Give Dad finely crafted, hard-to-find wines from California’s best small family wineries. Special Offer: Get 3 months of award-winning wines for the price of 2 ... Just $104!* See details below.
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Let's celebrate the nearness of summer during a year in which many of us thought that spring would never arrive by focusing on pink wines for the month of June. It doesn't matter where it comes from, what variety it is or how it gets its color, if it's pink, rosé. saignée, blanc de noirs or whatever - even blush if that's your style.

You're welcome to join the wine enthustiasts in our WineLovers Discussion Group as we feature "Bouquet of Rosés" in our monthly Wine Focus feature this month. The discussion topic begins here.

All forum discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post your comments and participate actively in the conversation. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name as your public user name. To join the forum, drop me a note at wine@wineloverspage.com with your real name, preferred format and a temporary password, and I'll take care of the rest.

Today's Sponsor

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Give Dad finely crafted, hard-to-find wines from California’s best small family wineries.

Special Offer: Get 3 months of award-winning wines for the price of 2 ... Just $104!*

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For more than two decades, CWC proprietors Bruce and Pam Boring have traveled California's wine country searching for limited-production wines from small, family wineries dedicated to the art of making fine wine. Every bottle is guaranteed.

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*Price includes shipping and handling. Tax extra where applicable. Offer cannot be combined with any other promotion or discount and/or previously placed orders.

Today's Tasting Report

Domaine Lafond 2012 "Roc-Epine" Tavel ($19.99)

We jokingly call rosé wines in general "pink,” but this one really is, the clear, bright color of a fresh pink rose in bloom. A classic Rhône blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsaut and other regional varieties, it offers fresh and appealing scents of strawberries, raspberries and a hint of ripe summer watermelon. Crisp and full, juicy red-berry fruit framed by snappy acidity, a lot of red-wine character in a rosé. U.S. importer: Wines of France LLC, Mountainside, N.J. (June 6. 2013)

FOOD MATCH: Versatily and food-friendly, this pink wine would go nicely with fresh vegetable dishes, lighter cheeses, poultry, veal or pork. For us it made a fine companion with an early-summer dinner of cheesy cauliflower soup and avocado salad.

WHEN TO DRINK: Its good weight and full style, with the sturdy metal screw cap, suggests that this wine won't go around the bend in the next year or two. That said, though, rosé is not a wine for cellaring. Enjoy it while its young, crisp and fresh, then move on to the next vintage.

VALUE: Maybe I'm conservative, but $20 strikes me as a little over the top for a pink wine, even a fine Tavel. Wine-Searcher.com shows a $17 U.S. median price, with some vendors offering it in the lower teens. Those are the bargains to watch.

PRONUNCIATION:
Rosé = "Roh-zeh"
Tavel = "Tah-vehl

WEB LINK:
The wine fact page on Wine-Searcher.com offers information on Domaine Lafond 2012 "Roc-Epine" Tavel.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for Domaine Lafond 2012 "Roc-Epine" Tavel on Wine-Searcher.com.

Mas de Gourgonnier 2012 Les Baux de Provence Rosé ($17.99)

This delicious rosé from a respected organic producer in Provence is labeled "made with organically grown grapes, certified organic by Ecocert France SAS." Unlike Gourgonnier's flask-style red-wine package, the pink wine comes in a standard Bordeaux-style bottle. It's a pretty, transparent copper color. Appetizing, subtle red-berry aromas, raspberries and strawberries lead into a fresh, gently tart and appealing fresh-fruit flavor, berries and a snappy squirt of lime. We enjoyed this on a steamy late-spring evening with a bowl of fresh veggies simmered, then finished with a quick poach in good butter and olive oil. U.S. importer: Vintner Select, Mason, Ohio. (Feb. 1, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: A wonderful match with the bounty of summer vegetables that's starting to come in now, it was fine with a ragout of fresh veggies that included tiny new white creamer potatoes, yellow summer squash and zucchini parboiled, then finished with browned onions and crimini mushrooms for a quick poach in butter and olive oil.

WHEN TO DRINK: As above, it's got the body and character to hold up for a fiew years, but pink wine really calls for early quaffing while it's at its most young and fresh.

VALUE: Wine-Searcher.com shows a $15 U.S. median price, a fine bargain. My local $18 toll will pass for this fine rosé, but if you're in a competitive market or have access to wine shipping, go for the best price if you buy it by the case.

PRONUNCIATION:
Gourgonnier = "Goor-gun-yay"
Les Baux de Provence = "Lay Bo duh Pro-vahnss

WEB LINK:
Here's a little information and a buy link on the Website of New York City's Chambers Street Wines.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and locate vendors for Mas de Gourgonnier Les Baux de Provence Rosé on Wine-Searcher.com.

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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I get a lot of wine questions, and more than a small share of them fall into this general category. People want to know whether a glass of red wine will do as much dietary damage as a Quarter Pounder. (Answer: no). Or they hope a glass will make as light a snack as a few stalks of celery. (Well, no to that, too, unless you really load the celery up with Roquefort dressing or pimento cheese).

For many years, though, the wine industry has fought, kicked, screamed and held its breath until it turned blue against any suggestion of the government requiring nutritional or ingredient information through regulation.

Now, though (with a hat tip to The Wine Curmudgeon blog for digging this out), the U.S. Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has hit on a working compromise: Under a new rule issued May 28, wineries may optionally place the familiar nutritional analysis label (pictured above) on bottles of wine.

By avoiding a mandatory rule, TTB gets the labeling concept into the marketplace without massive industry resistance and, if it takes off with consumers, commercial pressure will likely make the labels univeral. Some key industry players are apparently pushing for it, The Wine Curmudgeon reports. Diageo North America, for instance, a giant drinks distributor, apparently led an industry coalition in its favor.

My guess is that the industry will wage continued war against ingredient labeling, which opens all sorts of new doors that many would rather keep shut, such as unveiling the use of acidifying or deacidifying materials, coloring compounds and other goodies that might reveal some wines aren't as "natural" as we want to believe.

But this is a good first step, and based on the numbers and frequency of wine nutrition questions that cross my desk, I expect it will be popular.

The new labels may start appearing soon, as TTB has issued a temporary rule spelling out details while regulators write the final rules. While you're waiting, though, here's some overview info from our WineLovers Questionary:

How many servings in a wine bottle?

If you're serving wine with dinner, you can get five generous (5-ounce) pours out of a "fifth" (750 ml) bottle. For a wine tasting, where people are taking smaller sips of several wines, count on at least a dozen 2-ounce tastes, or, if you're really stretching to share a taste of a prized wine with a large group of friends, perhaps 20 tiny tastes of a little over 1 ounce.

How many calories in wine?

Just because wine contains no fat or cholesterol, don't get the idea that you can drink a lot of it without showing the results on your waistline.

The exact calorie content of wine varies depending on both its alcohol and sugar content, so a strong, sweet wine like Port has a much higher calorie load than a dry table wine of normal strength. But you can assume that your 5-ounce glass of dry red or white table wine is likely to have 100 to 125 calories, while a rich dessert wine could go up to 150 calories or more for a smaller 3-ounce glass.

How many carbohydrates in wine?

If you're on a low-carbohydrate diet, you might want to take wine off your bill of fare for the duration.
Wine contains no fat and no protein, but just about all of its not-insignificant calorie content is in the form of carbohydrates and alcohol, which is metabolized much like a carbohydrate.

Wines vary substantially depending on their alcoholic content and whether they have residual sugar, but a 5-ounce glass of dry white table wine may have 1.0 to 1.25 grams of carbohydrates, while a similar portion of red may go up to 2.5 grams, and sweet wines with their high sugar content will have substantially more, up to the range of 10 grams in a 3-ounce serving of a strong dessert wine like Port.

Bear in mind that low-carbohydrate diets may reduce calories, but they do this by adding a frightening level of calories from fat to your daily intake. I suggest a good moderate lifestyle of sensible eating (including wine!) and exercise, and consult your physician for advice if you feel a need to diet.

Fascinating wine history book

In Divine Vintage: Following the Wine Trail from Genesis to the Modern Age, Master of Wine Joel Butler and bible scholar Randall Heskett explore the influence of wine on human society since the dawn of civilization, examining both the historical record and the arc of Western philosophy as reflected in their reading of biblical texts and other ancient writings about wine.

This is not a religious book but a cultural examination of how wine has figured in history and how bible stories from Noah's vineyard to Jesus' changing water into wine reflected the evolution of human understanding of wine and spirituality. It's a fascinating book for any wine lover, history buff or spiritually inclined person, and you don't have to be a seminarian or church-goer to enjoy it. It's highly accessible and of interest to anyone who seeks a literate romp through the history of ancient wine.

Order Divine Vintage: Following the Wine Trail from Genesis to the Modern Age from Amazon.com today for $18.87, a 30 percent saving from its $27 list price. The Kindle edition is available at the same link for $11.04.

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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Save up to 71% on handcrafted California wines! The California Wine Club is making room for new arrivals and giving you the chance to stock up on the award-winning wines they feature at fantastic savings. Their most popular selections are priced as low as $6.99 per bottle.
www.cawineclub.com

But this bad rap isn't exactly fair. First, focusing on real Champagne, the pricey, hand-made stuff from the French region of the same name, the relatively rare rosé style can be very good indeed, and high-budget to boot.

