Cost: $12-14

What: This wonderfully soft, smooth and fresh fruit wine is delightful on many levels. It’s full of rich, ripe fruit that we love with Zinfandel, but it’s not a high-alcohol fruit bomb that overpowers food.

It’s a well-balanced wine with layer after layer of flavor. It starts with aromas of red and black cherry, minerals and some spice. On the palate, it brings out the cherry flavor, with some strawberry, cocoa, red fruit and smooth tannins. The finish lingers pleasantly.

I had this at a wine-tasting retirement party for a dear friend, and it seemed to please many in the crowd. It is such an easy wine to drink. I thought it was one of a couple of wines that stood out from the seven wines we tasted.

Winery: This wine comes from 113-year-old grapes brought to Lodi, California, by Giacomo Peirano. He came to make his fortune in the Gold Rush, but quickly figured out he could do better opening a mercantile store.

He did well, went back to Italy and returned to California with a wife and 300 grape vines. Giacomo started one of the first vineyards in Lodi. All five of his sons worked in the vineyard, and today the winery is run by the fourth generation of the family.

The old vines yield fewer grapes than young vines, but they deliver an intense flavor that is hard to beat.

The winery also produces red and white blends, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Merlot and Malbec.

Goes with: We had a lot of finger food at the party, but I thought it paired particularly well with London broil in an Argentine marinade that was cooked to medium rare on a grill. The spices in the marinade brought out the spiciness of the Zinfandel. It also held up well with grilled ribs prepared with a Memphis dry rub. It’s also good with fruit and a variety of cheeses.

Don’t be a wine snob. Don’t laugh. Bring along a box of wine. The wine industry has come a long way from the days when boxes contained nothing but cheap, nondescript wine. Now you can get good wine to pair with good food, and you don’t have to pay a lot for it.

This isn’t the kind of wine you want to stick in your cellar to age. You buy it, you drink it right away. But you will be amazed at the variety and quality of wine available in boxes. Box wines have always been available in supermarkets, but now fine wine shops are even stocking them.

Box wines have a lot of advantages. They’re cheaper. They weigh less than the same amount of wine in glass bottles. The wine stays fresh longer because no air gets into the wine. The inner plastic bladder collapses as the wine is drawn out. (Some claim it will be good for six weeks. I’ve managed to keep a box for five weeks, and the wine still tastes good.)

The packaging is easier on the environment, reducing packaging waste by at least 85 percent and carbon emissions by 55 percent. You don’t have to worry about the cork going bad. Oh, did I mention they were cheaper? These are wines my Cheap Bastard pal Dan should positively drool over. He probably lies awake dreaming about wines like these.

Most boxes of wine contain three liters, or the equivalent of four standard bottles of wine. Most of them sell for less than $20 a box, or the equivalent of under $5 a bottle. I’ve tested several wines, and I have not been disappointed. These probably are not wines I would serve at a fancy dinner. But who knows? I might slip one in and see if anyone notices. Some of them have a complexity that’s surprising at this price.

I spent the Fourth of July weekend with my wife’s brother and his family in Nashville. We had 34 people in the house, and though many of them were beer drinkers, I thought it would be a perfect test for boxed wine. We served the Bota Box Cabernet Sauvignon ($18.99) and it was a hit.

I had it with hamburgers and steak, and it matched the food just fine. It’s a full-bodied wine, a typical Cabernet with blackberry and plum aromas with smooth tastes of cherry, blackberry and vanilla, with a hint of spice on the finish. The tannins weren’t overbearing, and it had a pleasant, lingering finish. We drank it for several days, and it was good every time.

I also tried the Bota Box Pinot Grigio, and it was representative of the Pinot Grigio grape. It has a pleasant bouquet of flowers and apples, with flavors of apple and honeysuckle. It’s a medium-bodied wine with a perky finish. It’s great for sipping on the porch after a tough day, or with a light dinner.

The folks who make Bota Box like to point out that their square cardboard container with a plastic bladder inside is completely recyclable. They recommend it for hikers, campers and beach goers who are concerned about the environment. Those of you old enough to remember the bota bags full of wine we used to carry on hikes or skiing in the ‘60s will understand the name. Makes we want to tune in my Pandora Radio oldies station, lie under a tree and dream big dreams while sipping from my Bota Box.

