In Victorian-era novels, the men are always gathering in one room after dinner for cigars and port/sherry while the women split off to do goodness knows what (knit?) elsewhere. We always knew women got the short end of that deal, because we know how delicious port/sherry/madeira can be. Save the crocheting, give us some dessert wine.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, let’s debunk these dessert wine myths: they are all very sweet, they are just for special occasions, they’re just good with cigars. The truth: The men in those novels weren’t drinking ultra-sweet wines, you should really have a bottle in your home most of the time, and they can help make some foods a terrific eating experience.

We tried a variety of dessert wines made all over the world that were sent to us for review. Pair any of these with some goodies and you’ll have a dinner to remember.

Sherry

From the south of Spain, sherry is made from the palomino grape and fortified with a hard spirit, generally grape brandy. It is aged in partially filled oak casks and fractionally blended over many years with younger wine, a method called the solera system.

It’s made in two basic styles: fino and oloroso. Fino sherry is generally lighter and more delicate, fortified to about 15 percent alcohol by volume. A natural yeast called flor is allowed to grow on the surface of the wine during aging, reducing the wine’s acidity and protecting it from oxidation. Oloroso sherries are fortified to a higher level (around 18 percent ABV), which prevents flor development and allows the wine to oxidize.

A third type of sherry called Pedro Ximénez is made from grapes of the same name dried in the sun on grass mats, producing extremely concentrated, sweet wines.

DRY’S PICKS:

Bodegas dios baco amontillado ($20 online)
This aged fino sherry is a light bronze color in the glass with aromas and flavors of honeyed almonds and maple syrup. Medium-bodied and smooth. Pairs well with crème brulée, tres leches or any nut dessert.

Bodegas dios baco oloroso ($20 online)
Deep amber color with aromas and flavors of walnuts, caramel, dried apricots and raisin. The stronger alcohol is apparent and lingering. Great with spiced fruit cake or any caramel and nut dessert.

Bodegas dios baco Oxford 1970 Pedro Ximénez ($16 online)
Deep chocolate color with an intense aroma of Fig Newtons and mocha. Viscous and creamy, mouth-coating. Very sweet flavors of dried fig, raisin and chocolate. Soft, sweet and long finish. Great to pair with chocolate and dried fruit brownies.

Port

From the Douro region of Portugal, Port is made from a blend of native grapes fortified with a neutral grape spirit to make a sweet, high alcohol wine. There are many styles of Port wine, but the two most popular are tawny and ruby. Tawny ports get their color from aging for long periods of time in wooden barrels and often take on a caramel and nut flavor profile. Ruby ports generally spend less time in barrel and therefore retain their deep red color and fruit flavors.

BOLD’S PICKS:

W&J Graham’s 10-year Tawny Port, Portugal ($31.99, Crown Liquors and Total Wine)
Aged for 10 years in oak casks, this is a port to sip and savor, to linger over. On the nose, it’s caramel with honey tinges. On taste, I got honey, plum, dark cherry cordial and a slight cocoa. It’s not overly sweet, is very smooth and has a decently long finish. I paired it with some good dark chocolate and it was terrific.

Cockburn’s Special Reserve Port, Portugal ($ 15.99, Total Wine; $17.99, ABC; $19.95, Crown Liquors)
This is one of the most popular ports sold, and it’s easy to see why – my notes say it tastes "like a warm, delicious bath on your palate." It’s a pretty dark purple wine, almost off-dry, not very sweet. It has a little plum, and a slow warming on taste, and a medium finish. It’s very good with a chocolate truffle, or can also be served with Stilton or gorgonzola cheese, but is equally good by itself.

Madeira
From a volcanic island south of Portugal, this fortified dessert wine can be made from a blend of five different grapes at various levels of sweetness, aged from 3 to 15 years or more. During the aging process, it can spend at least three months in an estufa, or heating chamber, which caramelizes the wine’s sugar and accelerates the aging process. Madeira pairs wonderfully with any chocolate, caramel and nut dessert.

DRY’S PICK:

Blandy’s 10-year-old Malmsey Madeira ($37.99 at Total Wine)
A rich mahogany color with aromas of walnuts, honey, chocolate and caramel. On the palate, similar honey, nuts and dried fruit flavors. Full-bodied and very smooth with a sweet, nutty finish.

Late harvest

As the name suggests, these wines are made with grapes left to hang on the vine later than the typical harvest time, allowing them to continue to ripen and sweeten. Generally, fermentation stops before all of the grapes’ natural sugars have been converted into alcohol, resulting in a sweet wine with a lower alcohol level than a fortified wine. In specific areas with the right climatic conditions, botrytis cinerea, or noble rot can develop on late harvest grapes. This fungus attacks certain varietals like semillon, riesling and others, consuming the water in the grape and concentrating sugars until the grapes look like shriveled raisins. Why someone ever decided to pick these grapes and make wine, I don’t know, but the results are heavenly!

EARTHY’S PICKS:

2009 Susana Balbo Torrontés Late Harvest, Argentina ($30 for 500ml, vineconnections. com)
Vineconnections. com points out, "Late harvest-style wines from arid Mendoza are incredibly rare due to the lack of moisture and botrytis at harvest time."

It has a golden honey color and a nose that’s floral and sweet, but offset by some acidity. That acidity is more evident in the mouth, too, than in the other sweet wines I tasted. Honey and pear are prominent, with tropical fruits and citrus woven in. You won’t typically find me sipping on a sweet wine, but I was taken with the torrontés. It delivered a well-balanced, delicate and silky dessert worthy of drinking. But if you prefer to pair a sweet dish for your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, the key is to serve a dessert that won’t rival the wine. A fruit tart or pie, or even something as simple and sensual as a plate of dates, sweet apples, honey and blue cheeses.

2010 Santi Moscato Montedoro, Italy (SRP $12)
The Santi moscato comes from the Veneto region in northeast Italy, celebrated more for its prosecco than moscato. This moscato’s aroma is subdued, with a hint of sweet citrus, and the real character comes out on the palate. The body is fuller but still manages a delicate character. Just a portion of the moscato grapes used in this wine are left to over ripen on the vine, so it’s not too sugary. It tastes of honeysuckle, pears and a touch of tart apple, even. Its acidity holds a sublime balance to the sweet flavors. Try lightly grilled or roasted pears, peaches and apricots with a drizzle of honey or high-quality, aged Italian balsamic vinegar with a shortcake or vanilla ice cream.

DRY’S PICK:

2009 Chateau du Cosse Sauternes, Bordeaux ($26.99 for 375 ml bottle at Virginia Philip Wine Shop)
The second label of Chateau Rieussex, a premier cru dessert wine. Made from semillon and sauvignon blanc. Fresh, ripe, honeyed fruit of peach and apricot balanced by a vibrant acidity. Long, sweet finish. Great value for Sauternes.

BOLD’S PICK:

2008 Kracher Cuvee Beerenauslese, Burgenland, Austria ($27 online)
This is a beautiful golden nectar, made from 70 percent welschriesling grapes and 30 percent chardonnay. It smells of very sweet honey, with bits of grapefruit, lemon and lime in there. On palate it has a slight tangerine taste, and it was excellent when paired with a mixed berry tart. This is a good sipping dessert wine by itself; Bold was bowled over !

EARTHY’S PICKS:

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Ethos Reserve, Late Harvest White Riesling, Washington ($35 for 375ml on ste-michelle.com)
Sweet apples and pears emanate from the glass with a swirl, and the wine gives up luscious, almost syrupy candied pears and peaches, and honey. This one was a bit cloying for my taste, but I could stand to pour it over vanilla ice cream . If you’re looking for a more impressive presentation, try homemade apple pie, almond biscotti with dried cherries and orange zest, or pound cake topped with vanilla or peach ice cream, real whipped cream, fresh berries, and even shaved white chocolate. (He should fawn over you for eternity.)

The Climber Chardonnay, Clif Family Winery, Calif. ($16.99 per 1.5L box) –
Yes, this is a boxed wine. And a pretty good one, too. This is unoaked chardonnay packaged in an environmentally friendly package. It’s really a white bag of white wine, with holes along the top for both fingers and thumb. It could be hooked from your belt as you ascend the nearest, um, hill in Florida (hence the name Climber), but really just plop it on your fridge’s top shelf and enjoy this wine. The nose is a light citrus, and on taste it’s also light and refreshing with some tropical tinges of grapefruit and a little lemon.

2008 Walter Clore Private Reserve, Columbia-Crest ($35 online) –
This big wine is aged for 30 months in French and American oak, and is made from merlot (57 percent), cabernet sauvignon (32 percent), cabernet franc (8 percent) and malbec (3 percent). It’s got a great big nose of cherry pie and earthy, ripe fruits. On taste it’s big, too, with blackberries and dark cherries and a whole dark-fruit cocktail going on. I paired it with linguine and a red sauce of sausages and onions and it was a terrific meal.

2009 Incognito, Michael David Winery, Lodi, Calif. ($16.99, Total Wine) –
This red wine blend has syrah, cinsault, carignan, mourvedre, petitie sirah, Grenache and tannat in it, so it’s more of a United Nations of wine. All those varietals mixed together resulted in a very pretty, very berry nose. I shared it with a fairly large group of wine drinkers and they tasted lots of berry, slight spice and earthy tones. One person commented it tasted mostly like a shiraz, and the bottle’s logo received some thumbs-up vote for “nifty.” I don’t think the taste knocked our socks off, despite it having seven different grapes inside.

2006 Earthquake Petite Sirah, Lodi Appellation, Calif. ($21.99 Total Wine; $24.93, Crown Wine; $26.99, ABC Fine Wine) –
Made at the Michael David winery (like the Incognito wine also reviewed here), this petite sirah has a big and bold fragrance that wrinkles your nose in a good way. I could smell cocoa, leather, and dark cherry notes. It’s a beautiful wine: dark, opaque with a blood-red, velvet color. On taste, the tannins were evident, so I used an aerator. It has a smooth mouthfeel, and tastes of blackberries and currants. I would buy this again, and enjoy it all over again.

2008 Foppiano Petite Sirah, Russian River, Calif. ($16.49, Total Wine) –
This wine is a big force in the glass, with a powerful nose of cherries and blackberries, and some vanilla in there. On taste, it’s full-bodied and deep, bold and balanced. It’s got a spicy edge to it, which I really liked, along with blackberries, earth, leather and again a touch of vanilla and licorice. This is a not a wine for the shy, because it’s also high in alcohol (about 15.2 percent). But it’s totally worth it. Pair this beauty with some steak or barbecue and you’ll have a meal worth remembering.

2009 Villa Maria Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon, Private Bin, New Zealand ($30.39 online) –
This ruby-purple wine is very pretty, and has a light, cherry nose on it. It’s a mellow, drinking wine that I shared with two wine-loving friends. We had it with brie and crackers and that was a perfect pairing. On taste, we found some strawberry notes and hints of vanilla, but it wasn’t as big as I thought this varietal pairing might prove. It has a nice finish to it, overall just a nice red blend (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec), not a double-starred wine.

2009 Erath Estate Selection Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon ($32 online) – This is Erath’s line of wines made from grapes collected from different vineyards in this valley. It makes for a pretty ruby-colored pinot noir that has a light cherry fruit and cola nose, with a strong cherry/vanilla palate. It’s a well-balanced wine that’s smooth and solid. I’d pair it with duck or chicken or red-sauced pasta. If you want to elevate your pizza dinner to another level, this is the wine to buy. We usually like most of Erath’s wines, and this is no exception. They make very drinkable, affordable wines.

2009 Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo, Salento, Italy ($17.99 online) –
I aerated this wine, because it’s a dark purple primitivo, and I’m glad I did. Two words describe this wine both on nose and palate: fruit bomb. I loved it. On the nose, it’s big, deep, fragrant, sighworthy. It had a Bold nose. It tastes just like it smells: big, bold, with a long finish and chewy fruits. I will buy this again. And again.

2010 McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah ($9.99, Total Wine) –
This isn’t just a Bold wine, it’s a deep wine: deep color, deep nose, deep palate. In other words, I liked it. It’s a purple-black wine, very dark, with a nose of fragrant, dark fruits. One of my sighworthy wines. On taste, it’s big cherry pop, licorice, a little smoky and some root beer (really). It’s a full-boded wine with a long finish that paired very well with high-quality burgers.

2010 Casa Silva Reserva Pinot Noir, Colchagua Valley, Chile ($12 online) –
This is a light-bodied pinot noir that smells of sour cherries (in a good way) and pretty, pink raspberries. On taste, it reminded me of cherry candies; a little too light for my taste in pinot noir. It would be a good wine for someone who is trying to learn about red wines, because it’s not too expensive, big or heavy and would probably be just right for a big white wine drinker.

