well balanced with food-friendly acidity and soft but persistent tannic astringency that makes it a good candidate for cellaring, though it's fine now with food. U.S. importer: Siena Imports Inc., San Francisco, for California Wine Club's International Selections. (Sept. 17, 2009)

FOOD MATCH: In the food matching experiment featured this week, its black cherry and dried-fruit flavors went surprisingly well with garlicky fresh basil pesto. Of course it would also make a first-rate, and more traditional, match with steaks char-grilled rare in the Florentine style.

WEB LINK: The Baracchi winery publishes its Web page in Italian and English. Here's a link to the English home page. For more about Smeriglio, click "The wines" at lower left, then select "Smeriglio Sangiovese" or other wines of interest.
http://www.baracchiwinery.com

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Wine-Searcher.com shows no current listings for Barrachi wines, but you'll find an informational listing at this link:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/merchant/16187?referring_site=WLP

The winery Website offers international shipping, which may be attractive in Europe, but shipping costs and strict import regulations may make this problematical for U.S. buyers.

Best bet: Purchase it as a member of California Wine Club's International Selections, where it is currently available for $31, $10 off the $41 retail price. For more information see its listing at
http://www.cawineclub.com/Azienda-Agricola-Baracchi-2007-Smeriglio-DOC-Cortona-Sangiovese_PD710:cPath-3.html

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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Buy The Psychology of Wine: Truth and Beauty by the Glass through our Amazon.com link for $32.36, a 28 percent discount from the $44.95 list price.

But then I saw the advertising card dangling proudly below the display bottle, bragging about the wine's 90-point rating from Robert M. Parker Jr.'s Wine Advocate.

Well, excuuuuuse me! Call me an exception to the rule that high scores sell wine, but I've never been an enthusiastic, er, advocate for rating wine by the numbers.

I'm not so smitten by the purported romance of wine that I can't get used to screwcaps or even good wine dispensed from a box, when product quality and value make the sale.

But reducing wine to numbers turns it from a joy for the senses into something more like chemistry for me. Moreover - although there are some exceptions to this rule - my tastes generally depart from the Parker and Wine Spectator crowd to the extent that their highly rated wines scream "Danger, Will Robinson!" to me.

Show me a 90-plus rating, and I'll expect to find a big, alcoholic, fruit-forward and oak-laden blockbuster wine in the bottle. The more subtle, earthy and food-friendly wines that I love tend to grab scores in the 80s from the usual suspects, and that's fine with me. It keeps the points-chasers from grabbing up "my" wine.

So the other day, while browsing through a recently arrived wine book of unusual intelligence and charm, I was delighted to discover that the authors - the Australian father-and-son team of Evan and Brian Mitchell - don't think much more of rating by the numbers than I do.

I'll review their new book, The Psychology of Wine: Truth and Beauty by the Glass (pictured above), in more detail before the holiday book-buying season.

But on today's point, I thought you'd enjoy this excerpt, which shows an eclectic, idiosyncratic approach to the world of wine that's a long stretch from the usual recitation of appellations and varieties and vinification and terroir. In a world of books about wine science, it's a book for liberal arts majors, and that's me.

Here's what the Mitchells have to say about points. What do you think?

"It's a shame today that scores rule the way they do. Taking wine instruction "by the numbers," so to speak, is a dry and didactic kind of learning. There's little soul in it. Taking wine instruction rather from an expert's detailed tasting notes is akin to the method of the Socratic dialogues, the 'maiuetic' method of teaching, described by the philosopher Simon Blackburn as 'the method of the midwife, merely assisting [them] to give birth to their own understanding.' ...

"Still, scores will endure because most people would riot if they were taken away. Well, perhaps not riot, but they would abandon in droves those publications that so dared, until a new breed of number-crunchers arose to fill the vacuum that nature abhors."

Hmm. "Abandon in droves"? In quite a few years of writing about wine, I've generally avoided points scores. Perhaps that's why I am not rich.

But you have to admire, if not embrace, a wine book that in a single long paragraph invokes Socrates, the philosopher Simon Blackburn and "maiuetic" teaching ... yet remains immensely readable.

It's not a book for everyone, and it's not inexpensive even with the Amazon.com discount. But I'm finding it irresistible, at least in small, daily doses, not unlike a ritual glass of wine. If you think it's your style - perhaps you took up English Lit, or maybe Philosophy, in college - then I recommend it.

