[Jim727]

Haven't forgotten, Joe - just buried in work.

Good overview from Don. For my tastes, the key word in wine is "balance", something that has been short-changed in these days of Parker Points. Don mentioned the trap of ratings, and two that you see quoted often are Parker and Wine Spectator. Just as in movies, it pays first to know whether your tastes are the same as the reviewer.

Parker likes very fruity wines with low acidity and very soft tannins. That, to me, is an off-balance wine. Good balance (again, to me) is one where acid, fruit, and tannin work well together to make the wine go well with food. Low acid, high fruit wines are pretty much food hostile, as does high (over about 13.5%, depending on the wine) alcohol.

Wine Spectator has a critic - Jim Laube - who is a Napaphile. He doesn't seem to think much of Sonoma wines and I typically discount his ratings by 10-15 points.

Also, price is not necessarily a good indication of quality. I can pour you a local jug wine ($13/gal) that far outclasses a typical $10-15 bottle. Similarly, we were invited to a trade tasting (wife is a wine writer) last year called "A Taste of Oakville". Great tasting where pretty much every stratospheric Napa wine was presented. Tasted Screaming Eagle (which, I found out, sells for $3,000/btl at a Las Vegas restaurant) and I truly would not give $20 for a bottle of it except as a resell. Terrible balance - extremely jammy, no acidity, no ageable tannins. Yuk - I poured mine out after 2 tastes. Again, like Don said, taste and test but don't be pressured by what the "experts" tell you you *should* like.

New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc: +1. Great area, great wines. Expect to see lots of screw-caps.

Oh yeah, bottle closures. Huge debate going, but my experience is that if you get a screw-cap on a white (or some red) wine it's fine. For reds that will be getting some age, I won't buy wines without real cork closures or, sometimes screw-caps. Have poured too many plastic-stoppered wines down the drain. They age awkwardly and taste like they're fortified with Sterno after about 5 years.

Aussie reds. Agree that they tend to be overrated (too fruity for my taste) but Pirramimma makes some really nice wines from McLaren Vale. Their Grenache is superb.

Love Spanish Tempranillo, and will usually take one of those over a Zinfandel. I like Zin, but too many zin producers have gone for the jammy, high-alcohol wines that I think wreck them for food.

Love lots of Italian wines. They have so many interesting varietals that you can have a great deal of fun exploring.

Like Don is a Pinot-phile, I tend to be a Riesling addict. As in German, Austrian, or Alsacian. Stunningly good rieslings out there.

Oh, yeah - Pinot. Getting more expensive thanks to the (crappy) movie "Sideways". Some great producers around. Just to pick a couple of producers out of my tired head, Sinskey Cellars is fabulous. Rochioli makes super Pinot. David Bruce (make sure you get the Russian River Pinot) is top-quality. As far as I'm concerned, the Holy Grail of Pinot is Domaine Guyon from Vosne Romanee, France is IT!!! I spent a good part of an afternoon with Mr. Guyon in his cellar and I swear the man had to have been a grape in a former life. Won't let a tractor in his vineyard - too hard on the vine roots. Obscenely difficult to find, but worth moving heaven and earth for. If your wings take you to Burgundy, make sure to bring some back - including some for me. Haven't tried Don's Pinot (Hint, Hint!), so can't speak there.

This is already much longer than originally intended and there is still way too much territory to cover, so a quick wrap-up.

A few domestic producers to consider. Rodney Strong is a consistent good value - Rick Sayre is the winemaker and he has a nice touch (for my palate) - and is widely available, which is a worthwhile attribute for a traveler. Unti makes some great Syrah; little-known winery that I love to visit. Besides, George was a 356 driver. Michel-Schlumberger makes wines in a more old-world style that, I think, goes really well with food. Rafanelli is always a great choice for Zin - their Cab is very good as well. Coppola (yep, Francis Ford) has been making some outstanding wines in the Director's Reserve line. Corison - from Napa - makes superb Cabs. Teaderman Vineyards, again Napa, was our No. 1 choice for cab at the Taste of Oakville event; stunningly good.

There are tons more - hundreds of wineries in the area - so this is by no means comprehensive and I hope I don't sound like a preacher about it. Just something of an enthusiast. I'll echo Don's offer to join in the party and help show you the area if you get up in the Santa Rosa area.