2007 Hobnob Vineyards Shiraz, France ($9.99 online) –
This wine turned out to be the perfect antidote for a long day at the office. I went home, opened this, took a deep breath and found full cherries and a little earth. Then I took a sip and found cinnamon, a little spice, some more cherries and a nice-bodied wine with a medium finish. This was the first vintage for U.S. sales from this winery and it’s aimed at the young, hip crowd. It’s not too shabby after work for any age! It’s on my “buy again” list.

2009 Mandolin Syrah, Central Coast, Calif. ($11 online) –
A deep purple wine, with a deep nose of brambles and blackberries, this was just terrific with burgers. In fact, I used some of this wine when I made the burgers and it elevated those to a really yummy place. My notes say it’s a serene wine that has unity. On taste, it reflects the nose, very cherry with a smooth mouthfeel. A really, very nice wine. This is on my “you can give this to me as a gift anytime” list. Anyone listening? And you can’t beat the price.

2009 Caldora Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy ($9 online) –
Here’s a food-friendly wine that’s also under $10 – what’s not to like? This Italian red blend has a light bouquet with faint cherry and a little cocoa on the nose. Sipping brings an off-dry, red fruit taste, specifically sour cherries, light currants and a little cola. It’s great with cheeses or pizza or red-sauce pasta dishes. If you get a chance, I’d recommend trying this medium-bodied wine.

2009 Tamas Estates Double Decker Red, Central Coast, Calif. ($8.99 ABC Wines) –
This blend of cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah and barbera (it was a Bold blend for sure) had a light cherry nose, so I wasn’t sure it would live up to Bold billing. On taste, it had some zippy spice, and proved to be a good, casual sipping wine. It’s comparable to a good house red in Italy or France, as it was good with food, too. It’s a medium-bodied wine that’s not pretentious and, for the price, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never turned my nose up at a good white Burgundy. But Cali chard? Puh-lease! To say that it’s not my style is an understatement.

In the past few years, through wine samples and online tastings, I’ve noticed a swing away from the typical California trend – winemakers experimenting with cool climate regions and steel fermentation, preventing malolactic fermentation, and a more subtle use of oak. Perhaps my previous snub to the stereotype was keeping me from appreciating some quality juice. I realized it was time to re-evaluate.

So expect a few more Cali-chard recommendations in 2012, starting with these. Both wines provide a great example of the different styles one grape can produce, based on region and winemaking practices. These two wines also show how food pairing comes into play, with distinct flavor profiles calling for different matches on the plate.

The wine: 2009 Foley Steel Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, Calif.($27 at ABC)

This is about as far away from the Cali-style as one can get and still be in the state. Although Santa Barbara County is one of the southernmost wine regions in California, the unique Santa Rita Hills AVA provides an ultra-cool growing climate with brisk ocean breezes and maritime fog.

The Foley Steel Chardonnay preserves that cool, crisp acidity by fermenting in stainless steel and not allowing malolactic fermentation to take place (malolactic fermentation means the fresh, crisp malic acid naturally present in the grapes is converted into a softer, buttery lactic acid). These winemaking decisions lead to a wine with a fresh and crisp style, without the traditional buttery character found in many Cali chards.

The pale, straw-colored wine has a fresh and very juicy nose of apple, peach, papaya and lime with hints of minerality.

The fruit flavors are very ripe, but balanced by a crisp acidity. It’s medium/full-bodied and fruity on the palate with a clean, dry finish.

The alcohol by volume (14.3 percent ) was higher than I expected for a cool climate white. In hindsight, my food pairing of a mixed green salad with pomegranate, honey-glazed pecans and goat cheese was a bit light for this wine.

While the freshness of the dish did pair nicely with the freshness of the wine, a tropical fruit salad with fresh shrimp or crabmeat, or some type of ceviche would have made a better pairing. The pairing was good, but not great.

The wine: 2009 Clos Pegase Mitsuko’s Vineyard Chardonnay, Carneros ($19 at Total Wine, $24 at ABC)

Those who like a more typical California chardonnay should definitely try this single vineyard wine from Clos Pegase.

The wine gives you a hint of creamy butter from malolactic fermentation and sur lie aging, and some smoky oak aromas from eight months of aging in a mix of new French and neutral oak barrels. But these elements are definitely kept in check against fresh, ripe fruit flavors.

The bright golden-hued glass exudes warm aromas of vanilla, crème caramel and buttered popcorn but still feels fresh on the nose. There are also plenty of apple, banana, peach and pear fruits to balance the warm elements.

On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied and round with nicely integrated oak. There’s a bit of crisp citrus on the finish and a kick of alcohol (14.1 percent ) warms the chest on the dry, lingering finish.

The creaminess and weight of this wine call for a heavier dish with complementary flavors. I chose to pair it with a butternut squash and sage soup .

This time, the pairing was right on! The butternut squash soup had a rich flavor from the squash and chicken broth base and a nice weight to complement the wine, without getting too heavy. There’s actually no cream used in this recipe at all, so it’s also pretty healthy. And the sage breadcrumbs are delicious – do not leave these out.

Butternut Squash and Sage Soup with Sage Breadcrumbs

Serves: 6

FOR THE SOUP:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled seeded butternut squash
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced
5 to 6 cups chicken stock or 5 to 6 cups organic chicken broth

FOR THE BREADCRUMBS:
2 crustless slices fresh whole grain wheat bread, torn
4 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

For the soup: Melt butter with oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, parsley and sage; sauté until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add squash and coarse salt; sauté until squash softens and onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add 5 cups stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until squash is very soft, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender, allowing some texture to remain. Return soup to pot. Thin with stock, if desired. Season with pepper and more salt, if desired.

Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.

For the breadcrumbs: Place bread in processor; blend until fine crumbs form but some slightly coarser crumbs remain. Cook butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Add breadcrumbs and sage. Cook until crumbs are crisp, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Do ahead: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature.

Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Recipe by Deborah Madison, epicurious.com, printed in Bon Appétit, February 2008

Judges Jenny Benzie and Keith Higdon smell one of the many wines they judged. (J. Gwendolynne Berry/The Palm Beach Post)

“I love American wines,” says Gherman, a certified sommelier involved with the wine industry for more than 25 years, “I’ve had a lot of opportunities to travel, but I think that American wines are so wonderful and when you visit the winery, there’s the mom and dad and kids – they are farming! They are farmers producing this beautifully elegant product that makes every meal better.”

Now in its fifth year, the American Fine Wine Competition includes more than 600 wines entered, a panel of two dozen super-palates to judge, and $430,000 raised for charity from the event’s annual galas.

Here’s a look behind the scenes of this year’s VIP kick-off party and the 2012 judging. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 2012 American Fine Wine Competition Gala on April 19.

Notes from opening night
By Swirl Girl Bold – Lynn Kalber

Earthy and I attended the AFWC’s opening reception at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, where a cocktail-attired crowd of about 200 sipped award-winning wines from the 2011 competition. Amid calla-lily-decked tables of hors d’oeuvres, one bottle of each award-winning wine from last year was poured, so there were sudden table swarms when a notable bottle was opened.

The big-name and most popular wines went first, of course. (Except that we did notice corked bottles kept under the tables being stealthily handed to some of the “special” attendees.)

“All gone,” said a pourer to a request for some 2007 Red Cap Vineyards vino, which won a 2011 silver award. “Drat!” said the attendee, who was placated with a glass of 2005 Artesa Vineyards merlot, also a silver medal winner.

By far the most interesting part of the evening was the sabrage demonstration. The 2012 women judges were on stage with sabers. Each took a bottle of sparkling wine and, in tandem, they slid their sabers up the bottle’s neck and with one move took off the bottle’s glass collar and the cork. Wine rushed out in an arc, and the crowd rushed the stage with empty glasses uplifted. It was impressive, and yes, there’s a technique to doing it correctly. I’m not going to try that at home!

The 2012 female judges demonstrate sabrage, in which a saber is slid up a Champagne bottle's neck and with one move took removes the bottle’s glass collar, cage and cork. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

*****

In the judges’ chambers – notes from the 2012 competition
By Swirl Girl Dry – J. Gwendolynne Berry

Getting down to business were 24 wine judges at the Boca Raton Country Club, who were swirling, sipping and spitting their way through 600-plus wines in two days. It’s a who’s who of largely South Florida wine educators, buyers and sommeliers.

I arrive just before lunch and join a panel of judges including Jenny Benzie, CEO of Pour Sip Savor, an assemblage of sommelier service; Keith Higdon, general manager at Tryst in Delray Beach; Stephanie Miskew, a certified sommelier, wine educator and author of The Glamorous Gourmet blog; and Don Derocher, sommelier at The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale. They are on their 7th flight of the day, a group of eight pinot noirs from Carneros and California’s Central Coast.

The judging moves at a quick clip. After a few minutes of silent tasting and note taking, the panel comes together to rate each wine. In most cases, the wine will receive a bronze, silver or gold medal, an average of the group’s individual ratings. If every judge in the panel individually rates the wine as “gold”, it receives a “double gold” medal and can be entered to win a Best of Class or Best of Show medal.

More than 90 percent of the wines entered receive medals, and the judges believe it’s due to the competition’s invite-only policy. Co-founders Gherman and the Preisers taste wine throughout the year for possible inclusion and only those that pass a certain quality threshold are allowed to enter. There are also minimum price points for each type of wine (generally, white wines must sell for at least $15 and reds for $20 to $23, depending on varietal), although exceptions are sometimes made. “We are careful about who we invite,” says Gherman, “Those wines that I think will fit and medal, I invite. We look for the best of the best.”

“The first year there were some dooseys,” admits Benzie, who has judged the competition all five years. “We do still get some random wines, but the quality of the wines over the years has definitely improved. When judging, it’s not one in comparison to the other, we have to focus on each wine individually – the price point, the variety, the region – is it balanced in acid, tannins, alcohol and fruit? Is there elegance or breed? In the higher price categories I expect length, complexity and depth and I think about how well it will age.”

In the case of the pinot noir flight, the group awarded one bronze, five silver and two gold medals.

Next up was a flight of seven syrahs from the West coast, priced between $23-$35. A few swirls, sniffs, quiet ‘mmmms’ and one ‘wow!’ later, it’s time to discuss. There’s mostly agreement until they reach number 5 in the lineup. The two ladies score it bronze while the men are at a silver and gold. But the disagreements don’t seem to ruffle any feathers.

“There was a great sense of camaraderie among the judges at each table and it was fun working as part of team,” says Miskew, who joined the competition as a judge for the first time this year, “If there wasn’t 100 percent consensus on a particular wine, we worked it out and came to an agreement that worked for everyone.”

In the case of this syrah, Benzie argues it tastes more like a blend than a “true” expression of the varietal, and based on that, the judges agree to award a bronze.

Onto the next wine, and Benzie gives a resounding, “GOOOOOOLD!”, with a hand in the air like she’s cheering on her favorite sports team. The others aren’t so sure it’s quite there, but Benzie’s talking a really good game and they decide to re-taste.

“The color is full and rich, it’s got a concentrated nose and a juicy palate. It’s got good texture, weight and length. This is really well done.” The others agree and it receives the group’s first double-gold medal of the day.

****

The results

Of the 635 wines entered, 79 bronze, 300 silver, 157 gold and 49 double gold medals were awarded. Most of the wines came from California regions, but there were also winners from Oregon, Washington, Ohio, New York, Virginia and Texas. Twelve “Best of Class” and two “Best of Show” medals were awarded after a second judging of all double-gold medal winners. The complete list of results can be seen here.

Best of Class Awards:
2007 Peju Province Winery Cabernet Franc Reserve, Rutherford
2009 Mumm Napa Chardonnay, Carneros
2009 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Paso Robles
2008 Rocca Family Vineyards Merlot, Yountville
2007 Merriam Vineyards Miktos Bordeaux Blend, Sonoma
2009 Jada Vineyard & Winery Hell’s Kitchen blend, Paso Robles
2010 Ledson Winery & Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley
2005 Mumm Napa DVX sparkling wine, Napa Valley
2008 Sol Rouge Syrah
2010 Ferrante Golden Bunches, Ohio
10-year-old Noble Companion Tawny, Prager WSinery & Port Works
2009 Gluttony, Michael David Winery

Best of Show White: 2009 Castello di Amorosa Il Passito Reserve, Late Harvest, North Coast

Notes from Jenny Benzie: “Not as syrupy as Sauternes or Barsac, but something more Alsatian – apricot, honeysuckle, just enough sweetness and viscosity that it wasn’t sticky sweet and would pair well with a dessert (not overpower it). My whole panel was discussing the virtue of a good dessert wine and how they are an afterthought at many establishments, as are desserts, and the price point on the menu should be advantageous to sample one or two at the end of the night (especially since they are half the size pour of a regular still wine by the glass).