Bota Box also makes Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz and Old Vine Zinfandel.

I also tried several varieties of a new packaging system called Octavin, and those wines were terrific. Octavin has taken several name brand wines and boxed them in an eight-sided box containing a plastic bladder. Many of these also sell for less than $20, or less than $5 a bottle. If you buy these wines by the bottle you’ll spend $10 or more.

I tried the Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and found it to be just what you would look for in a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: tart citrus flavors of lime and grapefruit, with a sharp finish. So now when I need a glass of white wine to sip while I’m cooking dinner, I just reach in the refrigerator and draw a glass of refreshing Sauvignon Blanc without having to open a whole bottle that I wouldn’t finish.

Octavin touts their packaging as a home wine bar, and that’s a good description. You can have several varieties of wine open at one time and not feel pressed to finish them any time soon. You just take a glass of whatever you feel like and then try a different variety after that if you want to change.

Octavin also offers Big House Red and Big House White. I’ve long been a fan of Big House wines because they deliver pleasant, easy-to-drink wine made from Mediterranean varietals at a good price. Now in the Octavin package they are a steal.

Big House White starts with a pleasant, fruity aroma that leads to a nice peach and tropical fruit flavor. It’s made of several white varieties that are fermented separately and then blended.

Big House Red is a fruit bomb, showing fruit aromas followed by raspberry flavors mixed with a little pepper. It’s a smooth, easy-drinking wine of medium body, good to sip by itself, but also a good match to red meat and tomato sauces.

I also tried Octavin’s Monthaven Chardonnay, a full-bodied wine from Monterrey. It’s full of tropical fruit flavors with some apple, pear and citrus. The wine is barrel-aged, but the oak flavors are kept nicely mellow. It sells for $23.99 a box, or the equivalent of $6 a bottle. Monthaven also sells Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Octavin package.

Octavin offers several other wines: Pinot Evil Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio, Boho Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel and Seven, a blend of seven Spanish red wines, led by Tempranillo.

Whatever your favorite variety, you likely will find it in a box if you look for it. There are several other brands of box wine available, but these are among the best. So the next time you plan a picnic don’t forget to pack the wine box. You won’t regret it.

Lynn Hofacket stands on his new deck made from planks that look like wood but are made from recycled milk cartons. His vineyard is behind him.

One of the truths of winemaking is that the best wines come from vines that struggle. I think the same is true of winemakers.

A perfect example of that is Hidden Ridge Vineyard, owned by Casidy Ward and Lynn Hofacket. They produce a fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon on property that looks far better suited for mountain goats than grapevines. It’s on the Sonoma County side of Spring Mountain in the Mayacamas Mountains, and you can only reach it with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, a helicopter or on foot.

Casidy and Lynn took a small group of wine writers there this week in a trip that could have been part of a Disney World thrill ride. We bounced and jostled and shook our way up and down hills on a narrow dirt road, but no one complained. The breath-taking views of the vineyard and surrounding mountains were worth a little bouncing around.

What we saw was 165 acres in a rugged mountain landscape, inside of which sits 55 acres of vines. It would be hard to find a prettier (or steeper) vineyard this side of the Mosel River in Germany. You’re not likely to see another one like this in California any time soon because all the environmental regulations would make it difficult to win approval.

You might wonder what Cassidy and Lynn saw when they first viewed the property that used to house a hunting club. The Oklahoma transplants were living in Santa Rosa in 1989. They renovated a house in the area and were looking for other property to develop when they found the Hidden Ridge property.

They fell in love with the land and thought it would be a great place to build a dream home for someone who wanted to escape city life. But they discovered building costs would have been prohibitively high.

Then they thought about a hunting club or a you-pick orchard or a wildlife ranch. Eventually they decided it was the ideal place to grow Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Casidy Ward holds a smooth rock from what she called an uplifted river bed found in her vineyard.

“It’s simply the highest and best use of the property,” said Ward.

Clearly, the couple had a vision. But turning that vision into a great Cabernet takes more than dreaming. In this case it took a lot of sweat equity.

Ward and Hofacket did a lot of studying, taking classes at Santa Rosa Junior College, reading about the area’s history and geology and contacting every mountain vineyard owner they could find.

“We’re unlikely people to be in the wine business,” said Ward. “We had to learn about it all. I didn’t know in college you could get a degree in drinking.”