Blanc de Noirs Champagne - "white from blacks," which is generally closer to rosy pink than "white" - is usually made entirely from the great Pinot Noir grape, grown in Champagne's favorable conditions and made the old-fashioned way. It's a very special wine indeed. I'll never turn down a glass of Pol Roger Extra Cuvée de Reserve Brut Rosé Champagne, just to drop a name at random.

But a jug of Gallo's André California pink "Champagne"? Not so much. It's a bad example of a bad old practice, calling bubbly from other quarters "Champagne" in a marketing ploy to take improper advantage of the reputation that accompanies the fancy stuff.

This bad practice is gradually dying out, happily, although a few producers, mostly in California, won't give it up, and André and Korbel are among the persistent offenders. You'll see their pink wines widely advertised, especially around holiday time, but if you want my advice, I'd say steer well clear, unless you like the idea of a sweet, fizzy drink akin to a cheap "blush" wine with bubbles.

By and large, though, most modern producers properly declare themselves "sparkling" or "crémant" or "frizzante," or assert regional pride by emphasizing their own location (Italy's Franciacorta, for instance) or the grape variety (Prosecco) or both (Crémant de la Loire). If one of them offers a pink bubbly, chances are that it's well-made and enjoyable. Pinot Noir? Perhaps, or maybe a local grape. You can usually scope it out with an Internet search, or by simply asking a trusted wine merchant.

Today's featured wine is an offbeat pink bubbly indeed, a blend of Pinot Noir and the regional red grape Zweigelt from Austria's Niederösterreich. It's not made by the costly, hand-fashioned Champagne process. But it was delicious - clean, dry, crisp and fresh - and more than affordable in the middle teens. I liked it so much so that I ran back the day after my review tasting to buy another for my personal stash.

I think you'll enjoy it too. If you can't find the 2010 vintage around any more, look for the 2011 soon, or check the "Find this wine online" section in my tasting report, below.

Today's Sponsor

Cellar Clearance Wine Sale!

Save up to 71% on handcrafted California wines! The California Wine Club is making room for new arrivals and giving you the chance to stock up on the award-winning wines they feature at fantastic savings. Their most popular selections are priced as low as $6.99 per bottle.

These are artisan quality wines from California's best small family wineries - no "private labels" or bulk wine. The California Wine Club is your secret supplier of the hard-to-find labels that friends will envy and guests will love. You can be assured that each bottle they select comes from a dedicated, passionate, small family winery. The small wineries they feature craft some of the finest, award-winning vintages you'll ever taste--some of which are in such limited supply that they never make it outside their winery walls!

Every bottle is fully guaranteed. Don’t wait! Cellar Clearance Sale ends June 14, 2013, and the most popular selections will sell out.

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Today's Tasting Report

Markus Huber 2010 "Hugo" Niederösterreich Rosé Sparkling ($14.99)

Clear, bright salmon color, pours up with a rich, creamy, pale-pink head that falls back gradually leaving “lace” to coat the glass. Light red-berry aromas lead into a bone-dry, fizzy and tart flavor with a hint of white grapefruit, refreshing and palate-cleansing. Gentle 11.5% alcohol and food-friendly acidity make it an excellent table wine; its appetizing fizz and crisp, clean flavor makes it a fine aperitif. An Austrian blend of Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. U.S. importer: Circo Vino, Bensenville, Ill. (May 14, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: With fiery Asian fare, it's hard to find a better wine match than a good, modestly priced dry and crisp bubbly like this. It was excellent with a moderately spicy Thai-style dish of Penang curry with turnip, cabbage and chunks of broccoli stem with coconut milk and red curry spice.

WHEN TO DRINK: No rush, but I'd drink it up while it's young and fresh. My retailer mentioned that suppliers are running low on this 2010 vintage; watch for fresher vintages coming soon.

VALUE: A very good value at this price, which is right on the $15 U.S. median price reported on Wine-Searcher.com.

PRONUNCIATION:
Niederösterreich = "NEE-dehr-EST-ehr-rike"

WEB LINK:
This English-language file on the producer's Web page offers detailed information about the Hugo sparkling rosé.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for Hugo Sparkling Rosé on Wine-Searcher.com. For a list of importer Circo Vino's distributors in many states of the U.S., click here.

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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Give her a taste of California's wine country with a gift membership from The California Wine Club. Give Mom a 3-month gift membership and she'll get a fourth month on the house. Save $51.95!
www.cawineclub.com 1-800-777-4443

Sniff a good Chardonnay, and you'll likely get a fresh scent of green apples, perhaps kicked up with notes of citrus, figs, pineapple. Maybe with butter or vanilla added if the wine maker likes his oak. Those are good smells, yes. But in the realm of aromatics, Chardonnay ranks on the “non-aromatic” side of the ledger. If you want it in an aromatic style, you need to look at oak and malolactic fermentation and other winery tricks.

Now open up one of the aromatics: Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Viognier can fall into this category, just to list an alphabetical few. If the non-aromatic rewards sticking your nose into the glass, the aromatics will jump right out of the glass to yell “hello!”

Depending on the variety and its vinification, the aromatics may whomp you upside the head with emphatic whacks of fruit - peaches, grapefruit, musky melon, lichees, mangoes - or gardens of heady floral aromas from roses to gardenias to orange blossoms. Fresh-mown grass, dew-damp hay, pine needles, boxwood ... Honey and almonds, chestnuts ... And on it goes. They call these wines “aromatic” with good reason.

Wine Focus: Aromatic whites

You're welcome to join the wine enthustiasts in our WineLovers Discussion Group as we feature "Aromatic Whites" in our monthly Wine Focus feature for May. The subject is wide open, and the definition is up to you. Viognier and Muscat clearly make the cut as aromatics, and I think Gewurztraminer and its kin clearly qualify. Torrontes, Scheurebe, if it's "aromatic" to you, name it and bring it! The discussion topic begins here.

All forum discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post your comments and participate actively in the conversation. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name as your public user name. To join the forum, drop me a note at wine@wineloverspage.com with your real name, preferred format and a temporary password, and I'll take care of the rest.

Today's Sponsor

Doesn't Mom Deserve a Taste of the Good Life?

Give her a taste of California's wine country with a gift membership from The California Wine Club. They offer more than just great wine - they are a secret supplier of the hard-to-find labels that friends will envy and guests will love. Reds only, whites only, or a bottle of each, they customize each shipment to your liking and guarantee satisfaction.

Special Mother's Day offer: Give Mom a 3-month gift membership and she'll get a fourth month on the house. Save $51.95! If you give additional months, you'll save even more. See gift rates here.

You can be assured that each bottle they select comes from a dedicated, passionate, small family winery. The small wineries they feature craft some of the finest, award-winning vintages she'll ever taste--some of which are in such limited supply that they never make it outside their winery walls! They scour the state for exactly such finds, compare and taste each one, and bring only the best to members. And doesn't Mom deserve the very best?

www.cawineclub.com 1-800-777-4443

Today's Tasting Report

For today's tasting report I sampled a fun aromatic white from Southern Italy's Basilicata region, way down on the sole of the Italian boot. Kin to the Greco di Tufo of the Naples region, Greco gets its name from the tradition that its ancestors were brought over by the ancient Greeks more than 2,000 years ago.

This offbeat label, Poggio Anima “Gabriel,” is one of six made for-the-U.S Italian wines made in a joint venture between wine maker Riccardo Campinoti of Le Ragnaie in Montalcino and U.S. importer Vine Street Imports.

“Looking for balance in all things (including wine) is a vital quest for many. The Eastern ideaolgy of Yin Yang is the core of this ‘balance’ in the Poggio Anima concept,” according to the producer’s website.

“Fusing this Eastern belief with Western philosophy is apparent when you look at the contradiction of red and white (wines), good vs evil (demons vs angels) and modern ideas with old world winemaking practices (catchy, fun packaging with classic old world wine).

Accordingly, each Poggio Anima is named after a familiar angel or demon of ancient scriptures. "Asmodeus," is a Sicilian Nero d'Avola; "Belial," a Tuscan Sangiovese; "Lilith," a Basilicata Primitivo; "Samael," a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, and "Uriel," a Sicilian Grillo.

Today’s wine, Poggio Anima 2011 Basilicata Greco, is named “Gabriel” after an archangel important in Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition. Ripe and open scents of pears, figs and citrus qualify it as aromatic. Good, crisp acidity gives structure to its rich texture and yields a balanced, food friendly aromatic white that's a very good value in the middle teens.

Poggio Anima 2011 "Gabriel" Basilicata Greco ($13.99)

Transparent light gold, with a sprinkle of tiny bubbles on the glass. Fresh white-fruit aromatics, pears and green figs. Mouth-filling and textured, rich but dry and appropriately acidic with food-friendly 12.5@% alcohol. Ripe white fruit and a citric snap in a long, clean finish. U.S. importer: Vine Street Imports, Mt. Laurel, N.J. (April 30, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: I like aromatic whites with dishes kicked up to bold or spicy flavors. It made a fine match with crispy pan-fried tofu on a Thai-style red curry with green peppers, onions, garlic and ginger and just enough heat to get the endorphins working.

WHEN TO DRINK: Greco is generally thought of as a "drink-me-now" wine, and it will certainly reward opening while its white fruit aromatics are ripe and fresh. Its richness and balance, though, suggest that it might evolve in interesting directions with a few years' cellar time. If you like it, it wouldn't take a major investment to give it a try.

VALUE: Well worth a mid-teens retail price. My local price tag is a couple of dollars below the $16 U.S. median price reported on Wine-Searcher.com.