The Psychology of Wine: Truth and Beauty by the Glass is available through our Amazon.com link for $32.36, a 28 percent discount from the $44.95 list price.

Click to view details or order from Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0313376506/robingarrswineloA/
As always, purchases made by using this exact link will return a small commission to WineLoversPage.com, helping us maintain our online publications (and this E-letter) without charge.

Still wondering about that Southern Italian red? I expressed concern to John Johnson, the genial proprietor of my neighborhood wine shop, The Wine Rack in Louisville, and he reassured me. Sure enough, it's one of those exceptions that "proves" a rule: Although it's as nearly opaque as you'd expect from a 90-pointer, its fruit, licorice and subtle earthy flavors are intriguing but subtly balanced, with alcohol held to a very rational 13 percent. Good, mouth-watering acidity and soft tannins make it a fine food wine. I'd give it a 90 myself, if I gave out numbers.

Today's Tasting Report

Fidelis 2005 Aglianico del Taburno ($14.99)

A blend of 90% Aglianico with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon and a dash of Merlot, produced by Cantina del Taburno, this is a clear, very dark blackish-purple wine showing almost a patent-leather look in the glass. Pleasant aromas blend black cherry and a scent somewhere between fennel and licorice on the aroma scale. Ripe cherry-berry fruit and subtle earthiness is well balanced by tart, food-friendly acidity, with soft tannins adding a touch of astringency in the long finish. Very good wine and a good value, showing good balance and complexity. U.S. importer: Vintner Select, Mason, Ohio. (Sept. 9, 2009)

FOOD MATCH: This balanced, acidic red met its natural match in a locally produced rib eye steak, pepper-crusted and medium rare, natural grass-fed beef from Dreamcatcher Farm in Kentucky. Showing its versatility, the leftovers went very well indeed with fried chicken for lunch a couple of days later.

WEB LINK: One of its U.S. importers has a detailed fact sheet about Cantina del Taburno on this page, from which you can find a link to the Taburno Aglianico and other wines.
http://www.skurnikwines.com/
prospects.cgi?rm=view_prospect_detail&prospect_id=395

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look for vendors and compare prices for Fidelis Aglianico del Taburno on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Fidelis%2bTaburno/-/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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The California Wine Club: Save up to 66% and get $1 Shipping!
The California Wine Club's last Wine Sale of the year is here, and it's a big one.
The California Wine Club

With the limited exception of sulfite-sensitive asthmatics, who must avoid sausages, pickles and many other good things in addition to wine, most of us needn't worry about it. If you get a headache or a stuffy nose after drinking wine, you may be allergic to something - very likely the histamines in some red wines, or in the case of hangovers, simple over-indulgence. But it's not the sulfites.

But the scary warning label, added to wine by government fiat as recently as the 1990s, prompts reactions that range from wary to hysterical among some wine consumers. So at least a few producers, not loath to latch on to a concept that sells, produce wines with no added sulfites.

Note that word "added": Wine with zero sulfites is an unlikely thing, because they are a natural product of fermentation, naturally created when the wine is made.

Accordingly, under new regulations for organic-wine labeling - featured in the July 24, 2009 30 Second Wine Advisor, Organic Labeling ... or not? - wine may be labeled "no sulfites" if the winery provides federal regulators an analysis from a certified laboratory showing "none detectable" at the parts per million level. The feds also must approve specific label art and wording in an effort to ensure that consumers aren't misled.

Those regs now limit the unmodified word "organic" to wine made from organically grown grapes and containing no added sulfites.

So say hello to Nevada County Wine Guild's "Our Daily Red" California Table Wine, which in the 2008 edition meets these strict standards. It's labeled "Organic No Sulfites Detected," "Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers," bears the "USDA/Organic logo" and, in a burst of healthy enthusiasm, adds "Vegan friendly," apparently a guarantee that no animal products (including egg whites) were used in making the wine.

I've been dubious about un-sulfited wines because of the apparent risk of bacterial contamination in wines intentionally made without preservatives. Our Daily Red counters, though, with a sturdy metal screw cap, which to its credit creates a more sterile environment in the bottle than the traditional natural cork. This wine, reviewed below, tasted fresh and clean, with no early signs of deterioration.

We're featuring organic and biodynamic wines this month in Wine Focus on our WineLovers Discussion Groups. I hope you'll accept my invitation to post online your tasting reports, comments and questions about your favorites in this category. You'll find Wine Focus in our WineLovers Discussion Groups at this link:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewforum.php?f=18

The discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D".