Best of Show Red: 2009 La Follette Manchester Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mendocino Ridge

Notes from Jenny Benzie: “This wine was really impressive – balance, elegance, showing the fruit structure you expect from California, without the high-alcohol and ‘processed’ winemaking characteristics you sometimes find (if you need clarification on ‘processed,’ just think about processed food from a can in a syrup versus eating a fresh, ripe piece of fruit that is in season). This is a wine I am going to put my request in for now!”

*****

The American Fine Wine Competition offers plenty of upcoming opportunities for the public to taste their award-winning wines. Check the americanfinewinecompetition.org events page for details. The annual Gala happens on April 19, at the Boca Resort & Club, starring celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse with a live cooking demonstration, and an auction presided over by Late Night with David Letterman announcer, Alan Kalter. Tickets are $300 and a portion of each ticket is donated to the Diabetes Research Institute & The Golden Bell Education Foundation.

2010 Foppiano Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc – Russian River Valley ($15 online)
A fresh, lively nose with a lot of lemon, lime, white grapefruit and cut grass aromas. On the palate, the wine is very tart and crisp but has a nice weight to it. A zingy little wine that would go well with ceviche or other light seafood fare.

2009 Columbia Crest H3 Les Chevaux – Horse Heaven Hills ($11 online)
I am a big fan of Columbia Crest’s H3 line. This blend of cavbernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, malbec and cabernet franc has aromas of dark fruits like blackberry and blueberry with notes of dark chocolate, coffee and baking spices. The wine has a lush and round mouthfeel with integrated tannins, a nice balance of acidity and a dry finish. A very approachable and enjoyable wine, great value for the price.

2009 Columbia Crest H3 Chardonnay – Horse Heaven Hills ($15.99 at ABC)
Another nice wine from the H3 line, this chardonnay is a bright lemon color in the glass with a nose of caramel covered Cracker Jacks, ripe banana, baked apple, coconut, vanilla and toasted marshmallows. It tastes just as good as it sounds, a round, creamy wine with a nice balance of acidity.

Mumm Napa Cuveé M sparkling wine – Napa Valley ($15.99 at ABC, $17.99 at Total Wine)
A light, crisp sparkler with fresh apple and ripe, juicy pear flavors with a hint of citrus. The ripe fruit flavors are balanced with a zesty acidity on the palate and a fruity, off-dry finish. This is a great option for those turned off by the Brut style.

2010 Mondavi Pinot Noir – Carneros ($26.99 at Total Wine)
A soft nose of black cherry, grilled herbs and black tea. On the palate, the wine has similar black cherry and herb flavors with a slight sourness to the fruit, soft tannins and a bite of acidity. A simple, but pleasant wine, though at the price point there are other pinots I’d recommend.

2008 Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec – Mendoza ($8.99 at ABC and Total, $9.95 at Crown)
Very juicy raspberry and blackberry fruit greets the nose. The wine is equally juicy and full on the palate, practically overflowing with berry flavors but with a nice balance of acidity and integrated tannins.

2011 Michel Torino Malbec Rosé – Mendoza (SRP $13)
Made from malbec grapes at 1,700 meters above sea level, the wine is a coral color in the glass with a nose of cherry, raspberry and spice. It’s full bodied on the palate with slightly sour fruit flavors of cherry and red apple skin, a high acidity and a kick of alcohol. Not my favorite rosé.

2010 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc – Marlborough, NZ ($12.97 at Total Wine, $13.99 at ABC, $14.97 for 2011 vintage at Crown)
This is a go-to wine that I’ve sipped on numerous times in the past few years. On the nose, I got a bunch of citrus and exotic fruits like white grapefruit, lime, tart pineapple and passionfruit, as well as a very green character of fresh herbs and cut grass. I found the fruit notes to be slightly more tart in this vintage than in previous years. For example, the grapefruit was more white and sour in flavor than the usual sweet pink grapefruit notes associated with New Zealand SB’s. On the palate, the wine shows flavors of white grapefruit, lime, herbs and grass, a very crisp acidity and a clean, tart and very dry finish.

2010 Seghesio Pinot Grigio – Russian River Valley, California ($14 online)
The Seghesio family has been making wine in California since 1886, when Edoardo Seghesio left his family vineyards in Piedmont. To this day, the winery makes a variety of Italian varietals, like this pinot grigio. The wine has a lively nose of crisp, fresh apple and bright lemon with mineral notes. It has a nice weight in the mouth with a wonderful balance of ripe fruit and crisp acidity. A refreshing wine with a clean, dry finish.

2009 Pandemonium Red Blend – California ($11 online)
This one wins the “dump down the drain” award of the year. A blend of zinfandel, malbec, petit verdot and merlot from the generic “California” AVA, this wine has a ruby color in the glass and smells like Maneshevitz. There’s really not much to like here. A bland, grapey flavor without any tannic support, I’d perhaps use it in sangria or as a last ditch bottle when guests are too intoxicated to know the difference.

A few wines from Swirl Girl Earthy:

2007 Conn Creek Cab, Truchard Vineyard, Carneros, Napa Valley ($45 at conncreek.com)
What a weave of aromas… black cherry, plum, raspberry, oak and vanilla. The first thing I notice on the palate is how very smooth it feels, like a velour blanket on a chilly autumn day. It’s complex, but carries a fabulous balance in its strong structure, softened tannins, and ripe black cherry and currant fruits. The oak comes through near the finish. Surprisingly, it’s a cab that’s easy-going, but it reminds you it’s also a cab from an outstanding vintage and will have a long life in the bottle.

2010 Tikal Natural Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($20 SRP, online)
This one’s a beauty in the glass: deep ruby with a hint of purple. The aroma is of luscious red berries with undertones of licorice and coffee. It’s pretty much a fruit bomb on the palate, from front to back. It tastes slightly out of balance, as if it needs some more acidity to dance with the grandstanding fruit. But it was fresh, and almost as lively as the enchanting artwork of a “passionate dancing couple” (as described in the wine’s spec sheet) on the label. I’d consider this a simpler malbec, in the way it tastes and in the way it drinks. Not only is this 100 percent malbec, but it’s 100 percent organic grapes, so you can feel good drinking it, too.

2008 Clif Family Winery, Gary’s Improv, Zinfandel, Napa Valley ($28 at cliffamilywinery.com)
From the family first famous for their Clif energy bars (my best friend and companion during training runs), come products from the vine, which they began making in 2004.

I picked up red and black fruits in the aroma, including cherry, raspberry and blackberry. I swear it smelled like a Jolly Rancher hard candy. (And I don’t mean that in a negative way.) A little bit of pepper and exotic spice combine with the brambly taste that is typical of many zinfandels. It’s got some powerful tannins, too. While I enjoyed drinking this wine, at a suggested retail of $28 I can think of other zins more worthy of that price tag.

2007 Haras Character, Maipo Valley, Chile ($20 at harasdepirque.com)
The Haras is a blend of 40 percent cabernet sauvignon, 37 percent carmenere, 10 percent syrah and 13 percent cabernet franc.

There are lots of berries in the aroma, most prominent being blackberry. There are spice and herbs, too, which carry over to the palate, but the big fruit on the nose doesn’t carry over as much. There are oak and earth undertones and strong tannins. It was a little sharp on the palate up front, but I would venture to say that with more time in the glass, it will soften and show more elegance.

2009 Foppiano Vineyards, Lot 96, Petite Sirah, Sonoma County ($12.50 at foppiano.com)
With an almost opaque, deep ruby color, I expected the aroma to be much more robust. But even after multiple swirls of the glass, it still remained gentle. What was most powerful were the juicy berries on the nose! Blackberries, blueberries and sweet baking spices… my mouth watered over the fresh blueberry pie I thought I was smelling.

The anticipation ended there, however. Although the berries were bombshells up front, the flavors dissipated quickly. The body was thin and light on acidity and complexity. There was no “oomph,” or passion in the wine. It was pleasant, but uninspiring, and I expected more from a petite sirah.

Earthy's girlfriends were all too pleased to help her taste through some highly rated and high-priced wines. From left, Holly Lathrop, Linda Morton and Beth Valenza. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

When a windfall of highly rated and high-priced wines lands in your lap, there seems to be only one logical and charitable thing to do.

Call the girlfriends. (And they were all too pleased to answer the call.)

So I kicked off an evening of wine and women with a Sonoma pinot, an Italian brunello, a Napa cab and blend, and Beth, Holly and Linda.

While we didn’t plan any specific pairings (although I did make a mushroom risotto thinking it might be a good complement to the wines), we each made food to share and taste beside each of the wines.

First on our enviable list was the 2009 de Coelo Pinot Noir, Terra Neuma Vineyard, from Sonoma Coast ($75 benziger.com). "De coelo" in Spanish means "of heaven" and there could be no more fitting name for this wine. The nose is very fragrant, with more spice than fruit, but the fruit makes a sophisticated entrance on the palate. Linda picked up blackberry, along with the black cherry, raspberry, cinnamon and vanilla that we all swooned over. It’s so very soft and delicate, yet maintains a firm structure and complexity. Nibbling on olive toasts with Port Salut cheese brought out the earthy character of the wine and even more applause for it. And pumpkin ravioli, courtesy of Linda, proved another good partner with its savory flavors and crème fraîche.

Dry Gwen made these notes on the de Coelo in a separate tasting: "Made by Benziger winery with fruit sourced from the Demeter-certified biodynamic Terra Neuma Vineyard. A deep, ruby color, this wine has a full and aromatic aroma of sweet strawberry and red and black cherries and berries with herbal, cola and licorice notes. This is a big pinot with a soft and smooth mouthfeel and a long finish. A complex and very enjoyable wine."

We moved on to Italy and the 2006 Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino (listed at $61; from $35 online). This vintage for the Tuscan region of Montalcino was rated outstanding by Wine Spectator, and the wine itself scored high from both WS and Wine Advocate (which is why I had my eyes, and claws, on this bottle.) Made from 100 percent sangiovese, the brunello’s nose opened up to a soft fragrance of red berries and oak. The mouthfeel is more dry and the tannins more prominent than the pinot. The layers of flavors are powerful, although with three years aging in oak, and then two more in the bottle, the tannins are well-rounded and have softened a bit. It’s highly enjoyable and a consummate example of a fine sangiovese. (I would love to be able to taste it again in another few years.)

While the brunello was too acidic for the ravioli and the risotto, it stood up well to the pungent herbs and garlic in Beth’s rosemary pesto spread.

More prominent fruits took the stage again when we tasted the 2007 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($54.97, Crown; $58.99, ABC). Blackberry, blueberry and vanilla were woven together with herbal essences. The rich fruit is elegantly balanced by the acidity. It has firm structure, yet velvet texture to the tannins. This is your perfectly poised, well-manicured man in his perfectly tailored suit, with a subtle smile and grace. We found the mushroom risotto too earthy for the fruit in the Artemis, but pumpkin pie, with its sweet spices, proved to be the other half of an impeccable couple. (Beth preferred this wine on its own, though, no culinary partners needed.)

I was so inspired by the 2007 Franciscan Estate Magnificat, Napa Valley ($43.99 at Total Wine), that it was my suggestion in the category, "Wine for the serious wine lover," for the Swirl Girls holiday gift guide.

The Magnificat is a meritage, California’s proprietary answer to a Bordeaux-style blend, and consists of 71 percent cabernet sauvignon, 26 percent merlot, 2 percent petit verdot and 1 percent malbec. Dreamy aromas of luscious dark berries, plum, vanilla and clove lifted from the glass as we swirled. It’s bold and complex on the palate with layers of those rich berries, mocha and licorice. Like the Artemis, the acidity is in harmony; it’s smooth, refined and sophisticated. And although the starch in the risotto again couldn’t stand up to the fruit-forward power of the Magnificat, nibbles of ravioli and pie were just the accompaniment.

As were the toasts to "wine and women!"

It’s also known as the Taste of Compassion event, Monday at CityPlace’s Harriet Himmel Theater, which benefits the Quantum House. We will be there with some yummy vino to pair with food from some well-known area restaurants, such as Paddy Mac’s, Verdea, The Breakers, Talay Thai, Sailfish Point Country Club, Hoffman’s Chocolates and more.