PRONUNCIATION:
Poggio Anima = "POHJ-joe Ah-nee-mah"
Basilicata = "Ba-SIHL-ee-CAH-tah"
Greco = "GREH-co"

WEB LINK:
Here's a link to the importer's page about the Poggio Anima line, with photo links to its six wines including the "Gabriel" Basilicata Greco.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Wine-Searcher.com shows only a few vendors for Poggio Anima "Gabriel" Basilicata Greco, but U.S. consumers can find distributors in most states on this interactive map from the importer.

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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You are invited to discover the hidden gems of California wine country, delivered right to your door. Get Your First 3 Months for $26/Month*. No membership fees and no commitment - just pay as you go. Not happy? Not stuck.
The California Wine Club.

Yes, I can hear some of you saying, "Wait! White wine does those things, too!" And so it does. Still, as the late, great British wine writer Harry Waugh famously said, "It's a wine's duty to be red," and if I forget that, my wife, who loves red wine even more than I do, is quick to remind me.

So when I walk into a wine store, whether it's my friendly neighborhood shop or even one of the world's top wine-geek destinations, I'll generally gravitate toward the reds.

Every now and then, though, I need a whack upside the head to remind me that white wine is good. Not merely good, but better for those occasions when the weather, my mood, or what's for dinner make a white the obvious choice. Most wine lovers start thinking about cool, refreshing whites when summer arrives in all its torrid heat.

But white wine has its place amid the flowers and showers of spring, too. Even a cool spring like we've been having around here this year offers a sudden bounty of fresh veggies on the table, and the delights of seasonal asparagus, pea pods and tiny peas, spinach and lettuces and more open up all sorts of delightful possibilities.

A wine's duty to be red? Not necessarily. Think white! For this week's tasting reports I've assembled a trio of particularly interesting whites from three different regions: The Rhône valley of Southern France; Austria's beautiful blue Danube; and Italy's Alpine Northeast. You'll find my tasting reports below.

Today's Sponsor

You are invited ...

22 years ago Bruce and Pam Boring decided to bring their love and knowledge of boutique California wineries, and the fine wines they craft, to the world. They founded The California Wine Club.

You are invited to discover the hidden gems of California wine country, delivered right to your door.

Each month features a new winery and includes:
* Two award-winning, handcrafted California wines.
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Today's Tasting Reports

M. Chapoutier 2011 "Belleruche" Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc ($13.99)

This white blend from France's Rhône valley is a clear light straw color. Delicious and complex, it brings everything I like in a white Rhône: The aromas start with subtle white fruit, pears mostly and a touch of apple, with an aromatic hint of beeswax. On the palate it's medium-bodied, clean and bright, juicy pear framed by bright acidity and a distinct back note of granite minerality, all shifting as you sip, swirl and contemplate; finishing with a palate-cleansing squirt of mixed citrus. U.S. importer: Terlato Imports, Lake Bluff, Ill. (April 11, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: A versatile food wine that would serve well with a range of fare from poultry or pork to freshwater fish, creamy cheeses or vegetable dishes. It was outstanding with a pasta course, fresh asparagus tips braised with browned onions and garlic tossed over spaghetti with a free-range egg and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

WHEN TO DRINK: Good now, and likely to remain fine over the next few years under good cellar conditions.

VALUE: This wine is an excellent bargain at this low-teens price, and an outstanding bargain in the $10-or-less range offered by some vendors on Wine-Searcher.com.

WEB LINK:
This link will take you to M. Chapoutier's English-language Belleruche blog.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and availability for M. Chapoutier "Belleruche" Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc on Wine-Searcher.com.

Huber 2011 "Terrassen" Traisental Riesling ($16.99)

From Traisental, on the south bank of the Danube River downstream from Austria's fabled Wachau region, this is a transparent straw color. Good fresh scent of peach and melon, aromatic and appealing. Its white-fruit flavor seems soft for just a second, but then tart, zippy acidity clicks in, followed by a distinct peach-pit bitterness. Interesting and complex, it's a bit on the acidic side for aperitif sipping, but is very fine with food, its aromatics dancing with the flavors of versatile pairings while the sharp acidity cleans the palate and wakes up your taste buds. U.S. importer: Circo Vino, Evanston, Ill. (April 25, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: It would be fine with freshwater fish, veal, pork or poultry, and it's a natural with fresh spring vegetables. I took advantage of Riesling's versatility with spicy fare and served it with a Thai-style red curry with five-spice tofu, snow peas, onions, ginger and garlic, coconut milk and mild Thai spice.

WHEN TO DRINK: Riesling holds up well under cellaring, and I wouldn't anticipate any issues with drinking this over the next five years.

VALUE: Definitely a fair value in the middle teens.

PRONUNCIATION:
Traisental = "TRY-zehn-tahl"

WEB LINK:
Weingut Huber offers this detailed fact sheet on the Traisental Riesling, which is accessible from a tiny QR code on the wine's back label. The U.S. importer also offers this good bio and information page on Markus Huber

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for Huber "Terrassen" Traisental Riesling on Wine-Searcher.com. Wine-Searcher finds relatively few vendors, but this page on the importer's Website can connect you with more.

Terlan 2011 Alto Adige Terlaner Classico ($16.99)

This rich white from Northeastern Italy's Alps is a transparent straw color. Attractive scents of white flowers and Meyer lemon lead into a textured, full flavor of pears and lemons and a whiff of pineapple, wrapped up in a rich but tart flavor with good fresh-fruit acidity perhaps cloaking a barely perceptible touch of sweetness. The very long finish is consistent with the initial flavor, adding just a touch of stony minerality as the flavors slowly fade. Wine evolves in the glass, ripe, juicy pears upstaging the floral and pineapple elements, and the minerality becoming more present. Complex and interesting, very nice, and well worth a mid to high teens price. U.S. importer: Banville & Jones Wine Merchants, North Bergen, N.J. (March 2, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: Good with poultry, pork or veal, hard cheeses and a range of spring veggies. It was excellent with a plant-based variation on spaghetti alla carbonara, pasta dressed in free-range eggs and Pecorino Romano, with crispy roasted skinny asparagus instead of the traditional pancetta or bacon.

WHEN TO DRINK: It's fine now, but the winery asserts a commitment to produce wines that will evolve well with cellaring. It should reward at least three or four years under good storage conditions.

VALUE: My local price is well in range for U.S. sources for Terlan Alto Adige Terlaner on Wine-Searcher.com It's a fine value for a rich white of this quality.

WEB LINK:
Click for a detailed spec sheet on Terlan Alto Adige Terlaner Available in English, Italian and German, this is a fine example of a well designed, info-rich winery website more focused on facts than advertising hype. Good work!

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Compare prices and find international sources for Terlan Alto Adige Terlaner on Wine-Searcher.com

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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There was considerable evidence for this. Pinot from California simply didn't taste the same, and most U.S. wine shops didn't even carry Pinot-based wines from anywhere else. What's more, it didn't seem to matter much, as American consumers could still afford Burgundy.

What a difference a generation makes! California seems to have mastered the art of Pinot, and some might argue that Oregon at its best surpasses even the Golden State. New Zealand is making outstanding Pinot. New York's Finger Lakes region and Ontario's Niagara Peninsula come in with winners. Northern Italy scores with some remarkable Pinot Nero, and Germany has entered plenty of contenders, some labeled Pinot and others translating it as Spätburgunder ("Late Burgundy"). Fine Pinot may be found from Australia and South Africa; even Chile and Argentina represent with some budget models. And Pinot has spread across France from its original home in Burgundy to Languedoc, Alsace and the Loire.

Burgundy? Sure, it's still good. Sadly, though, its history and acclaim have moved most top-tier Burgundy Pinot into the can't-afford-it category for most of us, leaving the field open to wealthy collectors. What's left in the affordable niche, from generic Bourgogne Pinot Noir to villages wines, can be good to very good, but no longer stands above the competition. There is a world of Pinot now, and for savvy wine lovers who care about our budgets, there's no longer any reason to rule out any source for consideration.

You're welcome to join the wine enthustiasts in our WineLovers Discussion Group as we feature "Pinot Noir from everywhere" in this month's Wine Focus. Check in with your thoughts, questions or tasting notes about all things Pinot. The discussion topic begins here.

All forum discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post your comments and participate actively in the conversation. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name as your public user name. To join the forum, drop me a note at wine@wineloverspage.com with your real name, preferred format and a temporary password, and I'll take care of the rest.

For my quick tasting reports on four affordable Pinot Noirs from around the world, including one from Burgundy, two from elsewhere in France and one from Australia's Tasmania region, see below.

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Today's Tasting Reports

The Seeker 2011 Pinot Noir Vin de Pays du Puy de Dôme ($11.99)

Clear ruby with a light edge. Dark cherries add a whiff of jammy berries on the nose. On the palate it's fresh black cherries, juicy and appealing, shaped by crisp, food-friendly acidity and an astringent edge of tannins. It's grown in the Auvergne, not an area known for "Burgundian" Pinot, but there is good varietal character here in a fresh, appetizing table wine at an attractive price. U.S. importer: Kobrand Corp., NYC. (Sept. 21, 2011)

FOOD MATCH: Excellent match with "The Forager," an 18-inch New York-style thin pizza from Louisville's Papalino's, topped with Capriole Farmstead Indiana goat cheese, Sheltowee Farm Kentucky mushrooms, caramelized onions, fresh thyme and white truffle oil.