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

Today's Sponsor

The California Wine Club: Save up to 66% and get $1 Shipping!

The California Wine Club's last Wine Sale of the year is here, and it's a big one! You'll save up to 66% off normal retail prices PLUS every case ships for just $1.

Choose from hundreds of award-winning, limited production wines from the best of California's artisan wineries. Visit www.cawineclub.com or call 1-800-777-4443.

Half, full and mixed cases are okay. The sale ends Sept. 30, 2009, but order early for the best selection.

Since 1990 The California Wine Club has introduced wine lovers to limited-production wines from real, working wineries. Every wine featured is guaranteed and there is never any bulk, closeout or private label wines.

Visit www.cawineclub.com or call 1-800-777-4443 to learn more.

Today's Tasting Report

Our Daily Red 2008 California Table Wine ($8.99)

Labeled "Organic No Sulfites Detected," this blend of Fresno Syrah and Carignan with Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon is a very dark blackish-purple wine with a garnet edge. Cherry-berry fruit, very ripe and fresh on the nose, a hint of kirsch cherry liqueur and pleasant red-clay earthiness. Ripe, juicy red-fruit flavors are shaped by tart, food-friendly acidity. Clean and surprisingly complex, one heck of a value for an under-$10 red. I might be wary of the no-sulfites claim, sulfites being an effective and natural preservative, but with the sturdy medal screwcap to keep things sanitary, this young wine is showing no signs of oxidation or bacterial activity. (Sept. 3, 2009)

FOOD MATCH: The wine is billed as "vegan friendly," a reassurance to vegetarians and vegans that it was made with no contact with animal materials, including the egg whites often used for natural "fining" (clarification) in wines. Still, as a tart, fruity and earthy red, it's a natural match with carnivorous fare, and made a fine companion with an offbeat summer casserole of fresh tomatoes and onions with Cheddar cheese and a few chunks of Mingua beef jerky, a local artisan product, over Weisenberger Mill Kentucky grits.

WEB LINK: The winery Website carries considerable information about Nevada County Wine Guild and its wines:
http://ourdailyred.com
For a quick summary and tutorial with the winery's take on organics and sulfites, see the links from this page:
http://ourdailyred.com/index.php?
option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=38&Itemid=48

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look for vendors and compare prices for Our Daily Red on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Our%2bDaily%2bRed/-/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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Discover the heart and soul of Rioja
Join the Vibrant Rioja Community for a chance to win a case of wine or a trip to Rioja, Spain.
Vibrant Rioja

This handy little book, which crams small-print info on thousands of wines and wineries into its pocket-size dimensions, was already in its third or fourth edition when I started writing about wine for the old Louisville Times in the early 1980s. I bought one, devoured it, and have been getting every annual edition ever since.

The other day Johnson's 33rd edition arrived in my mailbox, and it will still fit into a pocket, although it might need a larger pocket than those early editions did. At 320 fully-packed pages, it might be a better fit for a cargo pocket than a golf shirt.

It's still portable enough to carry with you into the wine shop or restaurant, though, and that remains what it's all about: Just about any wine you'll encounter is in here, sorted by wine region and ready for quick reference including a brief description, rating (no fancy 100-point stuff, just a useful one to four stars), and Johnson's estimate as to which vintages are best and when it will be ready to drink. He hasn't reached China or India as yet, but just about every other wine-producing nation is featured, right down to England and Wales and Eastern Europe.

Whether you're using it as a wine-buying guide or simply a quick reference when you have a question about wine, Johnson's Pocket Wine Book is an easy choice, whether it's one of hundreds of books in your wine library or the only book in your wine library.

Available through our Amazon.com link for just $10.19, a 32 percent discount from the $14.95 list price, it costs no more than a very modest bottle of wine.

Click to view details or order from Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1845335295/robingarrswineloA/
As always, purchases made by using this exact link will return a small commission to WineLoversPage.com, helping us maintain our online publications (and this E-letter) without charge.

As a quick sample, let's see what Johnson has to say about Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine, featured in this week's tasting report.

He rates it in a range from one star ("plain, everyday quality") to three stars ("well-known, highly reputed"). Under "Muscadet," he categorizes it as a Loire Valley white to be drunk as young as possible, declaring it "Popular, good value, often delicious bone-dry wine from near Nantes. Should never be sharp, but should always be refreshing. Perfect with fish and seafood."