This is one of our favorite events, because of the quality of the wine, the food, the cause and yes, the people. Stop by, say “hello,” and discover what wines we’re pouring. We’ll be dipping into some great-tasting wines: Eroica Riesling, Ruffino Prosecco, Coppola Director’s Cut Chardonnay, Erath Pinot Noir, Coppola Director’s Cut Cabernet Sauvignon and the Antinori Toscana Red.

Join us for either early VIP admission ($125 ticket, starting at 6 p.m., gives you one hour early with special wine/food pairing) or general admission ($75 ticket, starting at 7 p.m.) and stick around for the silent and live auctions and raffle. Tickets are sold at www.quantumhouse.org. For more info, call (561) 494-0515.

Here’s to an economically sound 2012 – except for the occasional fabulous, more expensive wine that we just have to drink once in a while. Because life is for living!

2009 Estancia Zinfandel, Keyes Canyon Ranch, Paso Robles ($10.99 Total Wine)

Bold: Now I love my Paso Robles wine, that area having been one of my passions in 2011, so I was looking forward to this wine from artisan winemakers. It had a solid, good, clean taste with a little plum, some deep cherry and faint smokiness. It’s a full-bodied wine with a deep and smoky nose. It finishes well and would be great with any meat dishes.

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Syrah, Columbia Valley ($10.99 Total Wine)

Bold: This Washington winery produces one of my favorite sparkling wines (the brut) and it scores with other varietals, too. This syrah didn’t need an aerator, had a slightly spicy cherry nose, and tasted of mild spice and darker berries. It was smooth and even-keeled with wonderful spice/clove notes. It was a superb food wine and complemented my spicy sausage and Spanish rice dish .

2009 Erath Pinot Noir, Oregon ($14.97 Total Wine; $19.99 ABC online; $17.97 Crown online)

Earthy: The Erath pinot is a light shade of garnet and has a lovely sweet aroma with cherry and cinnamon. Like a just-baked cherry pie. It has a light-medium body with soft earthy notes up front and cherry and raspberry on the back end. All of the flavors were propped up with a gentle dose of acidity. That $15 price tag is a tremendous value for such an impressive pinot. This is one I’d want multiple bottles of in the cabinet.

2010 Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc, Northern Sonoma ($10.99 Total Wine and ABC)

Earthy: A pale yellow color with aromas of lime and grass, it actually smelled juicy. It has a bright, yet tame acidity with citrus flavors, predominantly grapefruit. This is a friendly, appealing wine, and while its subdued acidity makes it a great match for food, it’s just as good for sipping by itself. And that price makes it an even better as an everyday sipper.

2007 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon ($25 Total Wine)

Sweet: This Napa Valley wine had a deep, rich raspberry smell, beautiful balance and nice, well-integrated tannins. The alcohol is a little bit high and the wine ran a bit hot. A heavy use of oak made it a bit awkward now, though it may smooth over with a few years in the bottle.

2007 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Collins Holystone Vineyard, Napa ($24.99 Total Wine; $23.95 Crown; $27.99 ABC)

Bold: This is a limited-production series that lives up to the expectations of something that’s "limited" – it’s a big, juicy red fruit-forward wine on the nose, and a tasty, zingy, spicy mouth full of yummy (that’s what my notes say!). It has some nice undertones of earth and cola. I’d buy this to go with a pizza or a nice rack of lamb.

JOIN US AT TASTE OF COMPASSION

One thing we take seriously is lending a hand to help others. And, when it’s helping provide a home for families whose children are receiving medical treatment in Palm Beach County, and that’s combined with great wine and wonderful food, we call that serendipity.

It’s also known as the Taste of Compassion event, Monday at CityPlace’s Harriet Himmel Theater, which benefits the Quantum House. We will be there with some yummy vino to pair with food from some well-known area restaurants, such as Paddy Mac’s, Verdea, The Breakers, Talay Thai, Sailfish Point Country Club, Hoffman’s Chocolates and more.

This is one of our favorite events, because of the quality of the wine, the food, the cause and yes, the people. Stop by, say "hello," and discover what wines we’re pouring. We’ll be dipping into Eroica Riesling, Ruffino Prosecco, Coppola Director’s Cut Chardonnay, Erath Pinot Noir, Coppola Director’s Cut Cabernet Sauvignon and the Antinori Toscana Red.

Join us for either early VIP admission ($125 ticket, starting at 6 p.m., gives you one hour early with special wine/food pairing) or general admission ($75 ticket, starting at 7 p.m.) and stick around for the silent and live auctions and raffle. Tickets are sold at www.quantumhouse.org. For more info, call (561) 494-0515.

2009 Arnaldo Caprai Grecante Grechetto dei Colli Martani – Umbria ($16 online)
A fresh, clean and minerally nose without much fruit presence. Subtle apple notes on the palate but mostly an earthy, minerally wine with a medium body, nice acidity and very dry, clean finish.

2010 Tormaresca Roycello Fiano – Salento ($18 online)
A pale straw color in the glass, this dry Italian white has aromas of white flowers, pear and citrus with mineral notes. It’s a medium-bodied and dry white wine that is fresh and simple.

2009 Tenutae Lageder Porer Pinot Grigio – Alto Adige ($20 online)
Made from Demeter-certified biodynamic grapes from the Porer vineyard, this pale straw-colored wine has a fresh nose of white flowers and citrus with mineral notes. It’s lemon, apple skin and very floral on the palate with ripe flavors, a medium body and a zingy acidity with a dry finish. An elegant and flavorful wine, it was great with a seafood pasta marinara.

2010 Tormaresca Chardonnay – Puglia ($8 online)
A bright lemon color with a pleasant lemon, apple and pear aroma and subtle buttery notes. On the palate, the wine has a nice acidity with mineral and floral notes to compliment the fruit. The finish is clean and dry. A simple chardonnay, but very nice for the price.

Reds:

2007 San Leonino Chianti Classico – Tuscany ($15 online)
A simple but classic Chianti with aromas of red fruit like sour cherries and raspberries, and a strong wood and earth component. On the palate, the wine is bright and fruity with soft tannins and a short, sour cherry finish. It’s got a nice acidity and matched nicely with a dish of quinoa topped with sautéed onions, tomato, basil, garlic and capers, served with chicken.

2005 Lungarotti Vigna Monticchio Rubesco Riserva – Torgiano, Umbria ($60 online)
A blend of 70 percent sangiovese and 30 percent canaiolo from the Monticchio vineyard in the Torgiano region, this is the wine that put Umbria on the map. Giorgio Lungarotti created the Rubesco forty years ago and it became Umbria’s first DOC wine. Nowadays, his daughters Teresa and Chiara carry on his tradition.

Even with one year aged in oak and another six to seven years in the bottle, the wine is still a relative baby and could use a decade or more to evolve in the cellar. A subtle but complex nose of black cherry, dusty earth, cinnamon, cedar box and dried flowers. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied with fine but firm tannins and a very dry, lingering finish.

Happy Swirling in 2012! ~ Swirl Girl Dry

CURRENT SIP: Non-Vintage Gruet Brut, New Mexico

“Gruet is a wonderful producer of great value sparkling wines. The brut is very crisp and dry, bursting with flavors of apple and citrus. The family who produces this wine is from Champagne. They came to New Mexico to chase the American dream and to be able to work outside the strict French wine regulations. This vineyard is very high altitude, 4300 feet, so no matter how hot it is during the day, it cools at night and preserves the acidity in the wine. And the sandy soils mean they don’t have to use any pesticides. Plus, the wine is from New Mexico, which is a weird region where really nothing else is from. When’s the next time you’ll get to try a wine from New Mexico?

PAIR IT WITH: “A blood orange salad with mixed greens and a light dressing or a cold lobster salad would be great. It pairs well with a wide variety of foods, from fresh shucked oysters to ceviche and any food with a citrus or tart influence, or just for celebration!”

PRICE: $14.99 at Total Wine

Swirl Girl Dry (J. Gwendolynne Berry, left) enjoys a tasting party with her fellow Winettes. (Post file photo)

If your holidays were anything like the Swirl Girls’, you probably drank your share of good wine, including some glasses of sparkling or Champagne.

I hope you found some new favorites, but if you didn’t, here goes: It’s a new year, people, and that means new opportunities in the big, wide world of wine!

This list of five New Year wine resolutions is for you, and me, too.

I’m going to adopt all of them and if you do, too, by next December, we both will have learned a lot and had fun doing it.

Wine resolution No. 1: Pair wines with specific foods

This means thinking about what you’ll make for dinner by starting with what kind of wine you want to serve. Not what kind you have in the house (that’s no fun), but what kind you’d like to have if you could choose from many varietals.

Select wines before you select foods. Several sites can help. (Courtesy matchingfoodandwine.com)

Then research what foods go with the wine (two good websites for this are www.foodandwinepairing.org and www.matchingfoodandwine.com) . I like this approach because it usually solves the problem of, "What are we eating tonight?" My answer is given to me when I choose the wine first.

Wine resolution No. 2: Try a new varietal

This may be combined with No. 1, so you’ll hit two resolutions in one meal. Score! Walk through a wine store with an employee, or a grocery store that has a wine department manager. Tell them what you like to eat. Tell them the varietals you’ve already tasted. Ask them for something different. They love to help direct customers to new tastes. It’s a favorite part of my Swirl Girl job, too!

You can pick up wine magazines to help with suggestions. Food & Wine’s January 2012 issue names its best new Chiantis, the top three being: 2009 Selvapiana Chianti Rufina ($17), the 2009 Castellare Chanti Classico ($23) and the 2008 Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Colledila ($65).

Wine resolution No. 3: Host a tasting party

This is easier than it sounds, mainly because I’m betting most of your invitees will know as much or less about wine than you do. Either buy about six different kinds of wine, or assign each person to bring one specific varietal. If your guests bring the bottles, also ask them to find out a little info about what they’re bringing. Then all you have to do is have enough wine glasses, and put out some bread and cheeses.

If you don’t want a big crowd, but want to try other varietals, there are now small tasting sets offered. One is featured in the January 2012 issue of O Magazine: White Essentials Super Flight, with six mini-bottles from different wineries with three different varietals; $59 (on sale) or $56 through Oprah’s website.

Wine resolution No. 4: Know how to keep open bottles stored

This sounds odd, but I add it because it’s one of the most-asked questions at our Swirl-Ups, and it can add to your wine experience, specifically by allowing red wines to open further over the course of a day or two.

Here is our advice: Cork them tightly (or use the many kinds of stoppers available) and keep all opened bottles of wine in the refrigerator. If it’s a red wine, it will keep at least a week (or so we’ve heard, none of us ever has an open bottle around that long!); if it’s white, only two to three days.

With either kind, pour a glass and let it warm up a bit before trying. Or use opened wine in food, but only use what’s still good enough to drink. Spoiled wine doesn’t taste better when used in cooking.

Wine resolution No. 5: Travel to a known wine region – New York, Virginia, California, Europe

This is easier to do than you might think, because wineries exist in the majority of our 50 states. The most well-known places are listed above; we think visiting a winery will probably end up on your most-liked experience list. Visit a lovely chateau/house/compound, have a fascinating tour about winemaking and then try some good wines. What’s not to like?

Above all, have some fun with wine this year – explore and discover new favorites, and share them with others.

The Swirl Girls wish you a happy 2012, albeit with just three of us right now. Our own Sweet, Libby Volgyes, has moved on to a new job, outside the newspaper but still in the area. We will miss her stories and columns – and sparkling personality! – but we hope that she’ll make public guest appearances with us in the future.

CURRENT SIP:
2009 Llai Llai Pinot Noir from Bio Bio, Chile

“I’m two hours from a 20K- calorie long weekend. So I’m looking for a wine that is not too heavy and is void of heavy tannins, cloying sweetness and sharp acidity. These components usually react or conflict with food. The go-to for this purpose is usually French wine, something from Bordeaux or Northern Rhone. This year I’m going south with Llai Llai Pinot Noir.

“Although not French, this pinot noir is made in the very cool climate region of Bio Bio, Chile, bordering the Patagonia. It’s Chile/French fusion. Bright cherry berry character from the Chile sunshine, with silky Burgundy texture and well integrated acidity.”

PAIR IT WITH: “I like this wine with hearty beef and veal stock-based sauces with chicken and fish.”

PRICE: The wine retails from $10.99 to $12.99 at Total Wine “and is a favorite by-the-glass selection at many Palm Beach County restaurants.”