WHEN TO DRINK: Fresh and clean under a Stelvin-style metal screw cap; it should fare well in the cellar or wine rack for a few years, but it's fine for drinking right now.

VALUE: This is about as good as Pinot Noir gets at the $12 price point. It's widely available, and worth checking Wine-Searcher.com, where pricing ranges from $10 to $17.

WEB LINK:
Here's the Pinot Noir page on The Seeker's Website. Frankly, it's more than a little promotional, but artful and entertaining nonetheless.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for The Seeker Pinot Noir on Wine-Searcher.com

Joseph Drouhin 2011 "Laforet" Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($17.99)

Garnet, with a clear edge. Simple but typical Pinot scent, ripe cherries, a whiff of roses, and a touch of tomato skin. Tart red fruit, zippy acidity and soft tannins. Food brings it around, but even at a traditional 12.5% alcohol, it's a bit rough-edged for sipping by itself. To be frank, when you're in the market for generic Burgundy for less than $20, you're not going to get a wine that makes you hear choirs of angels sing. Still, this one gives a sense of Burdundian Pinot and is certainly more than drinkable with dinner. U.S. importer: Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., NYC. (March 22, 2012)

FOOD MATCH: I fashioned a "Marco Polo" Italian-Asian fusion dish of snow peas, onions and green peppers in a lightly spicy roasted red pepper velouté over mezze rigatoni. It was decent, although its rough-hewn style might have found a better match with rare red meat or a fatty cheese. Indeed, it mellowed a bit with a taste of simple, buttery cheese.

WHEN TO DRINK: It will keep under good conditions for a year or three, but I wouldn't cellar it with any real hope for significant evolution over time.

VALUE: My local price is close to the median U.S. retail listed on Wine-Searcher.com, but comparison shopping may pay off, as some vintages in some locations go for considerably less. Frankly, although it's drinkable, the upper teens is pushing its quality-price ratio in a competitive market.

WEB LINK:
Here's the producer's fact sheet in English on the Laforet Pinot Noir.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for Drouhin Laforet Bourgogne Pinot on Wine-Searcher.com.

Pirie 2009 "South" Tasmania Pinot Noir ($29)

Dark purple with a clear garnet edge. Good black and red cherry aromas are joined by a hint of blackberries on the palate, very appealing balance of fresh but not overwhelming fruit with crisp and food-friendly acidity framed by soft tannins. Definitely a fruit-focused Pinot, but its cool weather origin keeps it from going down the blockbuster road, and that is a good thing. Stated alcohol content 13.5%. U.S. importer: American Estates Wines Inc., Philadelphia, for California Wine Club's International Selections

FOOD MATCH: Like all good Pinot Noir, this one is versatile with a range of fare, from red meat to grilled poultry, wild salmon, vegetarian bean and cheese dishes or even spicy Asian fare. It was fine with gently spicy Sichuan shredded beef with carrots and celery.

WHEN TO DRINK: It's delicious and ready to go right now, but I wouldn't have any qualms about cellaring it for up to five years, bearing in mind that Pinot frequently shows unpredictable ups and downs in the cellar.

WEB LINK AND FINDING THIS WINE ONLINE:
Here's California Wine Club's fact sheet and order page for the Pirie Tasmania Pinot.

Check prices and availability for Pirie Tasmania South Pinot in vintages from 2005 through 2012 on Wine-Searcher.com.

Le Grand (Pinot) Noir 2010 "Black Sheep" Pays d'Oc ($11.49)

Some wine wits half-seriously advise, "Never buy a wine with an animal on the label," although this counsel, taken to the extreme, would bar the world-class Chateau Cheval Blanc ("White Horse") from our cellars, not to mention the outstanding Northern Italian wines of La Spinetta with their rhinoceros label. Seriously, though, this modestly priced Pinot is almost secretive, with limited front-label info, the wine's Languedoc origin almost buried in tiny type, and the bottler, "11N129 at F11160" (Rieux-Minervois), encoded into anonymity. And yet ... the wine is pretty good for a Languedoc Pinot. Dark garnet almost all the way to the edge, it offers cherry compote, cooked sweet dark cherries and a hint of brown spices, on the nose and palate. Food-friendly fresh-fruit acidity, 12.5% acidity and a soft touch of tannins come together in a wine that's on the simple side but clearly recognizable as Pinot and good with food. U.S. importer: Prestige Wine Group, Pronceton, Minn. (April 4, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: Just fine with an Asian-accented teriyaki chik'n, onion and green pepper stir-fry.

WHEN TO DRINK: Drink up and enjoy within the next year while the flavors are fresh.

VALUE: I have no complaints about value at this price, but canny shoppers will check Wine-Searcher.com, where some vendors offer it as low as $8.

WEB LINK:
Click here for the producer's English-language fact sheet on Le Grand Black Sheep Pinot Noir.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for Le Grand Black Sheep Pinot Noir on Wine-Searcher.com.

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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California is well-known for Sauvignon Blanc, too, famously producing it under competing monikers - the Sauvignon Blanc original or Fumé Blanc, a name originally invented by Robert Mondavi for marketing purposes, hoping to kick new life into a variety that at the time wasn't much of a seller in the Golden State.

As a footnote, Mondavi originally intended "Fumé Blanc" to represent a consistent style using oak to impart a "smoky" (Fumé) character, but that distinction disappeared about as soon as other wineries latched on to the idea and slapped on "Fumé Blanc" labels indiscriminately. Most consumers, frankly, were probably more concerned about whether their Sauvignon Blanc showed "grassy" and "herbal" aromas (generally the result of grapes grown in cool shade) or demonstrated bright, citric scents (typical of grapes grown in warm direct sunlight).

Flavor styles and oak treatment notwithstanding, most of us probably don't connect Sauvignon Blanc with the wines of Italy. But as I learned from the first of many trips to the mountainous regions of Northern Italy, where the country rises toward the French, Swiss and Austrian Alps, Sauvignon Blanc can make a mighty appealing white in these less familiar surroundings.

Typically crisp and acidic and relatively subtle, without going overboard toward grass, green peppers or lemon-lime, Italy's best Sauvignons (they typically drop the "Blanc" or "Bianco") impress me with their balance and finesse, and those aren't words that you'll often hear mentioned when people are tasting the New Zealand variety.

Since the Wine Focus discussion in our WineLovers Discussion Group this month is featuring "mostly" French mountain wines, I figured that an Italian wine made in the Dolomites mountain range from a French grape would be close enough. And I'm glad I did, as La Vis 2010 "Dipinti" Sauvignon Vigneti della Dolomiti proved to be one of the most enjoyable Sauvignon Blancs I've opened in a while.

Frankly, although I was a big fan of New Zealand's Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc back when it first started gaining popularity in the U.S., and made it my business to pick up each new vintage of the iconic Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc as soon as it hit the shelves, my enthusiasm seemed to wane in inverse proportion to the wine's popularity and rising price. I understand and appreciate that many wine lovers go for the bold, "technicolor" wines, but sometimes I'd just as soon have my art in watercolors or pastels.

The Dipinti - a wine made for Banville & Jones Wine Merchants of North Bergen, N.J. - is made by Cantina La Vis, a cooperative of 1,500 growers. It is assembled from vineyard plots scattered across valley and mountainside vineyards in the Dolomites of Northeastern Italy, a range of craggy white peaks that span the Trentino-Alto Adige region along Northern Italy's border with Austria.

Wine Focus: (mostly) French mountain wines

As noted, we're featuring (mostly) French mountain wines in this month's Wine Focus discussion in our WineLovers Discussion Group.

The topic emerged from a discussion about wines from Savoie and the Jura, but please feel free to post on wines from other French mountain regions - the Pyrenees come to mind - as well as other mountain wines of Europe, from Switzerland or Italy's Alto Adige, Trentino and Val d'Aosta regions for example. And, of course, the Dolomites, Vigneti della Dolomiti IGT.

There are no rules on minimum vineyard elevation to qualify as "mountain" wine, so don't be concerned if your mountain wine comes from a mountain valley! Please check in and join our conversations about
"(mostly) French mountain wines."

All forum discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post your comments and participate actively in the conversation. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name as your public user name. To join the forum, drop me a note at wine@wineloverspage.com with your real name, preferred format and a temporary password, and I'll take care of the rest.

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Today's Tasting Report

La Vis 2010 "Dipinti" Sauvignon Vigneti della Dolomiti ($10.99)

Clear straw color. Good, fresh Sauvignon scent, not over the top but appropriately aromatic for the variety: White grapefruit, a whiff of white pepper, and back notes of lime and even a whiff of orange. Medium body and texture, snappy citric flavors follow the nose in a light (12% alcohol), fresh white wine that finishes long and clean. U.S. importer: Banville & Jones Wine Merchants, North Bergen, N.J. (March 13, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: Good with seafood or mild fish, pork, veal or poultry or cheeses; it was fine with fennel-scented Italian sausage.

WHEN TO DRINK: I'd drink it sooner rather than later, while its bright Sauvignon flavors are fresh, but its sturdy modern metal screw cap should protect it well for a few years.

VALUE: It's a fine value at this price, which is consistent with Wine-Searcher.com's limited listings.

WEB LINK:
Here's the importer's info page on Dipinti. For a fact sheet on the Sauvignon, click here.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Wine-Searcher.com lists only three or four vendors for La Vis Dipinti Sauvignon. For sources in Europe, this search finds the wines of Cantina La Vis. For more vendor and source information in the U.S., contact importer Banville & Jones.