Under Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine, which he calls "largest and best of Muscadet's delimited zones," he calls it "a safe bet," listing among top producers Guy Bossard (Dom de l'Ecu), Barnard Chereau, Bruno Cormeral, Michel Delhommeau, Douillard, Gadais, Dom de la Haute Fevrie, Joseph Landron, Luneau-Papin, Louis Métareau, and Sauvion, producer of our featured wine (see below). He lists all vintages between 2001 and 2008 as good and currently drinkable, and adds that wines from the named properties can "age beautifully." He suggests trying 1986 or 1989 ... if you can find them.

To be nitpicky, he doesn't mention the rather offbeat grape variety used in Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne), and it's also omitted from his list of varieties elsewhere. Nor does he get into the "sur lie" process of aging the wine on its yeast sediment that adds character to many Muscadets, although a brief summary of this process can be found - if you know to look for it - under "S" in the "France" chapter. But for a quick overview, vintage and aging information and simple rating, this pocket book is hard to beat.

Today's Sponsor

Discover the heart and soul of one of the world's greatest wine regions - Rioja

How would you like to discover the land of a thousand wines? How about uncovering the heart and soul of one of the world's greatest wine regions? Vibrant Rioja is giving you the chance to win the experience of a lifetime - a trip to Rioja, Spain, and all you have to do is join the Vibrant Rioja Community. Oh! and you'll receive our newsletters, which will keep you informed of our tastings, events, delicious recipes, tasting notes and much, much more! Just click here to get started: Vibrant Rioja!

And if you're in the wine trade, you can join the Vibrant Rioja Trade Community! You will also have the chance to win a trip to Rioja as well as receive invitations to seminars and tastings, Rioja images and POS, newsletters that are aimed at helping you build your business, merchandising materials and much more! Just click here to get started.

In the meantime, visit VibrantRioja.com and learn more about Rioja, its grapes, climate, terroir, architecture culture, gastronomy and more! Remember, the trip of a lifetime is only a click away! Salud! Vibrant Rioja!

Today's Tasting Report

Sauvion 2007 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine ($9.99)

Transparent light straw color. Good, typical scents of light honeydew melon and a touch of rising bread dough. Fresh and crisp on the palate, light white fruit and mouth-watering acidity; a touch of "stony" minerality sings harmony with the delicate fruit. Simple, fresh, needs time to develop the complexity of top Muscadets, but it's a tasty summer white now, good with food, and an exceptional value at the $10 point. U.S. importer: W.J. Deutsch & Sons Ltd., Harrison, N.Y. (July 6, 2009)

FOOD MATCH: Although made for seafood and fish, it's a good match with chicken or pork, and went very well indeed with a Stone Cross Farm Kentucky natural pork chop with fresh Roma beans and new potatoes..

WEB LINK: Here's a brief importer's fact sheet on Sauvion Muscadet:
http://www.wjdeutsch.com/channels/WinePortfolio/Sauvion/Wines/sauv_muscadet.aspx

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look for vendors and compare prices for Sauvion Muscadet on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Sauvion%2bMuscadet/-/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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Finally! Access To Napa Valley's Most Prestigious Aged Cabernet Sauvignons
Experience aged Cabernets from top Napa producers like Joseph Phelps, Mayacamas, Heitz, Clos du Val, Chappellet and many more.
Aged Cabernet Series

Still, every rule has its exception, and Chardonnay is no exception to this rule. I've always found my head easily turned by White Burgundy, for example, which is 100 percent Chardonnay of course. But cheap Chardonnay? There's a category that's easy to diss. Too often greedily over-cropped and industrially made, low-end Chardonnay - even from France - comes up short on flavor, length and character.

I said "often." I didn't say "always."

Today let's hail an offbeat Chardonnay that's a long stretch from the typical style. Ripe, juicy and luscious, so fruity and aromatic that it conveys a distinct impression of sweetness, Domaine Lafage's "Novellum" Chardonnay is an approachable outlier that sells in the recession-busting range of $10 to $12 in most markets.

Made by young Languedoc wine maker Jean Marc Lafage and exported to the U.S. by the reliable Eric Solomon, the wine bears only the basics on its simple front label: The word "Novellum" is centered over a large capital "N," with "2008 Chardonnay" added almost as an afterthought. You have to turn the bottle around to learn that it's made by Lafage and comes from the Cotes Catalanes ("Catalan hillsides"), a hot, arid region where the Pyrenees drop down to the Mediterranean coast where France meets Spain.

