It's Time to Stock Your Holiday Wine Cellar

Although we intend to share with you as many wine picks as possible over the next six weeks, shortages and stock outs have been a problem all fall in B.C. liquor stores and it probably won't get any better as we approach the holiday season. So shop early.

Today's picks are recent discoveries hailing from all parts of the globe that not only tastes as they should but represent good value too.

We begin in Rueda, Spain with a white wine making a name for itself in Europe's hottest wine bars. It contains mostly verdejo grapes blended with small amounts of viura and sauvignon blanc.

The Basa 2001 Rueda Blanco is made by travelling Spanish winemaker Telmo Rodriguez who scours his native homeland for new sites to produce Old World wines in a new style.

This wine has an inviting green apple grapefruit and floral character on the nose with mineral highlights. It's elegant and delicious with just the right amount of mineral and butternut flavours in its super-fresh finish. The perfect accompaniment to seafood appetizers.

Although completely different in grape and taste, the Mission Hill 2001 Pinot Grigio could be used in a similar appetizer mode as the Rueda.

Note the Italian "pinot grigio" tag versus the normal pinot gris. By using the Italian variation the winery is emphasizing the wine's fresh flavours and when you taste this intoxicating mix of citrus pear and floral fruit you'll know why. It's delicious and, for a change, a real bargain.

Our trio of syrah-based reds begin with a highly recommended Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi 1999 Syrah California. Look for the typical spicy sausage meat nose with smoky undertones and round sweet fruit flavours. And, in the case of Woodbridge, with some oaky notes in the finish. There's a streak of acidity at the back end that enlivens the wine and firms up the finish. Terrific value for California and another syrah to add to the fun red wine list.

From the warm vineyards of Lodi, in California's Central Valley, we cross the Pacific to the cooler climes of Victoria, Australia, home of Deakin Estate 2000 Shiraz.

The Deakin shiraz boasts a spicy, vanilla, peppery nose with meaty, smoked gamey aromas and ripe blackberry fruit. It's round, soft and pleasant with more spicy, vanilla, toasted smoke flavours in the finish. The tannins are light, suggesting simple barbecue fare or even pizza.

Our third shiraz takes us to Chile's Maipo Valley and the Tarapaca 2000 Shyraz Reserva. Here the big, spicy, sausage and smoke aromas come with a hint of leather. Similar flavours mark the palate along with earthy, smoky gamy hints. The texture is soft and generous and carries through to the end. A solid red that's ready to go.

Finally, something new from South Africa. The Landskroon 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon hails from a traditional wine estate in the Paarl region just outside Cape Town. It has intense nose of dark berries and spicy cassis jam aromas with a touch of smoke. The flavours mix black cherry fruit with streaks of pepper and spice. This is a cabernet that is easy to drink with soft tannins and lots of smoky mint flavours in the aftertaste.

WINES FOR HOME ENTERTAINING

Producer: Basa (Telmo Rodriguez) 2001 Rueda Blanco, Spain

Price: $12.99

Stock No.: 237529

Score: 14.5/20

Comments: Classy, floral, versatile white.

Producer: Mission Hill 2001 Pinot Grigio, Okanagan Valley. B.C.

Price: $12.95

Stock No.: 563081

Score: 15/20

Comments: Fresh, mouth-watering and cheap.

Producer: Woodbridge (Robert Mondavi) 1999 Syrah, California

Price: $13.95

Stock No.: 627851

Score: 15.5/20

Comments: Round texture, spicy sausage flavours.

Producer: Deakin Estate 2000 Shiraz, Victoria, Australia

Price: $13.95

Stock No.: 560821

Score: 14/20

Comments: Solid pizza red.

Producer: Tarapaca 1999 Shyraz, Reserva, Maipo Valley, Chile

Price: $14.95

Stock No.: 602383

Score: 15/20

Comments: Spicy, sausage and smoke.

Producer: Landskroon 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paarl, South Africa

Price: $19.95

Stock No.: 624460

Score: 15/20

Comments: Smoky cherry minty dinner red.