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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But every rule has its exceptions, and a recent encounter with an Italian regional white prompted me to look at this issue from both sides. It all started when I picked up a Grechetto from my neighborhood wine shop. I wanted a simple, earthy, Euro-style white to go with a pasta dinner, so when I got home and took a closer look at the label of Palazzone 2011 “Grek” Umbria Grechetto and realized that it was labeled as 14.5% alcohol, I got downright irritated.

This rubbed me the wrong way because it seemed to fit into everything that I don't like about the modern trend toward high-alcohol, forward-fruit, blockbuster-style wines. When even a red wine hits 14% or more it starts moving out of my happy place, and it's even worse for whites. Crabbily, I got online and posted rants here and here, titled "High-alcohol wines irritate me."

I got back lots of interesting responses. Some offered support. Others gently disagreed. But just about every comment made me think. What exactly don't I like about high-alcohol wines? I can boil it down to two or three points:

* Alcohol in excess shows up, at least to me, as an aroma, taste and feel sensation all three. Some high-alcohol wines start with a whiff that resembles rubbing alcohol that carries over to the palate, then literally burns my tongue. I love the rush of fire that comes with spicy ethnic cuisines; but the burn of a high-alcohol wine, not so much.

* As a wine hobbyist, I enjoy recognizing regional and varietal characteristics in wines from regions of great tradition, particularly the wines of Europe. I've traveled in Italian and French vineyards for years and have many happy memories of discovering wines there. I want today's Grechetto to taste like the Grechetto I remember from touring Umbria in 1982, doggone it!

* Finally and perhaps most important, if a wine is good, I'd like to be able to enjoy a second glass with a clear conscience, and not have to worry about being capable of driving home or navigating the stairs. I don't like a wine that makes me feel I'd like to say "yes" but had better say "no."

But all that being said, there's a final test: Taste the wine! And so I did, and I've got to admit that this Grechetto is pretty good, powerful alcohol and all. Yes, it started off with a hint of alcoholic burn on the nose and palate. But happily, those effects blew off to reveal a wine of surprising depth and complexity, a wine that didn't war with a bold-flavored pasta dinner designed to accompany it. And yeah, I had a second glass. A smaller pour, but it didn't make me put a lampshade on my head and dance on the table.

It's fine to have strong opinions about wine. A wine writer who doesn't have them would be mighty boring. But the most important principle remains, "Taste the wine."

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Today's Tasting Report

Palazzone 2011 “Grek” Umbria Grechetto ($14.99)

Transparent straw color. Simple aromas, white fruit, undifferentiated citrus and a whiff of alcohol. Much more interesting on the palate, the heat of 14.5% alcohol blows off as it warms in the glass (don't serve it too cold), unveiling rich and complex flavors, pear and mixed citrus, lemon-lime and just a hint of tangerine, good body and texture, with light black-walnut bitterness joining a citric snap in the long finish. U.S. importer: De Grazia Imports LLC, Winston-Salem, N.C. (March 8, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: A shrimp linguine dish with plenty of garlic, lemon and black pepper stood up well to this robust wine. It would be good with ocean fish and shellfish in general, but choose a dish with bold flavors to keep pace with this powerful white.

WHEN TO DRINK: The idiosyncratic style of this wine make it difficult to predict aging capability. Based on its early release - the 2012 is already in the marketplace - I'd guess that it's best to drink up the fresher vintages and move on. Still, its alcohol and body and complex flavors might make it an interesting experiment to sock away a bottle or two for a few years, just to see what happens.

VALUE: Wine-Searcher.com's single U.S. listing asks $20. My mid-teens price is certainly fair for its quality level.

PRONUNCIATION:
Grechetto = "Greh-KET-toe"

WEB LINK:
Here's the importer's fact sheet in English on Giovanni and Lodovico Dubini's Palazzone winery and its products. Click here for more specifics on the 2011 "Grek" Grechetto. Importer Vintner Select offers another fact sheet on Palazzone here.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:

Wine-Searcher.com finds few vendors specifically for Pallazzone Grechetto If you're eager to track it down, try this Wine-Searcher link to find vendors for all Palazzone wines, and ask if they've acquired the Grek. For more information on Marc De Grazia's distributors in U.S. states and around the world, visit the De Grazia website.

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.

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From 1965 to 1986, actress Virginia Christine, as "Mrs. Olson," was a constant presence on network television, assuring viewers that Folgers was "Mountain grown, the richest kind of coffee."

Sadly but perhaps not surprisingly, Mrs. Olson was running a sort of coffee sting. As it happens, most coffee - and all beans of the quality Arabica variety - is grown at mountainous altitudes; and there's no real connection between mountain growing and coffee quality.

So much for that sweet old lady with the Scandinavian accent!

But how about wine? It's well-known that quality grapevines tend to thrive on hillsides, from the "Côtes" ("slopes" or "hillsides") of most French wine regions and the precipitous valleys of Germany's Rhein and Mosel valleys to the Andean heights of Argentina's Mendoza and the mountainous slopes that define the Napa and Sonoma valleys, just to name a few.

Visit Burgundy, for example, and you'll find the most sought-after wines come almost invariably from the hillsides. Vineyards along the flat ground at the foot of the Côte d'Or are mostly used in generic Bourgogne; you'll rarely find these properties singled out for attention.

Growing wine grapes at altitude does have benefits, say the gurus at the Wine-Searcher Technical Wine Terms pages.

"Altitude often has a marked effect on a wine's quality," Wine-Searcher points out. "First, the higher a vineyard location is, the cooler the air temperature will be. (With every 330 ft/100m of height, the temperature generally drops by about 1.1F/0.6C.) This will delay the ripening or, conversely, lengthen the growing period. This ensures that the grapes can benefit from a longer hang time, which helps the accumulation of those vital chemical compounds (acids, sugar, color compounds) that define a grape's profile.

"However, lower temperatures can hinder ripening so these regions are generally suitable for cool climate viticulture. Altitude also affects the intensity of sunlight, so on a clear sunny day the vines on a higher site will enjoy more intense sunlight than those down on the plain."

Today's featured wine, Domaine Labbé 2011 "Abymes" Vin de Savoie, is a crisp, fresh white made by Marc and Roger Labbé in the historic Savoie region of eastern France, in the Alpine territory where France meets Switzerland and Northwestern Italy. It comes in an old-fashioned looking green bottle embossed with "Vin de Savoie" and the Cross of Savoie, an ancient coat of arms awarded the region's rulers during the Crusades.

Savoie's Abymes region lies at the foot of the towering cliffs of Mont Granier in the Massif de la Chartreuse, a rocky landscape left when a nearby hillside collapsed catastrophically in the 13th century. Vineyards occupy its most sunny clay and limestone slopes, with almost every south and eastward slope in vines. The name "Abymes" comes from the French word for the broken stones that still sometimes fall from the mountain during avalanches.

Labbé Abymes is made entirely from the local from the Jacquere grape, and is fermented in stainless steel only, with no presence of oak, ensuring a crisp, fresh character. You'll find my tasting notes below.

Wine Focus: (mostly) French mountain wines

We're featuring (mostly) French mountain wines in this month's Wine Focus discussion in our WineLovers Discussion Group.

The topic emerged from a discussion about wines from Savoie and the Jura, but please feel free to post on wines from other French mountain regions - the Pyrenees come to mind - as well as other mountain wines of Europe, from Switzerland or Italy's Alto Adige, Trentino and Val d'Aosta regions for example.

There are no rules on minimum vineyard elevation to qualify as "mountain" wine, so don't be concerned if your mountain wine comes from a mountain valley! Please check in and join our conversations about
"(mostly) French mountain wines."

All forum discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post your comments and participate actively in the conversation. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name as your public user name. To join the forum, drop me a note at wine@wineloverspage.com with your real name, preferred format and a temporary password, and I'll take care of the rest.

Today's Tasting Report

Domaine Labbé 2011 "Abymes" Vin de Savoie ($12.99)

Clear, pale gold in color, its fresh, subtle pear and lemon aromas lead into a crisp white-fruit flavor with a citric snap. Light-bodied, but mouth-watering acidity and perhaps just a touch of prickly petillance give it a mouth-filling presence nonetheless. Combined with light 11% alcohol, it's fine with food or for aperitif service. U.S. importer: Vintner Select, Mason, Ohio. (Feb. 20, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: Well suited with lighter-style poultry or mild white fish, it was very good with with a lightly spicy Sichuan-style stir-fry of shredded tofu, snow peas and onions, ginger and garlic.

WHEN TO DRINK: It's a drink-me-soon wine style, and the slick-sleeve, foam-interior synthetic stopper doesn't inspire confidence in its cellar-worthiness. Although they're free from cork “taint,” I've found these plastic plugs less than trustworthy for keeping light whites more than a year or two after bottling. This 2011, however, was fine.

VALUE: The $13 I paid locally is not far off the $12 U.S. median reported by Wine-Searcher.com. It's a good value.

PRONUNCIATION:
Abymes = "Ah-beem"
Savoie = "Sah-v'wah"

WEB LINK:
Here's an info sheet on Marc and Roger Labbé and their Abymes Vin de Savoie.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and check prices for Domaine Labbé 2011 "Abymes" Vin de Savoie on Wine-Searcher.com.