The Latin name "Novellum" echoes "Nouveau" ("new"), and the recent vintage suggests a wine that saw little delay between the vineyard and the bottle. Certainly it's fresh and bright. The wine sees a bit of oak (30 percent of it ages briefly in new barrels, the rest staying in stainless steel). But the real oddity comes when the new wine is aged on the "lees" of previously fermented Viognier for three months, imparting a luscious floral character that's different from just about any Chardonnay you've tasted.

If you aren't worried about wine in an offbeat style, this one's a fine value at the price. As the name "Novellum" suggests, it's best drunk up young and fresh. My tasting notes are below.

Today's Sponsor

Finally! Access To Napa Valley's Most Prestigious Aged Cabernet Sauvignons

Experience aged Cabernets from top Napa producers like Joseph Phelps, Mayacamas, Heitz, Clos du Val, Chappellet and many more.

Aged Cabernet is the ultimate reward of fine viticulture, deft winemaking and years of patience. Years in the cellar transform a finely made, boisterous young Cabernet into a magical mix of rich texture, multi-layered flavors and complex nuances of oak and tannin.

Introducing The Aged Cabernet Series. This exciting new club delivers premium Napa Valley Cabernets 10 to 15 years old, with our guarantee of quality, and your enjoyment.

Each month members will receive two different bottles of 10-15 year old Napa Valley Cabernet, aged in stringent temperature-controlled conditions and ready to drink now. Members may choose to receive shipments monthly, every other month or quarterly. Cost will average $150-$235 per shipment, every wine is 100% guaranteed and a discount of 20% is available on reorders (limited to 6 bottles per member).

Experience the luxury of aged Napa Valley Cabernets with The Aged Cabernet Series.

Call 1-800-777-4443 to learn more or visit www.cawineclub.com/aged-cabernet-series

Today's Tasting Report

Maison Lafage 2008 "Novellum" Chardonnay Vin de Pays Cotes Catalanes ($12.99)

Odd but interesting wine. A floral note plays counterpoint to abundant fresh-apple fruit, so fruity and textured that it almost seems sweet, although sufficient acidity keeps it reasonable with food. Definitely slurpy, relatively light in alcohol at 11.5%. U.S. importer: European Cellars LLC, Charlotte, N.C., an Eric Solomon selection. (July 28, 2009)

FOOD MATCH: Its fruity character made it a fine match with a local, natural pork chop braised with onions and garlic.

WEB LINK: Here's a link to the importer's short fact sheet on Domaine Lafage, but I can't find specifics about the Novellum:
http://www.europeancellars.com/portfolio_region.cfm?producer=82®ion=1

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
You'll find a few vendors for Lafage Novellum Chardonnay on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Lafage%2bNovellum/-/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP

For U.S. distributors by state, see the importer's Website,
http://www.europeancellars.com/distributors.cfm

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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Pour Confidently With The California Wine Club!
The California Wine Club guarantees every wine featured because it does what other wine clubs do not.
The California Wine Club

Last autumn, the subject du jour was wine in Tetra Pak, the flexible, soft-sided plastic-lined cardboard box that has long been used for fruit juice.

Now, reports The Los Angeles Times in today's editions, here comes the 1-liter plastic wine bottle, a packaging format similar to the familiar big bottles used for Coke and other soft drinks.

"Plastic bottles reshaping the wine trade: A growing number of restaurants and retailers are carrying the containers, which could lead to lower prices," read the headline on The Times' story by Jerry Hirsch, which lead with the provocative question, "How about a bottle of the '02 Chateau Plastique?"

Like the other alternative-packaging formats mentioned, industry experts quoted agreed that plastic bottles won't work well for fine wines intended for long-term cellaring. Those fearing that great Burgundy or high-end California Cabernet may start turning up in Coke-bottle format can probably rest easy.

But more than 95 percent of all the wine sold in the world is meant to be drunk up young and fresh. With a growing focus on environmental concerns and rising fuel costs, any reasonable alternative that can get wine to the customer with a smaller carbon footprint is likely to gain traction.

According to The Times' article, the plastic bottles are made with an additional plastic layer designed to keep oxygen from permeating the container and damaging the wine. But - not unlike the Coke bottles - it can't guarantee the airtight quality of glass. So the bottles, at least for now, will be printed with a "use by" date.