After all the studying, Hofacket started clearing the land in 1995. He bought the heavy equipment and hired two people to help him. He spent 12 hours a day, six days a week, taking out the trees and carving the terraces, even building a retention pond.

He planted the vines and had to fight a fungal infestation called “black goo” that made it difficult to find good rootstock. After a year he found a nursery that had healthy plant material and he field grafted the roots to Cabernet Sauvignon in 2000.

Because of the steepness of the slopes (up to 55%) and the contours of the land, you couldn’t just draw straight lines and plop in grapevines. They had to think about erosion and where the sun would hit the grapes and hundreds of other factors.

“It was all common sense,” said Hofacket in his typically understated fashion. Common sense also tells him there won’t be any more vines planted on the property because the rest of the land is too steep.

“We would just send the tractor down to clear the land, and when the slope got too steep for the tractor to move, we’d hook a chain to it and drag it back up. When it was too steep for the tractor we knew we couldn’t plant grapes there.”

After clearing trees and moving rocks, Hofacket followed the contours of the hilly land to lay out the rows of vines. He planted double rows to try to hold the soil in better. He also has a small ditch in the middle of each terrace to catch runoff and keep it from sliding down the hill.

“He built a little city for plants,” said Ward with a laugh.

He planted on slopes facing just about every direction except west, because the afternoon sun on west-facing slopes is too intense. He planted in what’s called a modified sprawl to get the dappled sun the grapes need.

“Intermittent sunlight is what you want,” said winemaker Tim Milos. “The grapes only need about one to one-and-a-half hours of direct sunlight every day.”

Winemaker Tim Milos talks about the Hidden Ridge grapes.

The vineyard, which ranges from 900 to 1,700 feet in elevation, is planted only in Cabernet Sauvignon and one acre of Petit Verdot (to add color to the wine), but Lynn said there is a lot of diversity within the Cabernet. He planted clones 337, 4, 7 and 169.

“Some are fruit forward and some give the wine some spine,” said Hofacket.”

“You can see the complexity of the vineyard,” said Milos. “We pick several blocks together, we cross pick and we cross clones. How do you know when each block is ripe? You taste it.”

Ward, Hofacket, Milos and a handful of other workers taste the grapes and pick when they taste right. They don’t believe in picking according to sugar levels or other technical methods. They like to do everything by hand.

They test whether the grapes are getting enough water by grabbing the leaves. Milos explained that if the leaf is cooler than the air or the same temperature, late in the day, it is getting enough water. You can buy an expensive piece of equipment to measure the same thing, but the Hidden Ridge folks believe in the hands-on approach to everything, including picking the grapes.

The slopes are too steep for mechanical pickers and they don’t pick everything at the same time. They wait until each group of grapes tastes ripe. Then they pick and load the grapes into a truck converted into a grape hauler.  Then Hofacket drives the 4-wheel-drive grape truck down the mountain.

I’m not sure if he doesn’t trust anyone to do it, or if he just can’t find anyone else crazy enough to do it.

“We think we have the only 4-wheel-drive grape truck in Napa Valley,” Hofacket said.

Lynn Hofacket and Casidy Ward in front of the steep slope of their vineyard.

They take the grapes to a facility in Napa that small producers like Hidden Ridge use to make their wine. At first, Ward and Hofacket didn’t think about making wine.

“We didn’t see ourselves in the wine business,” said Ward. “We wanted to grow great grapes, and sell them to someone else.”

They struggled getting all their grapes sold, so they decided to begin making their own wine with an experimental batch in 2001 designed to enhance the vineyard’s reputation. Eventually, they decided to keep all the fruit for their own wine, and now they produce 3,600 cases.

Because of the variety of ripening times, they’re usually crushing grapes up to Christmas, and sometimes into the new year. When they buy barrels they get them from different coopers so they don’t overwhelm the wine with any one flavor.

Because of its remoteness the vineyard doesn’t fit neatly into any AVA. It’s part of Sonoma County, but it is not like anything grown on the valley floor. It’s a distinct Spring Mountain terroir, but because it is in Sonoma, it can’t be part of any Napa AVA.

“This is nothing like valley-floor viticulture,” said Ward. “Not only are the soils and microclimates distinctly different, the air itself is profoundly different–of the rarified sort that one finds only in the mountains.”

