California's Travelling Road Show

The 23rd annual California Wine Fair Tour stops at the Westin Bayshore Hotel on Tuesday, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and, judging by the quality of wines and the number of participants, this is clearly the best effort we've seen from California in some time.

The travelling road show of 85 vintners and some 300 wines will criss-cross Canada during the next two months hoping to recapture some of the market they literally handed to Australia when the price of Golden State wines simply got silly.

With the dot com.ers now dot goners and a post 9/11 economy in the tank, California producers are facing a mini-sales crisis fuelled by several record crops, an impending war with Iraq, and a number of hostile-to-anything-American, foreign markets.

British Columbia must look inviting to many California wineries today with its high-end consumers and visible tourist market, but we're not without our beefs.

The softwood lumber dispute (which most wineries have probably never heard of) has hurt sales in Vancouver restaurants and no doubt in liquor stores.

Speaking of liquor stores, California wineries soon may have no market for their wines in post-privatized British Columbia where the retail model is a beer, wine and spirits stores selling $9 wines for $14.

Ironically all this is happening when California is making its best wines ever. If that isn't

reason enough to attend next week's show there's always the aforementioned topics to spice up the conversation.

If you are unable to attend the show, today's picks feature an all California lineup you can find in many government stores. Here are my notes:

The Cline Syrah 2000 is a major fruit bomb. Look for a huge, fruit-driven nose of black plum and cherries with a gamy/sausage meat aroma and chunky flavours of smoky bacon, earth, plums and roasted tobacco. There is fine intensity and good-value in this affordable red that tastes half-Rhone, half-California.

The Estancia Pinnacles Chardonnay 2000 has a toasted lees nose and baked apple and citrus flavours. It's

beginning to show age, so drink soon or look for the 2001 arriving in stores with its fresh Monterey flavours of mineral apple skin, honey and green peach.

The newly packaged Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir Private Selection 2001 has arrived. Private Selection is the replacement label for the old "Coastal" series, that in the eyes of the Mondavi team, lost its appeal with so many other wineries using the word coastal for wines grown so far inland the climate was continental and getting to the coast was a half-day trip.

That said, the new Private Selection label name has to rank among the lamest wine monikers in the business, rivalling the likes of such meaningless names as Proprietor's Reserve and Vintner's Reserve.

Fortunately the wine is delicious. Look for a spicy barnyard nose with smoky, black cherry flavours and that rootsy pinot noir character in the aftertaste. A solid pinot that would be a perfect match to duck cassoulet.

A pleasant surprise is the Delicato Family Vineyards Shiraz 2001. Smoky licorice, blackberry aromas and cooked prunes provide a dramatic improvement over the previous bottling. Look for a meaty, spicy, peppery, fruity syrah with some dryness in the finish. A well-priced, everyday red.

They are several vintages of Kendall-Jackson Pinot Noir Vintner's Reserve in government stores. The 1997 is my least favourite only because it's getting old and tired, but the 1999 and 2000 are terrific. The mostly Russian River fruit offers you a smoky spiced tea aroma with streaks of black cherry. There's a raspberry tea and soya aftertaste to add some extra complexity and style.

Finally, organic wine drinkers should gravitate to the tasty Bonterra Vineyards Chardonnay 2001 grown at the certified organic 378-acre Bonterra vineyard, located in the Russian River benchlands of Mendocino County. Look for bright, citrus oil aromas and apple skin. Soft and buttery in the mouth with plenty of green apple skin and lime rind flavours. Buttery lees flavours mark a long soft delicate finish.

CALIFORNIA IS MAKING ITS BEST WINES -- EVER

Wine: Cline Syrah 2000

Price: $19.99

UPC: 098652130022

Score: 16/20

Comments: Delicious half-Rhone, half-California

Wine: Estancia Pinnacles Chardonnay 2000/2001 Monterey County

Price: $19.99

UPC: 083085300586

Score: 14.5/20

Comments: Mineral, apple skin, honey and green peach

Wine: Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir Private Selection 2001 Central Coast

Price: $21.99

UPC: 0086003091931

Score: 15/20

Comments: Dry, smoky, black cherry, fruit flavours.

Wine: Delicato Family Vineyards Shiraz 2001

Price: $12.99

UPC: 082242018838

Score: 14/20

Comments: A well-priced everyday red.

Wine: Kendall-Jackson Pinot Noir Vintner's Reserve 1999/2000

Price: $25.99

UPC: 081584131519

Score: 16.5/20

Comments: Smoky, spice tea with streaks of black cherry.

Wine: Bonterra Vineyards Chardonnay 2001 Mendocino County

Price: $21.99

UPC: 082896780419

Score: 15.5/20

Comments: Best organic white wine in the market.