From Earthy:

2009 Biltmore Reserve Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ($24.99 online shop.biltmore.com/)

Now this is a pinot with sass, if there can be such a thing. Candied cherries and raspberries on the aroma, with cherry, oak and vanilla in a round and gentle body. It’s your comforting, upstanding friend with a slight tendency toward mischief. This wine’s got attitude, but it still remains a little reserved and subdued.

2010 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre, France (online from $23.99)

This French sauvignon blanc has a nose with a delicate floral scent, but also gives up lemon and freshly-mowed grass. The light-medium body has a crisp acidity and carries lemon and grapefruit, but it’s not overly tart. It actually has a delicate mouthfeel, a short finish and is so very easy to enjoy. A Sunday brunch kind of wine in my book.

From Sweet:

2009 Seghesio Old Vine Carignane ($28 at seghesio.com)

Big, dark, beautiful. Dark fruits, rich stewed plums and a touch of mint flavor this heavy wine. It was a touch alcoholic but it felt in character with the wine. It had a spicy, lingering finish. This is a brooding wine but not dangerous. Delicious with burgers, pizza, red sauces or a very hot day.

2007 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon ($25 Total Wine)

This Napa Valley wine under $30 had a deep, rich raspberry smell, beautiful balance and nice, well-integrated tannins. The alcohol is a little bit high and the wine ran a bit hot. A heavy usage of oak made it a bit awkward now though that might change and smooth over with a few years in the bottle.

2009 Flora Springs Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, Napa Valley ($29.98 winelibrary.com)

If you close your eyes and imagine a well-crafted, very typical California Chardonnay, the Flora Springs Chardonnay appears. It has all the characteristics you’d expect out of a California Chardonnay – oaky, caramelly, toasty, and buttery with notes of apples and pears. This is a well-crafted wine – it doesn’t have faults of being overly-oaky or leave you feel like you’re gnawing on wood. Full, big, and creamy buy this for your inner chard lover.

From Bold:

2007 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Collins Holystone Vineyard, Napa ($24.99 Total Wine; $23.95 Crown; $27.99 ABC)

This is a limited-production series that lives up to the expectations of something that’s ‘limited’ – it’s a big, juicy red fruit-forward wine on the nose, and a tasty, zingy, spicy mouth full of yummy (that’s what my notes say!). It’s got some nice undertones of earth and cola. I’d buy this to go with a pizza or a nice rack of lamb.

2008 Reginato Celestina Sparkling Rose of Malbec, Mendoza (online from $20.99)

This is a very pretty wine, with a cherry/strawberry color that smells faintly of cherry. It’s a soft sparkling wine with strong bubbles to tickle the nose, some sour cherry notes on taste, and it ends with a malbec-like darker fruit taste. It’s an interesting wine and would add some gumption and color to a holiday table.

2008 Antinori Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato, Bolgheri, Italy ($24.99 online)

This blend of cabernet sauvignon (50 percent), merlot (30 percent) and syrah (20 percent) is from close to the Tuscan coastline. It’s aged 8 months in oak and 4 months in the bottle. The garnet-colored wine has a nose of slight cocoa and dark fruits. It was a bit tannic with dark cherries and blackberries on taste and a nice, smooth, long finish. This is a drink-with-meals wine and won’t disappoint on the table.

The Blind Monk

Local wine bar of the year

Earthy and Dry: The Blind Monk. The wine list is an adventure around the world; the cheese and meat plates, tapas, and most of all, the very hip décor and urban atmosphere off the beaten path of Clematis and CityPlace, make me feel like I’m on a weekend getaway to an even hipper locale.

Bold: Rhythm Café. A fun atmosphere, friendly owners, terrific food and a great selection of interesting wines make this my go-to feel-better place in West Palm Beach.

Local wine shop of the year

Bold and Dry: Total Wine. More than one Swirl Girl has heard angels singing upon entering this wine mega-opolis. What do we love about TW? Well, if practically endless aisles of every possible varietal and region imaginable aren’t enough, a generally helpful staff and the fun monthly consumer wine classes are the frosting on our cake.

Best food and wine event:

Bold: Taste of Compassion, January 2011. This local charity event that benefits the Quantum House has become a must-do, early year wine and food fest. The quality of both the wines and the food are exceptionally high, and it all happens in CityPlace’s Harriet Himmel Theatre. Book your time and ticket now, because it happens on the Martin Luther King holiday: Jan. 16, 2012.

Dry: Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, December 2011. What has in previous years just been a one-night outdoor tasting at 150 Worth Ave., has now blossomed into a 5-night star-studded epicurean extravaganza. The moving party of food and wine hit up a bunch of posh Palm Beach venues, but by far, my favorite part of the event was the Monday evening "Friends of James Beard Foundation" celebrity chef benefit dinner held at Buccan. The event featured a five-course dinner with wine pairings from star chefs Clay Conley, Dean James Max, James and Julie Petrakis and the 2011 "Best chef: South" James Beard award-winner, Stephen Stryjewski. The food was fresh, hip, creative, delicious! Yes, people, these guys (and girls!) can cook!

Sweet: South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Wine Spectator Seminars, February 2011. Sure, SoBe’s annual Grand Tasting on the beach is akin to a foodie Disney World, but for the more serious wine lover, SoBe’s tasting seminars are the way to go. Here, we can peer at wine over white paper, swirl and sniff and (gasp) spit without disapproving stares, and wax poetic on vintage years. Once a year, in these cool and quiet conference rooms far from the sun and sand, we can relax, focus and let our inner wine geeks play.

Most fun with wine

Bold: Spanish wine dinner for our Tapas story, cooked at Dry’s house (all four of us cooked together in a tight kitchen and we did it well and without killing each other!).

Dry: There is nothing more fun than getting together with my favorite ladies, the Swirl Girls. No matter what the occasion, there’s always plenty of great wine and more importantly, laughs and memories. We’ve had a bunch of fun get-togethers this year, but my favorite is definitely our rosé garden party this spring. Why was it my favorite? Well, having Little Palm Island Resort & Spa Executive Chef Luis Pous prepare our menu in my kitchen was definitely a treat! Pous created a variety of dishes, a global menu with the common thread of fresh Florida fish. And unlike most of our other dinners, where I am frantically running around the kitchen at the last minute, this time I just got to sit back, relax and sip on light and tasty glass of rosé wine.

The Swirl Girls pose for a portrait at the rosé garden party

Most memorable wine experience

Bold: Tasting Croatian wines outside of Dubrovnik. My favorite was a 2007 Milicic Dingac Plavac Mali Vrhunsko Vino Vinogorje Peljesac, a red wine that has its base in zinfandel grapes. It was a prime Bold experience, with some nice spice and zip, deep cherry and dark fruit on the palate. I had an amazing cooked-in-coals lamb shank with it, and that took both food and wine to a higher level of wonderful. The varietal was plavac mali. Try it if you ever have the chance.

Earthy: I had bought a bottle of 2001 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages from Sonoma, a Bordeaux-style blend, online a year ago with the intention of sharing it with my father, who initiated my love of wine, at our annual weekend together. And that occurred at his house in Rhode Island this year, appropriately over Father’s Day.

We were joined by my stepmother, sister and brother-in-law. And while we opened plenty of bottles from his cellar – wine for happy hour, wine with dinner, mimosas for Sunday brunch – it was pure delight to open up that 10-year-old gem layered with dark, rich blackberries, cherries and plum; tannins firm but gentle, and a long, complex finish. I was giddy to gift such a wine to my family, but more valuable was the gift of sharing it together.

Sweet: I loved visiting Charlottesville, Va., as part of the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference in July. Just 300 wine geeks in wine geek heaven.

Dry: Tasting a 2010 barrel sample at Chateau Petrus in Pomerol, while on a whirlwind tour of Bordeaux just before harvest this fall. The wines of Petrus are some of the most sought-after wines, not only in Bordeaux, but in the world. And with a price tag in the thousands of dollars per bottle, it’s also one of the most expensive. So to have our request to visit granted and to be poured a glass of such heavenly nectar is not just memorable, it’s truly a blessing.

Favorite wine of the year (under $25)

Bold: Ruta 22 Malbec, Argentina; priced at $10 and less (Publix, Total Wine). This good-value, full-bodied, food-loving wine from the Patagonia region has a big bouquet of dark fruits, with blackberries and cassis linger on the long, hearty finish.

Earthy: 2009 Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington ($16.99 at ABC). This wine is simply luxurious. The aroma includes blackberry, plum, dark chocolate, vanilla, and I swear I smelled a little candied apple, too. Let this one open up a short spell before you drink, and you’ll be rewarded with dark berries, cocoa, earth notes and a long, smooth finish.

Sweet: 2010 Montinore Borealis, Willamette Valley, Oregon ($16 online). It’s a white blend made of 34 percent muer-thurgau, 34 percent riesling, 17 percent pinot gris and 15 percent gewürztraminer. It starts out sweet and finishes crisp with a touch of acidity at the end. It’s tasty, delicious, clean and highly drinkable. An incredibly enjoyable and versatile wine.

Dry: 2009 Golan Cabernet Sauvignon, Galilee, Israel ($16, Total Wine). Made from 100 percent cabernet sauvignon grown in the Golan Heights in northern Israel, this wine comes from vines planted in a cool, high altitude vineyard with rocky volcanic soil. It ages for six months in American oak before bottling. The wine is certified kosher (only Sabbath-observant Jews are involved in the winemaking process) but it is not mevushal (a process of boiling or flash pasteurizing the wine to keep kosher status even when handled by non-Jews).

The wine is full of ripe, dark berry aromas like blueberry, black cherry and blackberry, with hints of chocolate, coffee, coconut and cinnamon. On the palate, it’s fruity and juicy with soft, round tannins and a smooth and dry finish. This wine is very approachable and ready to drink upon opening without decanting. It’s a simple, mid-week sipper that is a great value for the price.

Favorite wine of the year (over $25)

Bold: 2007 Imagery Lagrein, Paso Robles, Calif. (online only, $40). Lagrein, originally a northern Italian red varietal related to syrah and pinot noir, is a purple-black, opaque wine, with a deep plum, very fruity, big nose that goes on and on. It took a while to open, and when it did there were fruits to match the nose, along with black licorice, a smoo th mouthfeel and a long finish. Quite, quite good.

Earthy: 2001 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages, Sonoma County ($55). The fruit, silky body and complexity are reasons enough to make it my favorite, but you’ll find another, more important reason under my "Most memorable wine experience."

Francois Mitjavile

Sweet: 2006 Marita’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($150 online). This is a deep, full, highly concentrated wine filled with complex layers that draw you in deeper and deeper. It has a nose of plums, blackberries, very dark fruits, a touch of baking spice and a delicious layer of espresso. What blew me away was the finish: it stayed a full 60 seconds. It’s very well-integrated and heavy and responded well to a long decanting. This will likely cellar well – that is if you can keep your mitts off it long enough. Truly one of the more spectacular wines I’ve tried this year.

Happy swirling in 2012! ~ The Swirl Girls

Matthew Horbund

Matthew Horbund, blogger for A Good Time with Wine (on Twitter: @mmWine)

CURRENT SIP: “Recently I’ve been enjoying a number of different red wines — partly due to the season, mostly due to the fact that I really enjoy red wine. I recently had the chance to sip on Kit’s Killer Cab, 2008, from Clif Family wines. Yes, they are the makers of Clif and Luna Bars, but they also make some pretty killer wine.

“It’s a complex Napa cab under $40. The palate offers nice plum and cherry notes, but it’s restrained, not over-the-top jammy flavors like some Napa wines. There is good acidity, balancing out the fruit, and also making it a food-friendly wine. Multiple layers of flavor, or complexity, offer notes of cocoa and coffee in addition to the fruit. There are also some Old World notes coming in, leather and tobacco, that really give this wine personality.”

PAIR IT WITH: “I paired this with some Cabot Coop cheddar cheese. However, it would work perfectly with a grilled steak, a nice veal shank, or any hearty red meat dish.”

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: It costs $38, and is available nationwide. It’s, of course, available online from cliffamilywinery.com

A pale yellow color with aromas of lime and grass, it actually smelled juicy. It’s got a bright, yet tame acidity with citrus flavors, predominantly grapefruit. This is a friendly, appealing wine, and while its subdued acidity makes it a great match for food, it’s just as good for sipping by itself. And that price makes it an even better as an everyday sipper.

2010 Biltmore Reserve Viognier, North Carolina ($15.99 online at shop.biltmore.com)

Its color is enchanting: a pale yellow body with a pale green cast that shimmers in light. An aroma of pear, honey, and a little bit of orange that’s so elegant, it’s reminiscent of the intrigue of early evening scent of a woman who walks by and just a few seconds later you catch the air of her perfume.