When we visited the vineyard the grapes were about a month behind normal development because of cold, wet weather in the spring. There finally has been some hot weather and the grapes are experiencing what Milos calls “the grand growth.” Tiny grapes were popping out all over the vineyard. It’s when the vines send out more shoots and leaves.

Now the winery team has to start cutting back some of that growth to allow the grapes to get the intermittent sunshine they need to ripen. They will cut back some runners and fold others back into the main plant so the people can walk between the rows.

And what is the result of all this hard work? The best $40 cab you can find.

After touring the vineyard we bounced down the mountain to have a fantastic dinner at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena. Cindy Pawlcyn also owns the iconic Mustard Grill and Go Fish, a sushi restaurant.

Paired with the three-course meal we had the Hidden Ridge 2004, 2005 and 2006 vintages. Each was outstanding and each was different from the others. For appetizers we had mouth-watering stuffed piquillo peppers, small red peppers stuffed with cumin braised ground beef and charred tomato salsa.

The next course was wild mushroom risotto. Even though I’m not a big mushroom fan, this was terrific, aromatic, flavorful and unique.

Dinner at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen

The entree offered us a choice of wood oven duck, filet of beef or grilled quail. I chose the duck, which was made with picholine olives, pearl onions, sherry-lemon sauce and potato croquettes. Wow! I loved the subtle mix of flavors. Duck is always hard to pick off the bones, but with this dish the meat nearly fell off. The flavors were sublime.

We had the 2004 with the appetizers and I was amazed at how well the wine matched the food. Milos said it was an early, hot vintage with the wine developing nicely now.

The 2005 was paired with the risotto and it also was a great pairing. The 2005 is a lighter style and it didn’t overwhelm the risotto.

I thought the trickiest pairing would be the 2006 with the entree, but everyone reported they liked the wine with their food. It’s a highly tannic, dense wine that cut through the grease of the duck and handled the beef while not overwhelming the quail.

“In the long run the 2006 will probably be my favorite,” said Milos. “But the 2004 has been drinking well for a while.”

Milos and Hofacket say their wines are made with minimal intervention. They prefer to let the soil and the climate define the wines. Let’s hope they keep staying out of the way and don’t fall off the mountain.

This is a terrific wine that anyone can afford. It’s good to drink by itself, but it’s even better with good food.

(I will be writing about wineries visited on this trip for the next week or so. There have been some incredible vineyards we visited, and you will want to know about them.)

Xplorador Cahrdonnay 2009, Chile

Cost: $7-9

What: These refreshing wines are terrific values, offering crisp, clean flavors at less than $10 a bottle. They are perfect for this time of year, when we suffer through the oppressive summer heat. The Xplorador label comes from the respected Concha y Toro family of wines.

Buying these tasty wines has the added benefit of helping the wine industry in Chile, which was hit hard by the devastating earthquake in February. Bottle Report is committed to drawing attention to the Chilean wines whenever we can because they have so many good wines at great prices.

The Xplorador wine delivers at a level far beyond what you would expect at this price. Each wine is typical of its varietal, presenting the more pleasing aspects of the grape.

The Chardonnay is a vibrant yellow with aromas of tropical fruit. It’s a medium-bodied wine that doesn’t overpower you. The rich flavors are smooth tropical fruit with a crisp, pleasant finish. It’s a well-rounded wine with everything in balance. It is aged for two months in stainless steel tanks.

The Sauvignon Blanc is a sharper wine, green-yellow in color with citrus aromas. There is plenty of acid to balance the lemon and grapefruit flavors. It is a bit lighter in weight than the Chardonnay and works better as an appetizer wine. The wine undergoes a swift fermentation process for two months in stainless steel tanks.

Winery: Concha y Toro has a proud history, dating to 1883 when a local politician and businessman named Don Melchor Concha y Toro brought French grapevines from Bordeaux to the Maipo Valley in Chile. He brought in a French expert to make his first wines. The business flourished and became a successful public company, now one of the largest wine businesses in the world.

Xplorador chief winemaker Hector “Tito” Urzua has spent 20 years searching for the best vineyard sites for his wines. He has studied vineyard practices in France and Australia as well as Chile and merges that traditional knowledge with modern practices to produce fruit-forward wines.