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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Once we get past the "Big Eight" (or maybe even 10 or 12) grape varieties that make up the lion's share of the marketplace, the real fun begins. Around the world, more than 500 grape varieties are made into commercial wine, and that's not even counting the delicious blended wines that range from Bordeaux through Chianti to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which with other Southern Rhone reds may carry up to 13 varieties in one delicious bottle.

As a card-carrying member of Wine Century Club, I've sampled a few hundred, perhaps none more inclusive than a rare Northeastern Italian wine that contains more than 500 varieties! (It's made in tiny quantities in Cividale, Friuli, in a charitable fund-raising venture.)

Today, though, I'm focused on a favorite single-varietal wine from Italy's other upper corner, Dolcetto from the Langhe hills of Piemonte in the Northwest. The Dolcetto region is centered on the villages of Alba and Asti, and smaller villages such as Dogliani, all of which may have their name appended to "Dolcetto" on the label of wines made from grapes grown within their boundaries.

You'll occasionally run across a reference to Dolcetto as a light, fruity wine, and I've even seen it likened to Beaujolais. I don't see that at all in a wine that's built on dark fruit flavors with solid acidity and perceptible tannic astringency. I've long suspected that the confusion stems from the name of the grape, which translates loosely as "Little sweetie." But that's a vine-grower's moniker, not a wine-maker's. It refers to the sweet taste of the ripe, black Dolcetto grapes at harvest.

Dolcetto's regional map overlaps the zones of the more sought-after (and pricey) Barolo and Barbaresco. With its neighbor Barbera, Dolcetto is favored by the savvy locals, who drink it up while those more age-worthy (and expensive) bigger brothers take their time to mature.

While Barbera is usually sharply acidic, Dolcetto is relatively lower in acid but perceptibly tannic, an earthy flavor profile that shows best in company with food. And in its one aspect that does bear some comparison with Beaujolais, Dolcetto - in spite of its tannins - is best drunk up within a few years of harvest, before the fruit fades and leaves the astringent tannins on their own.

Want to know more about Dolcetto and locate vendors who have good ones? This fact sheet on Wine-Searcher.com offers information about Dolcetto, followed by links to 282 specific bottlings and retail sources.

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Today's Tasting Report

Mauro Veglio 2011 Dolcetto d'Alba ($14.99)

Purple with a clear, bright garnet edge. A scent of blueberry cordial and a fresh, tart blackberry and blueberry flavor with soft but perceptible tannins and 13.5% alcohol providing structure. Good benchmark example of fresh Dolcetto, good with food. U.S. importer: Vanguard Wines LLC, Columbus, Ohio. (Feb. 14, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: Dolcetto is an easy match with red meats, roast poultry and sturdy Northern Italian cheeses. Roasted veggies also work very well. It was spectacular with a winter dinner of fennel, onions, potatoes and carrots, cut in chunks, tossed in olive oil with salt and pepper, and roasted at high heat until the veggies were tender and their surfaces caramelized golden brown.

WHEN TO DRINK: Although the tannins suggest some cellar-worthiness, it's my experience that Dolcetto doesn't evolve well with cellaring. Its fruit character, best when the wine is young and fresh, doesn't usually gain with cellar time. It should be safe to keep it through 2014, but in general, it's a good practice to drink up your Dolcetto and then buy the new vintage.

VALUE: My local price is right on the median retail tag reported by Wine-Searcher.com, an appropriate price point for a table wine of this quality.

PRONUNCIATION:
Mauro Veglio = "Mau-roe Vehl'yo"
Dolcetto = "Dohl-CHET-toe"

WEB LINK:
The Mauro Veglio Web page is available in Italian and English. Here's an English-language fact sheet on the Dolcetto d'Alba.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Locate vendors and compare prices for Mario Veglio Dolcetto d'Alba on Wine-Searcher.com.

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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Shh ...You're invited to a Secret Wine Sale!

The California Wine Club's Spring Wine Sale starts next week, but YOU can order now! Click here.

Riesling makes a white wine of classic proportions, a wine that can be dry or sweet or in-between and that may range from feather-light to rich and dense. It is known for a "transparency" that can show off fruit, minerality and the complexity of great age, and it can be a magical companion with a broad range of food.

In some of its most popular styles, it can be light, fresh, even gently fizzy, with an appetizing sweet touch that ought to appeal to the American sweet tooth, with bone-dry options for those who prefer it like that.

And yet Riesling remains almost a niche grape for many wine lovers. It doesn't claim much shelf space in the typical wine shop; and if you're like me, you're more likely to speak well of Riesling (as I'm doing right now) than you are to pick up a bottle and bring it home for dinner.

Why the cognitive dissonance? Speaking for myself, I suspect a couple of issues nudge some wine lovers away from Riesling. First, its unusually aromatic character and the fact that it often (no, not always) carries a touch of sugar places it in an entirely different category than almost all the other popular varietal wines. If you've been thinking about a Cabernet or Merlot or even a Chardonnay for dinner, turning to a Riesling requires you to slam on the brakes and do a quick shift of your mental gears.

Second, German Riesling labels look hard. I am not kidding about this. While the complexities of German wine-label language, nuanced regulations and ancient property distinctions may make Riesling exciting for a certain sub-set of wine geeks, they look so unfamiliar - and in many cases so old-fashioned - that they send quite a few wine lovers back to more familiar territory.

Today, in my continuing effort to warm up a little more to Riesling myself - and to share the experiences in case you'd like to do the same - I've brought reports on two really good, modestly priced (mid-teens) German Rieslings that break the mold.

For starters, Von Schleinitz 2008 "VS" Estate Mosel Riesling and J. & H.A. Strub 2011 "Soil to Soul" Rheinhessen Riesling Kabinett upend the traditional German marketing approach. Both come with simple, artful front labels that provide the bare essentials, reserving most of the multi-syllabic German language for the back label where it's available to those who want it. They also translate part of the label into English - "Estate" and "Soil to Soul," strongly suggesting an intentional outreach to markets in the U.S. and Canada and perhaps in Britain.

Second, both wines show off the character of Riesling in a way that I can only describe as "delicious," offering characteristic Riesling fruit, transparency that reveals complex aromas and subtle minerality, and just a touch of appetizing fresh-fruit sweetness that's gentle enough to be utterly food friendly and in no way cloying.

Give them a try, or ask a trusted merchant for similar recommendations. You'll find my tasting reports below.

Wine Focus: German(ic) Riesling

We're zeroing in on German Riesling in this month's Wine Focus discussion in our WineLovers Discussion Group.

You're invited to check in with your tasting reports, comments and conversation as we spend February discussing "German(ic) Riesling." As the parenthetical ending hints, Alsatian and Austrian Rieslings are also on the table for discussion, but the real focus this month remains on the classic Riesling styles of Germany.

All forum discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post your comments and participate actively in the conversation. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name as your public user name. To join the forum, drop me a note at wine@wineloverspage.com with your real name, preferred format and a temporary password, and I'll take care of the rest.

Today's Sponsor

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Today's Tasting Report

Von Schleinitz 2008 "VS" Estate Mosel Riesling ($14.99)

Clear, pale gold. Attractive, elusive aromatics come across on the nose and palate as sweet citrus, tangerine, and a hint of peach and mango. It's not in-your-face fruit, though, but subtle, shifting in the glass to add a gentle floral note of honeysuckle, and after time in the glass, a mineral note of wet stones. It has an edge of sweetness, but zippy fresh-fruit acidity protects it from cloying: think fresh tangerine juice with a squirt of lime, not a sugary soda. Its light 9.5% alcohol makes it a fine aperitif, and it's a versatile companion with food. It may lack the complexity and balance of a high-end Mosel, but it's an easy introduction to the Mosel style and a good value at this price. U.S. importer: Coperta Importing Co., Inc., Cleveland Heights, Ohio. (Jan. 30, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: Riesling is to whites as Pinot Noir to reds: An extremely versatile food companion that will work well with almost any savory dish with the possible exception of red meat, and I'm sure someone will be in touch to testify to that. This one was spectacular with a winter dinner of roasted veggies, a mix of crusty, caramelized fennel, onions, green peppers and red-skinned potatoes.

WHEN TO DRINK: While Riesling is a keeper, this wine's beautiful, simple balance of fruit, sugar and acid make it almost impossible to resist. I'd say that if you can find this vintage, drink it up and enjoy it.

VALUE: This delightful Riesling is well worth my local mid-teens price, which appears to be consistent with hits on Wine-Searcher.com.

PRONUNCIATION:
Riesling = "Reese-ling"
Von Schleinitz = "Fon Schly-nitz"

WEB LINK:
Here is a winery fact sheet in English on the 2008 Estate Riesling.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find sources and check prices for Von Schleinitz "VS" Estate Mosel Riesling on Wine-Searcher.com.

J. & H.A. Strub 2011 "Soil to Soul" Rheinhessen Riesling Kabinett ($14.99)

Clear, light straw color. Intriguing Riesling scents of honey and lime lead into a bright white-fruit flavor, fruit sweetness held to a perception of just off-dry by snappy, food-friendly acidity. Subtle slatey minerality and a squirt of lime persist in a long finish, with the light (10.5%) alcohol that's typical of German Rieslings. U.S. importer: Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.; A Terry Theise Estate Selection. (Feb. 8, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: A natural for poultry or pork, strong cheeses or vegetable-based dishes like our choice, a creamy broccoli and onion risotto with plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

WHEN TO DRINK: It's drinking beautifully now, but even relatively modest Rieslings - especially now that most bottlings come under a clean metal screw cap - can last and evolve for years under good cellar conditions.

