California Wine is Trending Sideways and Up-ways

Certainly, the Vancouver International Playhouse Wine Festival is experiencing strong demand for its events, and the fast-approaching 25th California Wine Tour is attracting a similarly large audience.

Ninety-five California wineries are scheduled to pour into Vancouver on Wednesday and their timing couldn't be better.

The California category is beginning to re-inflate itself as Australia (and perhaps B.C.) show signs that their stranglehold on the market may be weakening.

Escalating prices for local wine and a flood of cheap, boring reds from Oz (they taste as if they all come out of the same tank) could provide the opening California requires to recapture its pre-9/11 status with consumers.

Canada is California's second-largest export market (and No. 1 for serious juice) after the United Kingdom, with yearly consumption estimated at close to six million cases.

New growth is possible, but provincial buyers need to make a decision about the type of California wine consumers will embrace.

I vote for the future and to dump the slow-selling, fat chardonnays and replace them with fresh sauvignon and viognier, preferably un-oaked and closed with a screw cap. We could also cut the merlot and cabernet sauvignon listings in half and use the space to bring in syrah and other California Rhone blends.

The pinot noir section could use an immediate injection of three dozen labels, and why not clean up the zinfandel category at the same time by dumping the pretenders and listing serious producers of old-vine zin?

I would also put pressure on distributors and wineries to react to a much-improved exchange rate.

A 20-per-cent gain against the U.S. dollar, coupled with the double whammy of our outrageous mark-up, should mean some serious price cutting, not the status quo. California could own the $15- to $35-dollar category if everyone is willing to do a little work.

Today, we look at six Golden State labels that represent the new face of California wine. You'll find most of them at the show and all of them in local specialty stores and private wine shops -- but we need more.

There's something about Bonny Doon Ca' del Solo Big House Red that makes you want to root for it. It's a fruit pile of grapes (syrah-cabernet sauvignon-carignan-sangiovese-barbera) with a gutsy, earthy undercarriage that makes it all work. There is bright acidity to balance its plummy, black raspberry fruit. It's still as big as "house" on the mid-palate, but rich and smooth in the finish. A true workhorse party red and thanks to its graphically illustrated screw cap (competitors take note), it remains as fresh and clean as the day it was bottled.

Enticing bright, citrus notes mix with melon, grapefruit and smoky slate to mark the nose of the Benziger Fume Blanc 2003. Similar flavours join grapefruit, kiwi and buttery green apples on the palate. Deft use of oak contributes to its rich textures and long finish. Consistently good every year and since 2001, the price has dropped to $23 from $29.

The KJ Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay 2002 boasts amazing quality for 110,000 barrels and 2.25 to three million cases a year. The fruit is 100-per-cent coastal (32 Monterey, 32 Santa Barbara and 36 north coast) and the style is 100-per-cent new wave. VR is changing with the times -- in short, the style is leaner and fresher with more mineral content and nearly half the amount of residual sugar found in the original versions. Even the oak is changing. Only 17 per cent is new, and more and more of that is French. The price is down $3 too.

Ginger, honey and orange blossom notes mix with creamy, mineral, peach aromas on the nose of the McManis Family Vineyards Viognier 2003. Its round, slightly oily palate has fine acidity with spicy, ginger, orange rind, honey and baked pear flavours.

Only available at private wine shops.

Cline Cellars wines are reliable affordable and well-made, including the Cline Ancient Vines Mourvedre 2002. The excellent Ancient Vines series featuring Rhone varietals is led, in my estimation, by this delicious mourvedre or mataro. Look for a lifted floral, fruity nose spiked with blueberry and pepper aromas. On the palate, it is rich and smooth with a sweet mocha-coffee undercurrent and spicy oak. Youthful, robust and fun with grippy tannins in the finish. Drink or hold for another five years.

The Pepi Shiraz 2002 comes with a screw cap and a big rootsy, licorice, blackberry, smoky leather nose with a touch of cardamom. This rich, dry red wine is packed with ripe black cherry, spicy, sweet vanilla and plum pudding flavours. Perfect for duck, lamb shanks or grill sausages.

Only in private wine shops.

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There is a Zinfandel seminar for consumers prior to the 25th California Wine Fair public tasting Wednesday. The 5:45-6:45 p.m. tasting features Rancho Zabaco winemaker Eric Cinnamon. Admission is complimentary for wine fair ticket holders; a $10 donation to the Arts Club Theatre Co. is suggested.

Seating is limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tickets to the main event are $54.40 per person and available at Ticketmaste (604-280-3311), or by calling the Arts Club box office (604-687-1644), or online at www.artsclub.com.

You can also reserve a seat for the seminar at the same numbers.

Weekend Wine Tasting: California Dreaming

Wine   Bonny Doon Ca' del Solo Big House Red 2002, California
Price   $19.99
UPC    769434201260
Score  88/100
Remarks        A workhorse party red.

Wine   Benziger Fumé Blanc 2003, North Coast, California
Price   $22.95
UPC    785774000325
Score  89/100
Remarks        Rich textures, deft use of oak and a long finish make this a delight.

Wine   Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve 2002, California
Price   $23.99
UPC    081584013105
Score  88/100
Remarks        Citrus butter, orange and nutty honey flavours.

Wine   McManis Family Vineyards Viognier 2003, California
Price   $23 to $25 - Private Wine Shops
UPC    670580007173
Score  89/100
Remarks        Ginger, honey, orange rind, and baked pear flavours.

Wine   Cline Ancient Vines Mourvèdre 2002, Contra Costa, California
Price   $28.99
UPC    98652600020
Score  90/100
Remarks        Rich and smooth with a sweet mocha/coffee flavours.

Wine   Pepi Shiraz 2002, California
Price   $19 to $21 - Private Wine Shops
UPC    086982002669
Score  88/100
Remarks        Black cherry, smoky licorice root and plum pudding flavours.