The coastal vineyards allow the grapes to ripen slowly as the ocean breezes meet the cool Andes Mountains air, moderating the hot, Chilean sun. Calcium-rich soils in the Sauvignon Blanc vineyards bring the refreshing mineral quality to the wine. The also winery also offers four reds under the Xplorador label: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Carmenere and Merlot in the same price range. They are all good wines and outstanding values.

Goes with: I tried both of these wines with homemade fried shrimp and French fries, and they both worked well. The Chardonnay matched a little better, its buttery smoothness balancing the horseradish cocktail sauce I used with the shrimp. The next night I tried both with Sloppy Joes, and this time the Sauvignon Blanc was the better match, though both were good.

The Chardonnay should pair with all kinds of fresh shellfish, roast pork, pasta with a cream sauce and smooth cheese. The Sauvignon Blanc also will match fresh seafood and shellfish, roast chicken or pork, salads and spicy foods. I like both of them as sipping wines, perfect for relaxing on the porch after a hot, busy day.

Clos du Bois Merlot North Coast, 2007

Cost: $14-16

What: This is a classic Merlot that stays at a consistently high quality level year after year. When you pour it in the glass, the aroma starts spreading immediately, releasing plum, blackberry and fresh flower notes. It is a beautiful deep ruby color.

The taste is all plum and cherry with touches of cocoa and spice. It’s a nicely-balanced wine, with velvety tannins and a long, smooth finish.

Most of the grapes come from Sonoma, with about a third coming from Napa and Lake counties. Merlot makes up 91 percent of the wine, with 4 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 percent Malbec and 2 percent Shiraz.

The winemaker took extra care with the grapes, not crushing them after destemming. During fermentation juice was pumped over the skins three times a day. That was followed by malolactic fermentation in the barrels. The wine spent 27 months in a combination of new and used French, American and Eastern European oak barrels.

The result is a wonderfully smooth and balanced wine.

Winery: Clos du Bois has been making wine in the Alexander Valley for 35 years, gaining a reputation for consistent quality. Their first vintage was 1974 (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and reserve Cabernet Sauvignon), long before the Alexander Valley made its reputation as a great wine region.

The name comes from founder Frank Woods’ plan to name the new winery “Woods Vineyard.” His children, who were studying French at the time, suggested the more exotic “Clos du Bois” instead, which loosely translates to “enclosure in the woods.”

They added many wines and special designations as they continued to refine the winemaking style. Erik Olsen arrived as winemaker in 2003, adding more honors and excitement to Clos du Bois.

He has produced many wines that score 90 or higher with prominent wine reviewers. He has taken their top-tier wines to another level, isolating prime vineyards to create the Reserve Tier of outstanding wines. These include the Briarcrest Cabernet Sauvignon, Calcaire Chardonnay and Marlstone, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Goes with: I had this with beautiful, juicy lamb chops on the grill, a fantastic pairing. The fruit-forward Merlot flavor does well with many foods, such as pork chops, leg of lamb, steaks, tomato-based pasta dishes, portobello mushrooms and soft cheeses.

Treana Red 2007, California

Cost: $50

What: This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah is a rich, full-bodied wine perfect for special occasions. The deep ruby color in the glass leads to concentrated aromas of cherry and plum. The taste picks up the dark stone fruit flavors seasoned by some spice and cocoa. The tannins are well-developed, so the flavor is a little oaky now, but they will continue to soften with a little more time in the bottle.

Open this bottle at least 30 minutes before you drink it, to give it some time to breathe. It is a blockbuster wine with a long, lingering finish. It should continue to improve in the bottle for another 7-10 years.

Winery: When the Hope family moved to Paso Robles in 1978 to grow grapes, they made farming quality fruit a top priority. They became one of a handful of pioneering families who helped shape the region that has gained widespread recognition for quality.

At first their fruit was bought mainly by wineries outside the region. Then in the early 1990’s, the family began producing estate wines under the Hope Family Farms label. They focused their farming efforts to better suit the Paso Robles terroir and eliminated their white grape plantings entirely. They decided that Paso Robles was better suited to produce bold red wines that can compete on an international level. They established Treana in 1996.