Think it couldn't happen? Bear in mind that it's been barely a decade since the idea of putting a metal screw cap on fine wine was such a wacky idea that it inspired "gee whiz" news reports ... like this one.

Want to read the full L.A. Times story? Click this link.

Wine Focus for August: Grill, smoke, BBQ and wine

The title says it all: This month in our WineLovers Discussion Groups, we're focusing on wines to go with food from the barbie, the smoker, the Weber, the grill. Feel free to discuss various American barbecue styles and sauces and their relative merits with wine as opposed to cold beer in longneck bottles or icy sweet tea.

I hope you'll join us in Wine Focus this month, posting online your tasting reports, comments and questions about your favorite beverages for grillin' and chillin'. You'll find Wine Focus in our WineLovers Discussion Groups at this link:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewforum.php?f=18
The discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D".

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

Today's Sponsor

Pour Confidently With The California Wine Club!

The California Wine Club guarantees every wine featured because it does what other wine clubs do not:

* Guarantees that every wine comes from a smaller, real-working winery.
* Visits each winery, gets to know the family and shares their stories with you.
* Tastes thousands of wines before choosing the best.
* Promises that every wine you receive is one you will pour with confidence.

Experience The California Wine Club for yourself! Each month includes two bottles of award-winning wine and detailed 12-page publication, Uncorked. Just $34.95 per month and you may choose to receive wines monthly, every other month or quarterly. Visit www.cawineclub.com to become a member now, or call 1-800-777-4443.

The California Wine Club takes the guesswork out of picking wine and delivers the best wine, every time! Makes a fun and unique gift too!

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

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De Long's Wine Maps and Wine Varietal Table
You'll love these beautiful, informative poster-size wine maps of California and Iberia, and the popular Wine Grape Varietal Table.
De Long's Wine Maps

This week, Vanguard Wines, a regional importer based in Northern Kentucky. held its annual Grand Portfolio Tasting here in Louisville at the oh-so-trendy 21c Museum Hotel. About 50 wineries presented tastes of a couple of hundred wines, and it was my pleasure to stop by for a taste.

It's a good opportunity to get a look at new wine releases that have just reached the marketplace or will do so in coming months; I'll share my brief tasting notes on a number of good ones below.

First, though, as I did on the occasion of this same tasting last year in "Tasting potpourri", The 30 Second Wine Advisor's July 30, 2008 edition, let's address an obvious question: Can you get into one of these tastings?

The answer is not so simple, and likely varies depending on the hosts and organizers and perhaps local law and custom.

Generally speaking, the purpose of a distributor portfolio tasting is to sell wine, and the primary guests are wine retailers and restaurateurs who will consider purchasing wines in quantity for their businesses. Wine writers are often invited - distributors rarely object to publicity - although it should be noted that I am under no obligation (and would not accept an obligation) to speak well of a wine I didn't enjoy.

But how about "civilians"? My best advice, if you are a regular customer and buy wine in reasonable amounts from a quality local wine shop, or if you're friendly with the sommelier or wine guy at a good restaurant that you patronize regularly and buy wines from the list, and ask if they can wangle an invitation to a tasting for you. Chances are, assuming you're a good customer, you can make it work. If you try it, good luck ... and let me know how you fare.

Here's a quick look, in short-form format, at 18 of my favorites among the many excellent wines sampled.

Au Bon Climat 2008 Santa Barbara Pinot Noir - Dark ruby. cherries and spice, fresh fruit and snappy acidity, an annual favorite, to be released in August.

Charles & Charles 2007 Columbia Valley Red - I had enjoyed a recent taste of wine maker Charles Bieler's Syrah rosé at a local restaurant recently and found it great value, and this Syrah-Cabernet blend looks like a value winner, too. Very dark, almost black, it's smooth and textured, cherry-berry fruit with sufficient acidity for structure.

Dashe Cellars 2007 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel - Beautiful, old-style Zin bramble fruit, raspberries and blackberries, juicy but no "fruit bomb." An exceptional Zin for those weary of the blockbuster style.

Lagier-Meredith 2006 Mount Veeder Syrah - Noted grape scientist Carole Meredith and her husband now make wine, and a splendid Syrah it is, a bright and floral California red that pays due homage to the Northern Rhone. Cherries and berries, textured and tannic, with good acidic balance.

Domaine Bott-Geyl 2007 Alsace Riesling "Les Elements" - Intense apple fruit framed by searing acidity, simple in its youth but showing great depth and aging potential.