VALUE: Wine-Searcher.com locates vendors offering this wine from $12 to $16. It's a good value throughout that range, and a must-buy if you can find it at the lower end.

PRONUNCIATION:
Strub = "Shtroob"

WEB LINK:
U.S. importer Michael Skurnik offers this brief fact sheet on the "Soil to Soul." The producer's Website is available in German and English. Here is a link to the English home page.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and locate vendors for Strub "Soil to Soul" Riesling on Wine-Searcher.com. I found it in my local Whole Foods Wine Shop.

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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"Chocolate."

These two words, as the saying goes, are rarely seen together. Nevertheless, every year around Valentine's Day, it's a natural impulse to try to find some way to bring these two icons of the romantic season into a happy relationship.

I'm no different. Over years of eating and drinking wine and writing about it, I've tried quite a variety of combinations in hope of finding the Holy Wine-and-Chocolate Grail, but generally end up, as I did in a 2002 holiday season report, advising "Don't do it!

The advice I gave then still holds, a decade later: "The problem is not that a match is impossible, only that it's unlikely. As a general principle, the natural sweetness of sugar, fruit and other good things in the dessert course make wine - even sweet wine - taste sour in contrast. Even if you like wine and you also like dessert, I generally advise serving them separately. Enjoy dessert, then enjoy an after-dinner wine, but do these things in order, not at the same time."

But it's hard to accept defeat gracefully when victory would be so, well, sweet. Try a fortified wine, I advised; particularly a Tawny Port or the Grenache-based Banyuls or Maury of the French Pyrenees, which speak seductively to dark chocolate with their ripe raspberry aromas and tart, strong flavors.

The New York Times' wine columnist Eric Asimov drew a similar conclusion in a seasonal column this week, With Chocolate, Go for a Fortified Wine. Specifically, he calls for a sweeter-style Madeira, a Bual or a Malmsey, with salted caramels.

Basically, though, the conventional wisdom urges against trying this difficult match, and nothing had come along to persuade me otherwise. Until I dropped in on a pre-Valentine tasting at a neighborhood wine shop last week.

Erika Chavez-Graziano. owner of Cellar Door Chocolates, a fine Louisville artisan chocolatier, fashioned a half-dozen dark chocolate truffles with subtle, offbeat flavors designed to accompany modest yet interesting wines selected by John Johnson, owner of The Wine Rack, a top-notch wine shop in Louisville's Crescent Hill neighborhood.

Without further ado, let's move straight to my brief notes taken during the tasting. They reveal quite a few happy surprises pairing chocolates with sparkling wines, fruity and not-too-tannic Syrah-based reds, and Port, offering a strong suggestion that, with careful pairing of wine styles and chocolates, wine and chocolate can indeed enjoy a sensuous fling. Can it lead to a long-term relationship? Only time will tell.

Mumm Napa Non-vintage Brut Prestige ($19.99) with a Cellar Door truffle scented with lavender. A hint of cocoa in the sparkling wine, perhaps signaling Pinot Noir in the blend, works amiably with the chocolate; the tart bubbles in the wine cut through the sweet, palate-coating dark chocolate, and the subtle touch of lavender in the candy adds a dimension of flavor subtlety.

Banfi Rosa Regale non-vintage Brachetto d'Acqui ($12.99 for a half-bottle, $21.99 for a full bottle) with a Cellar Door prickly-pear truffle. The pink Italian fizz offers a distinct rose petal aroma over red-berry fruit; it's sweet but not cloying. Dark chocolate - with subtle sweet edible cactus bits in the filling - smooths out the wine and makes it seem much more luxurious in texture and flavor.

Edna Valley Vineyard 2009 San Luis Obispo County Syrah ($10.99) with a Cellar Door truffle with an exotic filling with atcha (green tea powder). This big 'n' frooty Central Coast Syrah carries a load of bright fruit in a rich, big Central Coast red. The rich chocolate seems to dry out the wine, and its palate-coating character cools the big wine's heat, making the wine more accessible for me.

Cline 2011 "Cashmere" California Red Blend ($13.99) with a Cellar Door truffle stuffed with crumbled potato chips. The wine, a Rhône-style blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Petite Sirah, offers a ripe cherry-berry scent, and it's rather dry with a touch of tannin. Again, the rich chocolate coats the palate and seems to smooth out the wine.

Porto Kopke NV ($17.99) with a Cellar Door truffle loaded with the spice turmeric. Sadly, the wine was afflicted with cork "taint," making judgement difficult. The musty aroma left little to taste but high alcohol, and in this unfortunate combination the wine simply tasted harsh against the truffle.

Porto Kopke 2012 bottled 10 Year Old Tawny ($17.99/$32.99) with a Cellar Door cream-cheese truffle. The wine is pale red in color, walnutty and powerful. The truffle was delicious, but the match, oddly, didn't knock my socks off. Again, the high alcoholic content in the wine seemed to show as harsh against the sweet chocolate, an outcome that goes against my usual advice. More research is needed, and I'm the man to do it!

FIND THESE WINES ONLINE:
Click the names of all the wines above to find vendors and check prices via Wine-Searcher.com.

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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Some of the most popular recent By Reservation Only Selections from The California Wine Club are now on sale, in extremely limited supply. Click here or call 1-800-777-4443 for the full list and to order today!

The other day, browsing my neighborhood wine shop in search of something interesting to take home for dinner, I noticed some fine print on a southern French red's label that looked sort of familiar, except when it didn't.

"Indication Geographique Protegée," it read, which I decoded in my awkward tourist French as "Protected Geographical Indication." Okay, I'm familiar, as most wine geeks are, with the similar Italian designation, "IGT," short for Indicazione Geografica Tipica or "Typical Geographical Indication."

But IGT has been around for 20 years or so, and it quickly became popular in the culture of Italian wine, where a big part of the joy of making wine, for many producers, lies in breaking the rules in interesting and creative ways.

Want to mix a little Cabernet or Merlot into your Chianti? Just because the centuries-old rules of the Chianti Consortium spell out a historic and traditional recipe, never mind. If it tastes good, do it. IGT, in a way, simply represented the Italian regulators making peace with reality: Declare the new idea "typical" of the region, even if nobody has ever done it before, and all is well.

Over time, the new ways became institutionalized, with IGT falling where the broad "Vino di Tavola" ("table wine") had gone before. IGT served as a second tier under the more controlled DOC/G labels, but this was in no way a hierarchy of quality. Many of the IGT wines are excellent. Some are very pricey. But there are a lot of great buys to be found.

It took the French a bit longer to get into the act, perhaps because the French wine industry has a much longer and stronger tradition of (more or less) rules-abiding wine making. Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace, and onward, every region took pride in making wine generally according to the principles their grandparents and great-grandparents had set down.

Nevertheless, the French, too, had set up a formal "Vin de Pays" ("VDP," or "Wine of the Country") designation back in the '70s, primarily to fit wines not thought up to the higher standards of the AOC ("Appellation d'Origine Controlee"). Over the years, about one-fourth of all French wines - including many great values, particularly from Languedoc and Provence - were labeled VDP.

Finally, to bring it all together, after European regulators established a Europe-wide IGP classification, the French adopted it in 2009 as an alternative to Vin de Pays. Producers may use either term on the label, or both, but with Vin de Pays long having held some connotation of "cheap," it's my guess that IGP will become a popular choice for export wines.

The first IGP I've seen on the market was today's featured wine, Domaine Laroque 2011 Cité de Carcassonne, a single-varietal Cabernet Franc from the vineyards around the lovely medieval walled city of Carcassonne in Languedoc. I found it a real delight, nicely balanced and fine with food, a great buy in the $10 range.

"IGP." Add it to your bargain-hunting lexicon.

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At The California Wine Club, not every great wine they find can go in a club shipment. However, they just can't pass amazing wines up, so they offer them By Reservation Only. For the first time ever, they are sharing some of these treasures with you, and at discounted prices, with $1 shipping on every case and half case!

Here are some of the most popular recent By Reservation Only Selections. Each of these recent selections is still available, though in extremely limited supply.

To see the full list of By Reservation Wines available, click here.

Bruce and Pam share what makes each one so special:

Brassfield Estate 2010 'Eruption' Proprietary Red Wine, Los Angeles Times "Wine of the Week"
Retail: $31/CWC price: $24
"Dave Ramey's seven-varietal Malbec blend takes our breath away."

Le Vigne Winery 2005 'Nikiara' Paso Robles Meritage, Gold Medal, 3 Silver Medals
Retail: $40 /CWC price: $19
"Time has given this Bordeaux-blend an elegant finish."

Paul Dolan 2010 Mendocino County Cabernet Sauvignon
Retail: $27 /CWC price: $12.99
"This fourth generation California winemaker knows how to turn a Cab into a king."

Fields Family Wines 2009 Oak Knoll District Merlot, Gold Medal, Rated 90 Points
Retail: $35 /CWC price: $21
"Tastes like a Cab! We like surprising our 'no Merlot' friends with this one."

Click here to order these exquisite wines and more.