Here is what they say on their web site: “The name Treana symbolizes a trinity of natural elements – the sun, the soil, and the ocean – elements that make Paso Robles, and the rest of the Central Coast, an exceptional area for wine grapes.

“Treana wines reflect local geography and climate: rolling hills, calcareous soils, sunny summer days tempered by cool afternoon ocean breezes and as much as forty-degree temperatures swings between day and night. The grapes respond accordingly, with good sugar levels and balanced acids.”

They also produce a blockbuster white Rhone blend of Viognier and Marsanne, with grapes from the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County. Their other high quality labels are Liberty School, Austin Hope and Candor.

Goes with: I had it with a nice medium-rare steak right off the backyard grill and grilled onions, and the pairing couldn’t have been better. Would drink well with any red meat, hearty pasta dish, or hard cheeses.

Kim Crawford Chardonnay 2007, New Zealand

Cost: $16-18

What: When you mention New Zealand white wines, most people immediately think of Sauvignon Blanc. That’s dominant grape, especially for New Zealand wines sold in the United States.

But this Chardonnay should not be overlooked. It’s a great example of the exciting things going on in the young New Zealand wine industry, as winemakers try different varieties and new techniques. This wine is a clean, fresh expression of unoaked Chardonnay, full of ripe fruit flavor, balanced by good acidity.  

A beautiful pale straw color in the glass, it has a full, fruit-forward aroma, filled with peach. The first sip gives a clean peach taste, with hints of pineapple and grapefruit, uncluttered by oak. It’s a very clean, crisp flavor, perfect for summer. A partial malolactic fermentation softens the tastes and gives it a rich, creamy feel.

Winery: Kim Crawford Wines started out in a small Auckland cottage, the idea of husband and wife, Kim and Erica Crawford.  Since launch in 1996 without a winery or vineyards, the label has gained critical acclaim around the globe. They have since added  the physical assets, grown bigger and sold the label to a large company. The quality of the wines has remained high through all that.

One of the things Kim Crawford has been known for is innovation and experimentation. Because the New Zealand wine industry is so new, they don’t feel bound by tradition. So they try something, and if it works keep doing it. If it doesn’t work, they move on to something else. They were one of the early adopters of screw caps because they keep wine so fresh.

They produce a range of regional blends: Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Dry Riesling and a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillion blend. They also produce more than a dozen of what they call their “small parcel” wines featuring grapes from a single vineyard. These include a classic sparkling wine named after their son Rory and a wood-aged Sauvignon Blanc named for their daughter Pia.

Goes with: You can sip it by itself, or drink it with a nice meal. It pairs well with seafood, chicken, creamy pasta and Asian food. I had it with friend shrimp, and it held up well, even against the tangy cocktail sauce.

Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Merlot 2007, California

Cost: $19-21

What: This is a well-made example of California Merlot. I compared it to the regular Blackstone California Merlot which sells for $12-13, and while both are nice wines, it’s worth the extra money for the reserve.

Both wines have pleasant, fruity aromas, with a touch of oak. They are soft and smooth, with a long finish. The reserve appears more purple in the glass and has a more complex taste. It’s a little more elegant and well-balanced, and the aroma is filled with black currant with a touch of oak. In your mouth it is full-bodied, with layers of black cherry flavor.

The reserve is 85% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Ruby Cabernet and 2% Petit Verdot.

Winery: Based in Sonoma since 1990, Blackstone has become known for balanced, harmonious wines that are consistent from year to year. They take grapes from the best wine-growing regions around the state to create their signature blend, and grapes only from Sonoma County to make the reserve. Every year the proportions of the grapes change. The winery bottles eight varietals, five reserves and some limited release wines available only at the winery or online.

Goes with: I had this with venison burgers, and it was terrific. I thought the reserve held up better to the strong flavor of the burgers, but either wine made a good match. It also would pair well with pork tenderloin, lamb, ravioli, sausage or a good cut of beef.

Cost: $10-12

What: Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2009, Chile What a delightfully refreshing example of Sauvignon Blanc. It’s brimming with citrus flavors and aromas, particularly grapefruit. A group of us tasted it at a virtual tasting of Chilean Sauvignon Blancs last week, and we all loved it.