The Biltmore has an almost airy feeling on the tongue, but finishes long with citrus and unripe pear; it’s almost sour here, but not in an unpleasant manner. It’s not as rich or honeyed as other viogniers I’ve tried from France and California.

2010 Puiatti Zuccole Sauvignon ($14.99 online)

This sauvignon blanc (many Italian labels leave the “blanc” off) has a bright, pale yellow hue with lemon and mineral aromas rising from the glass with each swirl. It’s got a light body of lemon and grapefruit, and its acidity is most prominent on the finish. It’s uncomplicated and pleasant, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need as you unwind from a work day.

From Sweet:

2009 Mossback Chardonnay ($18, but currently sold out online)

The color of a sun-kissed blond (hey – I know something about those) and a beautiful aroma of apple, pear, vanilla and crème caramel. It smelled cool and creamy and was very pretty both on the aroma and on the palate. There were no sharp edges, just a smooth, round, drinkable deliciousness. This was one of my favorite wines hands down that I’ve tried this year. It’s elegant yet down to earth and at $18 a bottle, affordable enough to include in your life. Buy, drink, share.

2010 Mossback Chardonnay ($17.99 online crewwinestore.com. Swirl Girls readers get a 20 percent discount for a limited time, use offer code: MOSSCHARD.)

After devouring and dreaming the 2009 Mossback Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley, I was delighted to find the 2010 vintage available to try. While it didn’t hold up to my memory of the 2009, it still had the deliciousness I coveted. The profile was very similar – a little more banana and less pear.

From Bold:

2009 Clos du Bois Riesling ($10.14 online)

This is a light-bodied, crisp, off-dry wine with peach and pear highlights. It’s got a lemon-lime nose, but tastes a little more fruity than it smells. It does have the fairly typical light green apple on taste, with some honey on the finish. It went well with a mango-black bean pizza and I’d recommend it to a friend looking for a non-sweet riesling.

And what better way to celebrate our festive indulgences, those dear to us and the plethora of holiday parties now upon us than with the allure of sparkling wine?

We gathered recently to diligently ferret out the best in bubbly from a slew of wines we’ve received for review.

Whether you’re hosting your own soiree, attending a Christmas dinner or swirling and twirling as 2011 fades to 2012, we’ve got suggestions for the perfect pour to add sparkle and merriment to your holiday season.

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava, Spain ($7.99 Total Wine; $10.99 at Publix): Spain’s contribution to sparkling wine is cava. The Segura Viudas didn’t wow us, but at that price it’s a great value for a respectable wine, especially if you find yourself in need of a case of wine for your party. It’s got citrus and apple and is a little minerally on the palate, but its winning way is that it’s not excessively dry, so it should appeal to a varied crowd.

La Marca Prosecco, Italy ($14.99 at Publix, ABC): A regularly celebrated drink in Italy, prosecco is the Italian homage to sparkling wine. The La Marca has big bubbles that produce a bright mouthfeel. It has a light, fruity aroma – almost sweet, even – of apples and citrus.

So you don’t expect the pleasant surprise of a medium body that’s slightly creamy, with apricot adding to the citrus and apple flavors, all of which linger at the finish. It’s more complex than the Segura Viudas, yet still approachable and very enjoyable to drink.

2006 Mumm Napa Blanc de Blancs, Napa Valley ($25.99): Blanc de blancs literally means white from whites, which indicates that this Mumm sparkling wine is made entirely from the chardonnay grape. (Many sparkling wines are also made with pinot noir.)

This wine, too, has substantial effervescence, but with a soft feeling on the palate. We didn’t smell or taste a lot of fruit. The aroma was predominantly yeast and bread, and the taste was citrusy, but it was the elegant mouthfeel that won us over.

2007 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut, North Coast, California ($28 at Crown and Total Wine; $34 at ABC): This vintage Blanc de Blancs was the first wine Schramsberg produced in 1965, and the wine became famous worldwide in 1972 when President Nixon served it at the Toast to Peace in Beijing.

The wine is barrel-fermented in small lots and aged on the lees in the bottle for two years before disgorgement. The 2007 vintage is full of fresh lemon and apple aromas with some white peach, white flowers and hints of yeast and creme brulee. It’s very smooth and creamy on the palate with a soft tickling of bubbles. The wine finishes dry.

Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut Champagne, France ($39.97 at Total Wine and Crown; $39.99 at Publix): The Perrier-Jouet is a classic Champagne blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. We enthusiastically poured this at the Lexus Taste at Downtown at the Gardens in November, and it was by far our most requested wine that night.

It’s light and delicate with white fruit flavors and aromas of white flowers and pineapple. Perfect balance of acidity, fruit and effervescence, it’s classy and artistic. As far as your party goes, it’s ideal as an aperitif as guests arrive, with light dishes through the evening, or for New Year’s Eve’s grand finale toast.

Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose; Brut ($78.99 Total Wine): After the second harmonious “ooh” that rose from our small group as we swirled and sniffed, we knew we were on to the illustrious portion of the tasting. If you’re the type who likes to make a grandiose entrance into a room, seeks pleasure in sharing exquisite luxuries with your loved ones and doesn’t blink at splurges of opulence, this is the sparkler for you.

This Laurent-Perrier Champagne is 100 percent pinot noir, and the color alone makes a statement: a soothing pink-salmon (or coral, if you prefer). Strawberry and floral aromas waft from the glass. There’s a nice weight to the body – not dainty, but not too abundant – and as it glides across your tongue you pick up cherry and raspberry. There are some faint mineral notes, and Dry Gwen tasted a little bread-iness to it, as well. It’s sharp and fresh up front and rounded on the finish.

pbpulse.com/swirlgirls

Happy swirling!

From Earthy:

2009 Erath Pinot Noir, Oregon ($14.97 Total Wine; $19.99 ABC online; $17.97 Crown online)

The Erath pinot is a light shade of garnet and has a lovely sweet aroma with cherry and cinnamon. Like a cherry pie just removed from the oven.

It has a light-medium body with soft earthy notes up front and cherry and raspberry on the back end. There were sweet spices and more cinnamon… mmmmm. All of the flavors were propped up with a gentle dose of acidity. That $15 price tag is a tremendous value for such an impressive pinot. This is one I’d want multiple bottles of in the cabinet – for an unexpected guest, for a dinner party, as a gift, and best of all, for swinging in the backyard hammock.

2008 Casa Silva Los Lingues Gran Reserva Carmenere, Colchagua Valley, Chile ($17 – $24 online)

This carmenere has a deep garnet color and is virtually opaque when looking through the glass of wine. It’s a rich and powerful aroma of blackberries, currants and chocolate. The power comes through on the palate, too, with juicy blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, more chocolate, allspice and oak. But this power broker is a smooth operator. The tannins are tamed, and the body is full, balanced and satiating. This is your night at the opera: full of drama but with finesse, character and skill.

2010 McManis Family Vineyards Merlot, California ($9.99 Total Wine)

The aroma is certainly satisfying; fruity and a bit woodsy, with black cherry, cinnamon, and vanilla. I tasted varying notes of cherry, raspberry and plum, but the body was thin and the finish was short. Even with that reasonable price tag, you should be able to find other merlots that have a little more depth and structure.

2007 Giguiere Family Match Book Tinto Rey, California ($17 crewwines.com)

With a deep garnet color, this blend continues the depth in its aroma of black cherry, other dark berries, dark chocolate and oak. The palate is a surprise in that there’s not as much fruit as the aroma might lead you to believe. In fact, despite that it’s a New World wine, it tastes more like an Old World with 44 percent tempranillo, 36 percent syrah, 13 percent cabernet savignon, 5 percent graciano and 2 percent petite sirah.

The earth notes come through more than the berries, it was a bit acidic up front and finished long and dry. It’s a full-bodied, slightly tannic wine, although it did soften as the night went on. So, do yourself and the wine a favor, and let this big boy sit for an hour or more to enjoy the spicy berries and oak influences, perhaps imagining yourself picnicking amongst the hills of Spain.

Matchbook Tinto Rey Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($15 for 750 ml, crewwines.com )

I’m not sure what constitutes proper descriptors for tasting olive oil, nor have I ever taken any tasting notes for olive oil. But when the bottle of wine sent for review from Matchbook comes with a bottle of their olive oil, well then, my duties as a Swirl Girl are extended beyond the grape.

The cold-pressed oil is made from Spanish and Italian varieties grown in California, and has a deep yellow color with a green cast. It’s very fragrant, and pours from the bottle like syrup. It has good weight on the palate, a creamy texture with rich and hearty flavors, and then finishes with a pepper note. I didn’t taste the Matchbook oil against others olive oils, so I can’t say anything relative, but I can say it was delicious. I mixed it with aged balsamic vinegar for a spinach salad, and the oil coated the leaves with its flavor prominent in every bite.

2008 Don David Malbec Reserve, Michel Torino Estate, Calhaqui Valley, Argentina ($13-18 online)

If there ever was a meaty aroma, figuratively speaking, it is in this malbec. There is a richness and complexity made of black cherry, blackberry, spice and dark chocolate. Yet, the palate caught me off guard. It is dry and puckery, without the richness of fruit. While I tasted some sour cherry and plum, this wine was more pleasing in the nose than on the palate.

From Sweet:

Six Grapes Porto, ($15 for 375 ml)

This port met my expectations for everything a great glass of port should be. Sweet, heavy, lots of rich, dark raspberries and cherries and paired insanely well with chocolate. It’s not an aged port (bottled after three to four years) but it is a delicious port.

Lot 3 Candor Zinfandel, ($18 at hopefamilywines.com)

Huge is an understatement to describe this wine. It has an earthier smell of blackberry pie and a woodsy, dirty, spicy smell. This is a big, swaggering wine that commands respect if not loyalty. Made by the same folks who brought you Hope Family Wines, Candor’s zinfandel is made with a combination of old and new vines.

From Bold:

2009 Estancia Zinfandel, Keyes Canyon Ranch, Paso Robles ($10.99 Total Wine)

Now I love my Paso Robles wine, that area having been one of my passions in 2011, so I was looking forward to this wine from artisan winemakers. It had a solid, good, clean taste with a little plum, some deep cherry and faint smokiness. It’s a full-bodied wine with a deep and smoky nose. It finishes well and would be great with any meat dishes.

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Syrah, Columbia Valley ( $10.99 Total Wine )

This Washington winery produces one of my favorite sparkling wines (the brut) and it scores with other varietals, too. This syrah didn’t need an aerator, had a slightly spicy cherry nose, and tasted of mild spice and darker berries. It was smooth and even-keeled with wonderful spice/clove notes. It was a superb food wine and complemented the spicy sausage and Spanish rice dish I made. This is a wonderful partner for the dinner table.

2009 Tormaresca Neprica, Puglia ($8.97 online)

This Italian blend (Neprica comes from the first two letters of negroamaro, primitive and cabernet) is yummy right out of the bottle. It sang with a brie appetizer, with a nose of light fruit, and proved a light wine on taste, too, lighter than I was expecting. It has a light cherry taste, with balanced acidity and a smooth finish. It was voted a pleasant companion when I opened it at a dinner party.

2009 7 Deadly Zins ($12.97 Total Wine)

It’s aged for 12 months in oak (American and French) and you can taste that in the leather, earthy tones of what I called a ‘zingy’ wine. The nose gives leather and earth with blackberry, too. It has zinfandel with petite sirah and petite verdot blended, so it’s a deep wine. I usually, as you know, am crazy about deep wines. This one promised a lot, but I didn’t find it delivered as much as promised. Cute name, but the taste sidelined me.

2009 Nobilo Icon Pinot Noir, Malborough, New Zealand ($18.99 Total Wine)

I planned a meal around this pinot that involved a sweet/sour bourbon-sauced salmon dish, and that part went as planned. This wine had a cherry tart candy taste with a bit of plum in there. It’s a medium-bodied wine with a smooth mouthfeel that, when paired with the salmon, brought out the best in both of them. The only nit I had is that the foil covering the screw-top took me 10 minutes with scissors to open, and that was about nine more minutes than it should take.

From Bold:

Wine to bring to a casual party: I’ve brought the Layer Cake primitivo to a few parties and I always hear, "Hey, this is delicious! Is it expensive?" and the answer, thankfully, is no.

This primitivo from Puglia, Italy, has the same makeup as zinfandel, so it’s a big wine with some spice and depth and is good just for sipping or with food. It tastes like an expensive wine, but costs about $17.99.