Half, full and mixed cases okay. Don't wait--these wines will sell out!

www.cawineclub.com 1-800-777-4443

Today's Tasting Report

Domaine Laroque 2011 Cité de Carcassonne ($10.99)

This single-varietal Cabernet Franc is dark garnet in color with a clear edge. Red berry aromas add a hint of fresh green herbs, maybe tarragon and thyme. Ripe and fresh flavors pick up the mixed berries and herbs theme and add a touch of intriguing minerality. It's laced up with zippy acidity, reasonable 13.5 percent alcohol, and light but astringent tannins that serve it well at the dinner table. U.S. importer: Aquitaine Wine USA, Napa, Calif.; a Jean-Christophe Calvet Selection. (Jan. 7, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: It would make a natural match with a simple steak, a pork chop or roast chicken. We went a more offbeat route and played up to its red-berry and herbal character with a dish of stir-fried slivered snow peas and sliced onions scented with ginger and garlic and served over fettuccine in a light Mornay sauce. The second half of the bottle went just as well with a free-range omelet stuffed with roasted asparagus and onions plus some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, quickly made in browned butter scented with fresh ginger and garlic..

WHEN TO DRINK: Fine now, but it won't fade, and might even evolve a bit, over two or three more years in cool cellar conditions.

VALUE: No complaints whatsoever about this $11 toll, which is midway in the $9 to $13 range reported for U.S. vendors on Wine-Searcher.com.

WEB LINK:
This web page at The Mark Wine Group offers an overview of Domaine Laroque.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and locate vendors for Domaine Laroque Cité de Carcassonne on Wine-Searcher.com.

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

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We're sorry if you must leave us, but simply click the "unsubscribe"
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Save 50% on your first 3 months of wine!
Click here or call 1-800-777-4443.

Perhaps because it somehow became endowed as "The Red Chardonnay," many North and South American producers - and more than a few Europeans seeking a U.S. export market - started pouring out rivers of Merlot, much of it sadly made in a "pop" style marked by residual sugar, over-the-top frooty flavors and bombastic oak, and much of it from mediocre fruit from overcropped vineyards. Great Merlots and Merlot blends from Bordeaux' Right Bank and a few other favored locations got lost in the stampede as wine geeks fled for other, more favored varieties.

But does it have to be so? Given the passage of time, have alternative wine voices begun to be heard? This month, if we dare, we'll seek to find out in the monthly Wine Focus discussion in our WineLovers Discussion Group, as we sample a world of Merlots in a quest for that elusive goal: Well-balanced Merlots, good with food, the way the grape ought to be.

I found a pretty decent model in the mid-teens in this week's featured wine, Milbrandt Vineyards 2009 "Traditions" Merlot from Washington State's Columbia Valley. You'll find my tasting notes below.

So bring your Merlots this month, and your Chilean Carmeneres if you like, as we try to answer the question, "Can Merlot be saved?" Bring your tasting notes, comments, questions, and thoughts; and if you're new to the conversations, you'll find a warm welcome in our online community.

All forum discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post your comments and participate actively in the conversation. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name as your public user name. To join the forum, drop me a note at wine@wineloverspage.com with your real name, preferred format and a temporary password, and I'll take care of the rest.

Today's Sponsor

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--Bruce and Pam Boring, CWC Proprietors

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The California Wine Club
1-800-777-4443
www.cawineclub.com

Today's Tasting Report

Milbrandt Vineyards 2009 "Traditions" Columbia Valley Merlot ($13.99)

Clear but very dark garnet with a clear edge. Fresh cherry-berry fruit with a whiff of something like cocoa powder. Fresh and bright, appealing black fruit shaped by mouth-watering acidity and an edge of soft tannins. Nicely balanced, avoids the chocolate-blackberry milkshake character or excessive alcohol and oak that gives some New World Merlots a bad reputation. (Dec. 31, 2012)

FOOD MATCH: Good balance of fruit and acidity make it a natural with traditional red-wine fare from rare beef to roast poultry. We enjoyed it with crispy risotto cakes made with leftover roasted fennel risotto with extra Parmigiano-Reggiano, dusted with flour and pan-fried in a little butter; the crunchy browned coating and the haunting fennel scent both did favors for the Merlot.

WHEN TO DRINK: Fine now, and capable of cellaring for years or even decades under good cellar conditions. .

VALUE: For a change of pace, my local price came in a buck or so under the $15 national median for this wine as reported by Wine-Searcher.com. It's a good value in the middle teens, but check Wine-Searcher for some vendors offering it at $12 or below.

PRONUNCIATION:
Merlot = "Mare-low"

WEB LINK:
This PDF file contains a detailed fact sheet on Milbrandt Vineyards 2009 "Traditions" Columbia Valley Merlot.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and locate vendors for Milbrandt "Traditions" Merlot on Wine-Searcher.com.

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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Send a thoughtful holiday gift featuring award-winning, limited-production California wine.
Click Here or call 1-800-777-4443.

But let's save a little love for Madeira, a hearty fortified wine that boasts a place in American history perhaps a step above its rivals. Digging through my own stacks of wine notes as I sipped a warming glass of Madeira this week, I ran across a few paragraphs I wrote on the subject at just this time of year in 1998:

"The island of Madeira lies 400 miles off Morocco in the Atlantic and is governed by Portugal; but the historic fortified wines made here are very much a part of American history. Because of trade routes and politics during our Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, Madeira was available - and popular - in the infant U.S. at a time when the clarets, Burgundies and Hocks favored by the British (and typically shipped through British ports) weren't so politically correct.

"According to Frank Schoonmaker's New Encyclopedia of Wine, colonists rioted on the docks of Boston in 1768 - five years before the Boston Tea Party - when British customs officials sought to place a tax on a shipment of Madeira. 'Madeira was used to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence,' Schoonmaker reports, 'and, in 1789, the inauguration of George Washington.'

"Not unlike Sherry in general style, Madeira gains its unique character by being stored for years in hot rooms called estufas, a controlled emulation of the rough treatment that it used to receive on the decks of sailing ships crossing the broad Atlantic."

Here's another factoid about Madeira: If you are looking for a wine to lay down for 20 years or more, perhaps to celebrate the birth of a child by opening the wine when he or she reaches legal age, Madeira is your obvious choice. It is almost indestructible, having been developed to survive, and even improve, during those long ocean voyages to Britain, East India and the New World. It comes in many styles, ranging from very sweet (Malmsey) to medium sweet (Bual) to rather dry (Verdelho and Sercial).

Its burnt-sugar, earthy and caramel flavors are invariably structured on firm, even steely acidity; and it will last almost forever, even under poor storage conditions. What's more, Madeira remains surprisingly affordable for an ageworthy wine, often found - like today's featured wine - for $20 or less.

So if you're looking for a wine to hold for a celebration in the distant future and you don't own a wine "cellar," you can hardly do better than a Madeira for a wine that's likely to last.

With a salute to our great history (and today's friendly relations with our international cousins), we opened the holiday season with a glass of Sandeman "Rainwater" Madeira. See my tasting report below.

Last-minute wine book gifts

If you're a hard-core procrastinator like me and you're still looking for a last-minute Christmas present for a wine-geek friend, here's good news: There's still time to get your wine-book gift from Amazon.com to your friends by Monday. You'll have to pay a little extra for expedited shipping, but if making the deadline matters to you, you have until 7 p.m. today, Dec. 21 (US EST) to get your purchase there by Monday with two-day shipping. Or push back until the last possible instant and get your order in by 3 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 22 (EST) with one-day shipping.

It's hard to go wrong with either of these favorite wine-reference books:

The World Atlas of Wine, by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, $31.50 from Amazon.com in hardcover, a 37% saving from its $50 list price.

The Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd Edition, by Jancis Robinson, $40.95, a 37 percent saving from its $65 list price.

If you're still thinking about the fascinating new book on wine and culture in biblical times and across the historical ancient Near East that I reviewed last week, here's a re-run on that link:
Divine Vintage: Following the Wine Trail from Genesis to the Modern Age, $16.20, a $10.80 saving from its $27 list price.

And finally, if price is no object, and you want your recipient (or yourself) to be the first kid on your block with the new unabridged scientific encyclopedia of wine grapes, a 1,280-page, seven-pound doorstop of a book:
Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours, by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz, knocked down 37% from its breathtaking $175 list price to to "only" $110.25, a saving of $64.75.

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Today's Tasting Report

Sandeman NV "Rainwater" Madeira ($18.99)

Clear light bronze color, on the light side for a Madeira, and hence (the marketers say) its offbeat name. An appealing collection of aromas for the holidays, just-cracked walnuts and their shells, plus a hint of roasted chestnuts in the nose and flavor; and more in the flavor than the scent, beneath it all the gentle sweetness of very ripe pears. And then to bring it all together, a zingy, mouth-watering acidity that refreshes the palate and lingers with cracked nuts and a whiff of something like spicy orange. With warming 19% alcohol typical of a fortified wine, it's a well balanced and delicious sweet wine. U.S. importer: Pernod Ricard USA, Purchase, N.Y. (Dec. 17, 2012)

FOOD MATCH: Its acidity renders it fully capable of standing up to aromatic food - it worked, experimentally, with a mushroom goulash with red peppers, onions and garlic, lots of paprika and organic sour cream. Of course it's excellent sipped on its own or with nuts and cheeses after dinner on a brisk winter night.

WHEN TO DRINK: Fine now, and capable of cellaring for years or even decades under good cellar conditions. .

VALUE: Reasonably priced at $20, but shop around. as Wine-Searcher.com reports a $16 median price among U.S. vendors.

PRONUNCIATION:
Madeira = "Mah-DEH-rah"

WEB LINK:
Click here for Sandeman's fact sheet on Rainwater Madeira.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and locate vendors for Sandeman Rainwater Madeira on Wine-Searcher.com.

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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