The wine started out with a huge citrus nose. After a few minutes the aroma toned down a little, but it was still delightful. The taste is mellow and smooth, with lots of fruit. It has a long, crisp finish. Some of our group thought it tasted like a sweet, fresh-squeezed grapefruit except it didn’t have the same tartness. It’s an outstanding example of what Sauvignon Blanc should be.

The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and never touches oak.

Our group of seven loved the format of the tasting. We had 8 winemakers live on our computer from a hookup in Chile and a moderator in New York. We could ask questions through a chat feature. The Wines of Chile folks led us through a tasting of the 8 wines. They were all very good, but the Veramonte Reserva was the consensus choice. It was an interesting and effective way to compare the Chilean Sauvignon Blancs. Many people know about their great red wines, but the whites are every bit as good.

Winery: The first Veramonte wine was sold in 1996, but owner Agustin Huneeus decided in 1990 that a large tract of land in Chile’s Casablanca Valley would be perfect for his winery, so he bought it. A state-of-the-art winery was built in 1998 and offers popular tours. The wines have won many awards for Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Primus, a rich, spicy blend of Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I have long been a fan of the Cabernet and the Primus, both outstanding wines at good prices. The winery practices sustainable and organic farming.

Dennis follows along with the virtual wine tasting

Goes with: I had this with several hard cheeses (cheddar, Jarlsberg Swiss and Colby) and it was terrific. It also went surprisingly well with chicken Yakatori, made with a marinade of soy sauce, ginger, mirin and garlic. It also would go well with salads, sushi and Asian food.

What:

What: As I pulled the cork from the 11-year-old Penfolds, I hesitated, fearing what I would find inside the bottle. Cabernet ages better than other red wines such as Zinfandel and Merlot, but 11 years is a long time for a wine like this. Would it be vinegar?

My fears were for nothing. The wine was as fresh and young as the day it was bottled, but with none of those nasty tannins getting in the way of the fruit. Penfolds makes what is arguably the best wine in the world, Penfolds Grange, but at hundreds of dollars a bottle you can’t afford to drink it very often. Besides, Grange needs many years of aging before it is even ready to drink.

So I gambled that they would take as much care making this Cabernet Sauvignon as they did their super star Shiraz. The gamble paid off. This is a spectacular wine, opening with a beautiful nose of cherries.

The taste is soft and warm, but with plenty of firmness. The harsh tannins from 12 months aging in French and American oak have all smoothed out and you get lush, complex tastes of blackberry and black cherry with a touch of tobacco. The finish is long and pleasant. It is an elegant, layered wine.

I love fresh, young wines, full of fruit and tannin, but this wine is a perfect example of why some people enjoy the wine after it has matured. It is more complex and satisfying after all the rough angles have been mellowed out.

The difference between a  young red wine and a mature one is a lot like the difference between your first teenage kiss and the emotional, exciting kiss with a spouse you have loved for years. I wouldn’t want to give up either experience, but after the mature kiss or the mature wine, you know what real love is. I can’t wait to try the other six bottles in my cellar.

My notes say I bought this wine for $25. You won’t find this vintage in any store, and if you could the price would be much higher. The current vintage seems to average a little over $30, but you can get it in the mid-20s if you shop around a little.

From: Australia
Winery: Penfolds is one of the oldest wineries in Australia, founded in 1844 by Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who moved to Australia. He brought with him vine cuttings from France. He planted those around his stone cottage, which he called The Grange, named for his wife’s former home in England.

Penfold made fortified wines for his patients, and as demand increased, he expanded the winery. The family continued to run the business, even after it went public in 1962. They held a controlling interest until 1976. It is now run by the Foster’s Group, a conglomerate, but they continue to make great wine. Penfolds Grange was first made in 1951 and has been made every year since.

Penfolds has major vineyards in all the best wine growing regions of Australia including Adelaide, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Vallely, Coonawarra and others. They make a wide variety of wines, specializing in Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, but also producing Merlot, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion, Riesling and fortified wines.

Cost: $25
Year: 1999
Goes with: I had this with a magnificent French onion soup made with fresh, sweet Vidalia onions, fresh herbs and red wine. Topped by melted Swiss cheese, it was a fitting complement to the Penfolds. Like a great marriage, each brought out the best in the other. Another night I had it with homemade tacos. While the wine didn’t taste as elegant, it still was a good match for the spices in the taco sauce. It would pair well with a variety of red meats and hard cheeses.