Wines for the serious wine lover: The big, bold, just-amazingly-yummy Justin red wines, from Paso Robles, Calif. I love them all, but especially the Isoceles (blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc; $62) and Justification (blend of merlot and cabernet franc; $45). When I’m at a restaurant and one of these is on the menu, it’s pricey, but it’s also impressive. Great gifts for a red wine lover.

Christmas wine charms by WineAllAboutIt. (Photo: etsy.com)

Wine gadget for the wine lover who has it all: Unusual wine gift bags, wine charms or wine glasses. There are some wonderfully creative artists who excel in those areas. Try winedivashop.com, etsy.com, or even try making your own. The glasses run from $10-$20 each; the gift bags and charms are less than $10 for a few.

Stocking stuffer/holiday décor for the wine lover: It’s great to have a "go to" resource when you’re in the mood to try something new, or are trying to remember details from a particularly wonderful wine moment. A new book, 1000 Great Everyday Wines from the World’s Best Wineries, by Jim Gordon (former Wine Spectator managing editor) is just the gift.

From how to read wine labels, to varietal information, and winery and wine descriptions in all large wine countries of the world, this will help you decide what to try next. It retails for $25, but Amazon has it for $16.50. So buy one for yourself, too!

From Sweet:

Wine to bring to a casual party: 2009 Tapena Garnacha. This delectable, juicy, bursting with flavor Spanish wine hits the three big categories: Inexpensive, widely available and tasty. Because the fruits are so juicy and ripe, it almost has a sweet taste to it, which makes it tasty to people who aren’t so into big old dry Barolos.

It’s a people-pleasing wine, from those who are just coming off the white zinfandel craze to the more experienced wine drinker. It’s perfect for parties and wine beginners and, clocking in at less than $10 a bottle, it will have you looking great without emptying out your wallet.

Wines for the serious wine lover: Chimney Rock wines – just about everything they make. I will vouch for the Cabernet Sauvignon ($49.97), Elevage ($76 online) and Elevage Blanc ($42), all which rated extremely high on the delicious scale .

And when you’re looking for gifts for serious wine lovers, feel absolutely confident going with any of Chimney Rock’s beautiful wines.

From a beautiful white blend to a breath-taking Bordeaux-style blend or simply their amazing cabernet, Chimney Rock’s wines will have your recipient reevaluating your friendship – in a very good way.

Wine gadget for the wine lover who has it all: Wine Soiree bottle aerator. Convenient (just put on top of the bottle and pour), effective and darn impressive the way the wine swooshes and swirls through it. This little aerator works as effectively as a full-size decanter, instantly opening up and aerating big wines. Buy on Amazon.com for $19.99.

Stocking stuffer/holiday décor for the wine lover: If you’re trying to educate yourself about wine, one of the most important things is to take notes on the wines you try. And it’s a lot more fun to do so in a beautiful little book. I have a small, leather-bound journal that fits into my purse that I proudly unearth at wine tastings, but any sort of little book will do.

Even better, you can buy local at an independent store. Look for nice touches such as linen paper, monograms or a unique cover (usually starting around $10).

From Earthy:

Wine to bring to a casual party: 2009 Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington ($15 on columbiacrest.com; $16.99 ABC). It’s rich and luxurious . The aroma includes blackberry, plum, dark chocolate, vanilla, and I swear I smelled a little candied apple, too. Let this one open up a short spell before you drink, and you’ll be rewarded with dark berries, earth notes and a long, smooth finish. A showcase of impeccable balance between berries and earth.

Wine for the serious wine lover: 2007 Franciscan Estate Magnificat, Napa Valley ($50 on franciscan.com; $49.99 on ABC’s website abcfws.com, vintage unknown; $46.99 on Crown website crownwineandspirits.com, 2006 vintage).

I’m taking the rich and luxurious up a notch here. If you’re the type who doesn’t rein in the spending at the holidays, then read on. I opened a bottle of the Magnificat recently to share with girlfriends. This meritage brought dreamy aromas of luscious dark berries, plum, vanilla and clove. It’s bold and complex on the palate with layers of rich berries, mocha and licorice, yet so very elegant.

Wine gadget for the wine lover who has it all: Upcycled Wine Barrel Chair (uncommongoods.com). While they’re sipping on their favorite wine, they might as well be sitting in a chair made from a barrel that might have aged that wine. From Uncommon Goods comes this chair made from reclaimed wine barrel staves. The web site says they are hand-crafted by artisans in Texas, and that no two are alike thanks to the effects of wine and time. If you can’t cough up the cost of $600 (or if the cost makes you cough), there are other items, such as a wine barrel side table, bench or wine rack, that are a bit cheaper.

The Upcycled Wine Barrel Chair, from Uncommon Goods. (Photo: uncommongoods.com)

Stocking stuffer/holiday décor for the wine lover: Quotable wine towels. What pairs better with wit and wisdom than a full-bodied Burgundy? This set of wine towels made exclusively for Uncommon Goods features choice quotes about wine from history’s most influential leaders and writers. Clever and memorable, this set of four towels is sure to please any palate. Made in the USA of 100 percent cotton. $45 at uncommongoods.com.

From Dry:

Wine to bring to a casual party: 2009 Montinore Estate Reserve ($24.99 at Total Wine). Pinot noir is a great choice for a few reasons. For the beginning wine lover, pinot’s light and fruity flavor and soft tannins make it a great introductory wine. It’s an easy-drinking wine that can match many holiday situations, from a casual party to a sit-down dinner.

The Montinore Estate Reserve is yummy, yummy, yummy! Santa is sure to approve of this family-owned and operated winery that’s certified organic and biodynamic. The wine has a lovely brick red color and a very aromatic nose of red cherry, cranberry, earth and cinnamon. It’s medium-bodied on the palate with a lot of red cherry fruit coming through and a lovely balance of earthy flavors. The acidity and tannins are pronounced but balanced by the ripe fruit. It’s a great value at the $25 price.

Wines for the serious wine lover: 2005 Clos Mogador Manyetes, Priorat ($64.99 at Total Wine). This is a truly amazing wine from famed Priorat producer René Barbier. Incredibly complex, this blend of carinena, garnacha and syrah displays aromas from leather to licorice, black cherry to roses.

On the palate, the wine is smooth and silky, full-bodied and yet sublimely elegant. This dark and seductive lady is sure to woo the wine lover in your life and at $65, still a good value .

Trattoria cork candles. (Photo: napastyle.com)

Wine gadget for the wine lover who has it all: Recycled glass white wine decanter, $58 from uncommongoods.com. Keep your white wine cool, while allowing it a bit of air with this white wine decanter with built-in ice chamber. Perfect for hot summer days that are just around the corner!

Stocking stuffer/holiday décor for the wine lover: Trattoria Cork Candles, $12-39 from napastyle.com. These cute Trattoria cork candles are cleverly designed to fit the mouth of your favorite empty wine bottles to create a warm and romantic atmosphere. Each candle has a two-hour burn time. Buy these stocking stuffers from the Napastyle website in sets of 4 ($12), 8 ($22) or 16 ($39).

Located 45 minutes north of Sonoma, nestled in the county voted as having the cleanest air in the country, is a unique little pocket of land seemingly created for making great wine.

And then there’s the soil.

“It’s unlike any other – it’s very true to our terroir and very, very site-specific to us,” said Hawk and Horse Vineyard owner, Mitch Hawkins. “The Red Hill AVA is a magnificent site. It’s been voted the cleanest air in the country. We have our own spring water flowing right out of the mountain, which is just clean, pure and unbelievable. The soil profile is just magnificent. It’s the soil people get really excited about.”

Along with his wife, Tracey, and her stepfather, David Boies, the three co-owners created a single-vineyard 100 percent cabernet sauvignon. They also make a cabernet sauvignon dessert wine. Their winery has been biodynamic from the beginning.

“We knew we’d never be the biggest, but we always knew we wanted to be organic,” Hawkins said. “We have all this beautiful drinking water, which feeds all my pasture land, which feeds the horses and cows, so we knew we didn’t want to put anything into the ground that wouldn’t feed the earth.

He and his wife started digging and working on the property in 1998: clearing poison oak, testing water, planning everything out. The area was so overgrown they didn’t realize what a large slope they were working with. The vineyard is located between 1,900 and 2,200 feet composed of red rocky volcanic soils.

“We didn’t just drive up, plant a vineyard and change the name,” he said.

They planted their grapes in 2001, and harvested in 2004 creating wine with 100 percent French oak that won an International Gold Medal on two-barrel production. By only planting 18 acres, it allows Hawkins to have his fingers on every vine. They work with Dr. Richard Peterson as a consulting winemaker, though Tracey has the final say on all the wine-making decisions.

Hawkins never tries the wine he makes. He has been clean and sober for 23 years. Before growing grapes, he directed a substance abuse rehab clinic for five years.

“I’ve been in the restaurant business, and a bartender, and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything by being out in the vineyard by myself,” he said. “I’ve used all my drink tokens.”

After meeting his wife in 1998, he returned to the ranching he grew up with and ran a horse ranch in Knights Valley. They took over Tracey’s family ranch in 1999 and started dreaming of grapes.

His wife is the one with a magical hand of blending wines – Hawkins maintains he’s just a farm boy.

“I grow grapes. I’m a farmer. There’s not a lot of drinking going out in the vineyard. Nobody pours me a glass of wine. I go to wine tastings, but I just swirl it and smell it in the glass and that’s enough for me.”

Hawkins and his family have 11 horses and are bona fide horse crazy. Everyone in his family rides and all the ladies do rodeo, though his oldest daughter is a violinist currently touring in Scotland. His family does barrels, polls, tie goats.

“We’ve very serious about it,” Hawkins said.

And then there’s the simple, relaxing joy of simply saddling up his beautiful new mare and riding to the vineyard. “When the days finally done, I saddle up my horses and ride the fence line, ride to the vineyard. That’s my commute,” Hawkins said.

The Sip
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, $65 online
This wine really made an impression at a small gathering I held. It has a beautiful smell of chocolate covered cherries and a sweet, candied smell of raspberries. It was smooth and well-integrated and a very feminine cabernet. There was a touch of floral notes and it was soft and round with a seductive finish. There was a slight chalkiness to taste that reminded me of the volcanic ash in the terroir. Overall, it is a faultless, smooth and delicious cabernet, definitely worth both the price and seeking out.

2006 Latigo, $45 for 375 ml online
This cabernet sauvignon dessert wine is rich, thick and filled with black fruits. It smells like prunes and dried fruit. It was delicious, rich, sweet and luscious. It was absolutely divine with chocolate and would be a sweet enough dessert to be wonderful as dessert. This is one of the tastiest dessert wines I’ve had this year and would devour this up again.

The wines are available at HawkAndHorseVineyards.com.

Non-vintage Sokol Blossor Evolution – Oregon ($14.99 at Total Wine, $15.99 at ABC, $16.95 at Crown)
It’s sort of like throwing all the grapes you can at a wall and seeing what sticks. This blend of well, basically everything is a bright lemon color and has a sweet, candied pineapple aroma with lychee, peach, pear, and white flowers. On the palate, it’s fresh and slightly sweet with a medium body. It paired nicely with a spicy Thai red curry with duck.

2010 Michel Torino Estate Cuma Malbec – Cafayate Valley, Argentina ($11 online)
Made with organic grapes, this deep purple/magenta-colored wine has a juicy, berry-filled nose of blueberry, blackberries and spice. There was a strong whiff of alcohol in the nose as well. On the palate, the wine had a grapey, bubble-gum fruit flavor that was reminiscent of a Beaujolais. It has a medium-bodied, slightly thin feel in the mouth. There was a nice level of acidity and soft tannins. This is a simple, one-dimensional wine that would be nice for a casual party.

2007 Franciscan Estate Merlot – Napa Valley ($17.99 at ABC, $18.99 at Total Wine)
This wine has a very ripe and fruity aroma of blackberry and boysenberry with hints of vanilla and oak. But on the palate, the wine was so thick and the tannins so firm, it was a bit like being assaulted in the mouth. The fruit I could taste past the big and slightly bitter tannins was a mix of red and black – sweet cherries and raspberries along with red plum and some blackberry. Decanting will definitely help.

2009 Erath Pinot Gris – Oregon ($15.99 at ABC)
A lemon-green color in the glass, this wine has an aromatic nose of exotic, tropical fruit, lime and apple. It’s fresh and very ripe in the mouth with a medium-body and a juicy, almost oily texture, balanced with a nice acidity. The finish is quick, clean and dry.