Domaine Bott-Geyl 2005 Alsace Gewurztraminer Grand Cru "Sonnenglanz" - Litchees and grapefruit, subtle and complex. Sistinct sweetness nicely balanced by singing acidity, with a light, pleasant bitterness in the finish.

Mauro Veglio 2004 Barolo Castelletto - Very pretty scent, violets and red fruit, just a whiff of Nebbiolo "tar." Good, forward fruit flavor and a boatload of tannin show its youth. Enjoyable now with rare red meat, but could use cellar time.

Fattoria La Massa 2007 La Massa - A blend of 85% Sangiovese Grosso, 10% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, it's loaded with characteristic Sangiovese cherries and dried fruit, with bright acidity providing fine balance.

Fattoria La Massa 2006 Giorgio Primo - Blends 30% each of Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese plus a splash of Petite Verdot in an appealing, youthful Super Tuscan. Ripe cherry and kirsch are well structured with good acidic balance and firm tannins to suggest a few years' careful aging.

Selene 2008 Carneros Sauvignon Blanc - Cool climate Sauvignon, grassy and herbal, with just a touch of grapefruit. Mouth-watering acidity provides balance and food-friendliness.

Selene 2005 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - Dark in color. Good Cabernet blackcurrant adds a whiff of black olive. Excellent balance, with significant tannins suggesting an eight-year aging window. Ten percent Cabernet Franc in the blend.

Selene 2004 Chesler Napa Red - Named after wine maker Mia Klein's grandmother, who's shown water skiing as a young woman on the label, this fine blend incorporates 60% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. Classic blackcurrants and plums show a hint of black coffee in the background. Deep, balanced flavor, soft tannins; outstanding.

Domaine Serene 2006 Willamette Valley Cote Sud Vineyard Chardonnay - It was a pleasure to see wine maker Michelle Farkas on her annual visit to Louisville, and a round of excellent Serene wines started with this classy Chard made from the fruit of five Dijon clones. Baked apples and spicy oak come together well in a structured wine with good, mouth-watering acidity.

Domaine Serene 2006 Willamette Valley Evanstad Reserve Pinot Noir - Spicy cherries on the nose, bright wild cherry and spice with excellent acid balance on the palate. As typical of Domaine Serene, a splendid wine at the table.

Domaine Serene 2006 Willamette Valley Winery Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir - Subtle, complex red fruit, luscious cherries. Silken texture and beautiful balance, an Oregon Pinot with a distinctly Burgundian character.

Soter Vineyards 2007 Willamette Valley North Valley Pinot Noir - Appetizing cherry aroma and clean, juicy red-fruit flavor, rounded out by fresh-fruit acidity. Well-made, appealing Pinot.

Soter Vineyards 2006 Willamette Valley Mineral Springs Vineyard Pinot Noir - Fourteen months in barrel frame complex Pinot cherries with subtle oak in balance. Excellent Pinot.

Soter Vineyards 2005 Willamette Valley Brut Rosé - Available in September, this pretty light-rose wine pours up with a gentle fizz; pretty floral and berry flavors lead into a creamy, tart and subtle red-berry flavor. First-rate bubbly.

FIND THESE WINES ONLINE:
To locate these wines and others from these producers, enter winery name and variety into the search engine at Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com?referring_site=WLP

Today's Sponsor

De Long's Wine Maps and Wine Varietal Table

Wine Century Club founders Steve and Deborah De Long, who produce the popular Wine Grape Varietal Table, have now also published two beautiful, informative poster-size maps featuring the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and the entire state of California, depicting up-to-date information about wine regions in bright colors.

Each map measures 24 x 36 inches and is printed on heavyweight acid-free archival paper." They're rolled, not folded, for shipping in sturdy tubes. The maps are $29.95 each plus shipping. To view details and purchase online, click De Long's Wine Maps, and select the map or maps of your choice.

The Wine Grape Varietal Table is a wine reference disguised as a fine art print. It presents 184 of the world's favorite grapes organized by color, body and acidity, presented in a charming format that spoofs the Periodic Table of the Elements that many of us remember from our classroom walls. To review and purchase, click The Wine Grape Varietal Table and choose the Standard Edition ($25) or Deluxe Edition ($35 with 88-page index book).

Talk About Wine Online

If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village

Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.

Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.

To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.

Subscriptions and Administrivia

Unsubscribe:
We're sorry if you must leave us, but simply click the "unsubscribe"
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For information, E-mail