2009 Mossback Pinot Noir – Russian River Valley ($20 online)
This lovely pinot has clean, bright ruby color and a tart strawberry and cherry nose with hints of spice and earth. On the palate, the wine was sweeter and riper on the palate with a slightly candied fruit flavor, a nice acidity and soft tannins with a long, warm finish that wrapped around me like a soft cashmere blanket.

2009 Michael David 6th Sense Syrah – Lodi, California ($15.99 at Total Wine)
A deep magenta color in the glass, this wine has a full and juicy aroma of blackberry and blueberry with spice and a whole lot of alcoholic heat. It’s full-bodied and full alcohol on the palate with ripe, dark fruit and bittersweet chocolate. It’s slightly bitter and alcoholic on the finish.

2007 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon – Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley ($45 at Conncreek.com)
Aromas of black cherry, plum skin and oak on the nose. This wine is very young and tight and could benefit from aging in a cellar. On the palate, flavors of ripe black cherry mix with vanilla, cinnamon and chocolate. It was like drinking a cherry cream soda. It’s a big, round wine with a high acidity and very firm tannins. This one has a long aging potential.

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Artist Series Meritage – Columbia Valley, Washington ($55 at Ste-Michelle.com)
A Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, cabernet franc and petit verdot, this is a big and deep wine with aromas of black fruit like black cherry, blackberry and blackcurrant with hints of cinnamon, vanilla, semi-sweet chocolate and anise. On the palate, this is a full bodied wine with a round, lush mouthfeel supported by firm tannins. This is another age-worthy bottle.

2010 Quivira Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc – Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma ($16 online)
Bright lemon color in the glass with aromas of fresh citrus, figs and grass. On the palate, more citrus fruit like grapefruit and lemon with figs. It’s ripe and fresh with a medium weight and a nice acidity. The alcohol is apparent but there’s enough ripe fruit to balance this wine. The finish is long and dry.

2008 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley ($33.99 at Crown and Total Wine)
Deep garnet color with aromas of dark chocolate-covered cherries. Medium to full body with dark fruit flavors like black cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and plum skin with loads of dark chocolate. The wine is nicely balanced with a long finish.

2009 Broquel Bonarda – Mendoza, Argentina ($15 online)
Deep, ruby color with a very ripe and fruity nose. There are tons of red berries here with some red plum, red grapes and red apple skin with hints of cinnamon. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and very juicy with a lush mouthfeel and soft tannins and a little spice. It’s like drinking a grape-apple Juicy Juice with alcohol.

2009 Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon – Paso Robles, California ($10.95 at Crown, $12.99 at ABC)
A great value cab that’s soft and easy, like sinking into your favorite easy chair. This wine smells of red and black cherries, currants, cinnamon and a hint of cola. On the palate, it’s mellow and easy-going, with a fruity flavor, medium body and soft tannins. It’s nothing that will knock your socks off, but it is an approachable, ready to drink wine that will fit any casual get-together.

She wasn’t just shedding tears for the loss of her eyesight at age 27 – for the accompanying fear and the day-to-day pain of suddenly having her world go dark. It was the loss of family dinners after an herbalist put her on a yeast detox and restricted her diet for six weeks that also brought on the tears.

“I cried every night at dinner,” she said.

To distract her, to distract them both, her stepfather put glasses of wine in front of her and asked her to analyze it. Varietal. Vintage. Climate. Composition of soil. How much sun did the grapes get? What bank of Burgundy?

Normally, this exercise would have been done blindfolded but, as diabetes robbed her sight, the exercise was performed without.

Her sense of smell got sharper and cleaner as the yeast detoxification progressed. Her diabetes improved, though her eyesight couldn’t be saved, even after six surgeries.

And then she got her first guide dog, Hogan.

“He really gave me my life back,” she said. Then, just as she’d always done, she ran out the door and couldn’t be stopped.

Honest wine to the masses

A lifelong wine professional, Elman never wavered from her determination to find honest, affordable, terroir-driven wines. Today, her job is to bring them to the masses. The daughter of a Brazilian chef and a stepfather who were wine-centered, she grew up trying everything her parents consumed.

“The tripe I could have done without, but the wine was fine,” she said. Her stepfather was a pioneer of bringing French wine to the United States and worked for Perrier-Jouët Champagne after college.

At 22, she did wine pairings in France. Later, she worked at wine stores, auctions, trade.

“I was kind of tired of playing hot potato with California cult wines,” she said. “I find it absurd that California wine is so expensive when you can get it imported for less. I also knew there were great terroir-driven wines out there that people were making.”

Seven years after the loss of her sight, she got her import license to import small, hand-crafted, terroir-driven wines.

“I prefer wines that are seriously terroir-driven. Wines that are manipulated are really manipulated to a palate,” she said.

In addition, she wanted her wines to be organic. “I felt better when I drank organic wine.”

Private label

In 2009, she created a private label. Today, she has four wines from a family-owned vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina, where there’s great minerality in the soil.

“They were exactly the type of wines that were perfect. They were shepherded from the vineyard to the bottle. They were correct.”

All four wines – chardonnay, torrontes, cabernet sauvignon and malbec – were made without oak, with no manipulation, stainless steel fermentation, no herbicides, pesticides or fungicides and a very low addition of sulfites.

They sell in 21 states, 9,800 cases total. In Palm Beach County, the wines are available at Whole Foods for under $15, something that was very important to Elman.

She will be adding two Italian wines to her portfolio that also meet her criteria.

Her bottles feature her in the vineyard accompanied by her current guide dog, Hanley, (he’s a vineyard dog) and has the name of the wine written in Braille.

“I really want people to have wine every night with their families.”

Tip 1 – Look for sales on Champagne from Thanksgiving into the first two weeks of December. After that, the discounts disappear.

Tip 2 – Popular wines, like California chardonnays, rarely go on sale. Head to less-well-known regions instead, like Abruzzo or Alsace.

Tip 3 – If a wine from an unsung region isn’t on sale, the store might be flexible about pricing; ask if you can get a discount.

Tip 4 – The best deals right now on under-$25 cabernets are from Washington state. Plus, the 2008 vintage is extremely good.

Tip 5 – Beaujolais is enormously popular for Thanksgiving, so it will probably go on sale after the holiday has passed.

Rhythm Cafe in West Palm Beach held its last wine dinner of 2011 on Oct. 13, where an all-vegetarian menu was featured with ZD and Frog's Leap wines. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

Each time one of my fellow Swirl Girls breathlessly described the wine dinner she was attending that night, and then practically grand jeté’d right out the office door to primp for it, I would pity myself without the vegetarian invitation.

But, lo, my Prince Charming finally arrived — two of them, actually, and did they have Rhythm!

For their last wine dinner of the year held last month West Palm Beach’s Rhythm Café co-owners Dennis Williams and Chef Ken Rzab plated five vegetarian courses to pair with ZD and Frog’s Leap wines. (Forty-eight guests paid $65, tax and tip included, to indulge in five wine pairings.)

Rhythm has long been a favorite of mine for delectable vegetarian options and an impressive wine selection, housed in a quirky, cozy atmosphere. (Be sure to check out the wall of old prom photos in the restaurant.)

Napa Valley wine starts night

We started the evening fresh and lively, with the 2009 Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc, from Rutherford, Napa Valley. The easy lime and grass aromas, taut acidity and citrus flavors came into balance against a rich and creamy fig and date crepe. The fruit was enveloped in a mascarpone and provolone cheese blend, then wrapped in a delicate crepe. Had I been making these myself in the kitchen, I’d be popping the palm-sized delights into my mouth with no regard for how many were left for guests.

Rzab had tasted pineapple on the back end of the wine, so he chose tropical fruits for the recipe, which ended up in a delightful marriage with the sweet aspect of the cheese. "It was perfect," he said. Indeed, it tasted like a gift from the gods.

Dawne Skiera, of Pacific Southern Wine Co., promised that even if we weren’t traditionally chardonnay fans, we would probably break tradition with the 2009 ZD Chardonnay, from California. And, boy, was she right.

What a delicious and mysterious chardonnay! A hearty swirl released fragrant tropical fruit aromas that included pineapple, banana and butterscotch. The wine doesn’t go through malolactic fermentation, so it shows more fruit and crisp acidity. It had creamy flavors of apricot, honey and vanilla up front, and then the acidity makes an appearance mid-palate. The flavors linger and each sip seems to change in the mouth, enhancing the wine’s complexity.

Corn and black bean cakes were served with ZD Chardonnay from California.

We were spoiled further with corn and black bean cakes, which provided their own mysteries on the palate. Served on a stratum of grilled tomatillo sauce with chimichurri and creamy chipotle sauce, they were surprisingly light, almost fluffy even. With savory herbs in the chimichurri, a touch of sweetness from raisins and a pinch of heat in the chipotle, it was a carnival of flavors and sensations that matched the complexity and enchantment of the wine.

In line with the earlier wines’ intrigue, the 2008 Frog’s Leap Merlot, from Rutherford, Napa Valley, pulled an ol’ bait-and-switch. We were fooled by a nose rich with blackberries, plum, vanilla and sweet spices when we encountered earthy and dusty qualities on the palate, instead of prominent fruit flavors. It’s also lower in alcohol and higher in acidity than many merlots, but it still carried an alluring balance of fruit to acidity.

The paired dish itself had earthy qualities to match up with those in the merlot. Whole wheat penne pasta was tossed with grilled eggplant, zucchini, squash and fennel, and then sprinkled with smoked mozzarella. The earthy essence of the food escorted those subtle fruits forward in the wine.

Continuing earthy trend

The 2009 ZD Cabernet Sauvignon, from Napa Valley, continued the earthy trend and was more tannic than the merlot, but, surprisingly, it didn’t have quite the fullness of the merlot. It did have dark berries, vanilla and oak, with a long, dry finish.

Rhythm Cafe's co-owner and chef Ken Rzab talks with diners during the dinner.

The cabernet and wild mushroom timbale was probably the least inspiring of pairings, but certain elements in it, most notably the accoutrements, brought it back from the brink of disappointment. A blend of mushrooms was baked in custard and proved to be its saving grace in adding hearty notes; otherwise the custard could have been a stand-in for flavorless gelatin. The jam gave the dish pizzazz, with brown sugar and just enough red pepper flakes to pinch your taste buds.

Matching cabernet and hot spice breaks the rules of wine pairing 101 (and there’s no shame in breaking rules). And although the heat was tame, the pairing overall wasn’t stimulating.

We finished the evening on the customary sweet note, with aromas of apricot and peach swirling from our glasses. We sipped on a 2009 St. Supéry Moscato, from Napa Valley, but it was more like biting into a juicy Georgia peach drizzled with honey. Paired with a profiterole with pistachio pastry cream and peach coulis, it was a dreamy finish to a wine dinner I always dreamt of attending.

RHYTHM CAFE WINE BAR: WINE LIST KEEPS YOU COMING BACK FOR MORE

By LYNN KALBER (BOLD)

It’s a funky and fun place to eat superb food and drink some really good wine – and, really, what more can one ask of a wine bar? Actually, the Rhythm Café is a full restaurant, run by co-owners Dennis Williams and chef Ken Rzab, who have successfully piloted this fabulous place for 18 years. But they have the bar, which is a curved, 1950s diner-era bar with round barstools that are comfortable enough for dinner.

Their wine list is one of my faves, both because it changes regularly and because the owners have good, adventurous wine tastes. They try new things, and that’s what keeps me coming back – I have to see what’s made it to the wine list recently. The restaurant also hosts wine dinners, where both food and wine are guaranteed to be top-quality.

This is a shortened look at some favorite wines available on their menu:

Chardonnay: Frog’s Leap, Baileyana, Annabella; cabernet sauvignon: St. Francis, Ramsay; merlot: Truchard; pinot noir: Z’Ivo, Bearboat; other reds: Hahn Meritage, Ben Marco Malbec, St. Kilda Shiraz.

Pair one of the scrumptious "tapas-tizers" with a glass of vino and you’re all set for good noshing. I paired the flatbread, topped with basil pesto, feta, black olives, artichoke hearts and roasted red pepper, with a glass of the Ben Marco malbec.

The flatbread was so good it disappeared in less than five minutes. The malbec was spicy with lots of big cherry taste, a full-bodied wine with a nice, long finish. It lasted longer than the flatbread, and that was fine with me.

I moved onto dinner at that point, with the skirt steak special and some of chef Ken’s amazing red cabbage/bacon side dish.

For this, I chose the Hahn meritage, a big Central Coast wine that has been one of my recent usual choices at Rhythm Café. That is, until they bring in a new fave that works with my Bold palate. I’m fickle that way.