Produced in Chile, Labelled in Ottawa and Sold in British Columbia

While many people think the labelling issue should be cleaned up, just as many people drink CIC wine, like the price and the flavour, and can't figure out what the fuss is all about.

To reiterate, it's not about the wine, it's all about the labelling and the marketing.

Getting the label right would have likely toned down the exuberant marketing that has pushed these wines to a point where they appear, to the unsuspecting wine buyer, to be local wines. With that in mind I would be happy to hear from readers about how they would classify a bottle of wine when the origin of its content is not Canadian, yet it is bottled at a winery inside Canada.

You should also think about which descriptors would appear on the label. Would it be Product of Canada, Bottled in Canada, Imported Wine Bottled in Canada or the current standard Cellared in Canada? Finally, where in government stores, should it be sold: with domestic wines, the import wine section, a Bottled in Canada section or perhaps under an Imported Wine Bottled in Canada moniker?

It's also been suggested to me by consumers that perhaps the Canadian wine industry should go back to the drawing board and redefine its basic wine laws and labelling and clear up any misconception. I like the concept of any wine being made with grapes grown and produced in Canada bearing the simple moniker Product of Canada. If the grapes are grown and produced provincially Product of B.C., Ontario or you name the province, works for me. The same system should apply to the Okanagan Valley or Cowichan and the same when smaller sub-regions like Naramata or Skaha Bench are involved. And it should apply to everyone with a winery license, no exceptions.

Foreign wines bottled here should also be dealt with in a straight-forward matter. It's hardly rocket science, but it would certainly galvanize a fractured wine community who are finally beginning to see that this issue could well affect their future if they fail to settle the issue once and for all.

To less important but more interesting matters. Argentine wine producers have made a massive effort to kick off their post-Olympic Playhouse International Wine Festival appearance with a huge tasting of wines this Thursday at the Sutton Place Hotel. There will now be 45 wineries in attendance pouring close to 200 wines. Tickets ($59) to what is a terrific opportunity to assess a vast range of Argentine wines are available online at: http://www.winesofargentina.ca/tickets.

This week we look at the some new-to-the-market wines that make up the New Product Introduction Program now displayed in 50 BCLDB stores. Enjoy.

Domaine Notre Dame de Cousignac Syrah - Grenache 2007 sits between the appellations of the Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Vivarais in the south of France. The wine is a blend of syrah and grenache sold under the Vin de Pays de L'Ardèche appellation. Look for an intense floral reminiscent of raspberries and black cherries with a pinch of meaty, gamy, earthy notes. The palate is soft and spicy with round, juicy, black fruit flavours. A simple, mid-week red for roasted chicken dishes.

Big spice and soft, peppery, warm fruit describes the modern French red Maurel Vedeau Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. Pepper and licorice dominate the nose and palate with chunky rustic tannins in the back end. The good news is the cabernet is ripe, but the rustic tannins call for something equally boisterous on the menu. Grilled lamb chops will do.

Fat is the word for Zinfatuation Zinfandel 2006 from Amador County, another warm (alcoholic) spicy red with a rich, bramble fruit nose. As if it wasn't intense enough some of the juice is bled off from the tank before fermentation using the classic French technique saignée. Raspberries, white pepper and coffee mark the palate -- all with a bit of acidity poking through the back end. The mix includes 10 per cent barbera and seven per cent syrah, aged 18 months in French and American oak.

Milcampos Tempranillo Vinas Viejas 2006 attacks the palate with lifted, floral notes flecked with spice and licorice. The mid-palate of the Spanish tempranillo is acidic with smoky, spicy, sour cherry fruit and bits of coffee, earth and chocolate in the back end. The finish remains tart and acidic. It is screaming for tapas or grilled sausages to tame its thin edgy finish.

The label of Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 is somewhat gimmicky pointing out the vines are grown directly on their own roots. The wine is a minty, herbal mix tinged with garlic and sulphur along with peppery, licorice, black-fruit flavours and a big warm finish. Classic Chilean cabernet that really needs a piece of meat to work with the tannin, acid and rustic edges. Simple stuff for the price.

My final pick is not in the release, but rather a new vintage worth searching out. Cono Sur Viognier Limited Release 2008 is crazy good for the money. The palate is fresh, crisp and round with a touch of sweetness. Its honey, spicy, floral, ginger, orange, juicy melon flavours are delicious. Consistently fine and easily one of the best yet from Cono Sur.

Domaine Notre Dame de Cousignac Syrah - Grenache 2007, South of France

Price      $15

UPC       00714320671740

Score     86/100

Remarks              A perfect mid-week red for roasted chicken dishes.

Maurel Vedeau Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Vin de Pays d'Oc, South of France

Price $14

UPC       003377271113881

Score 85/100

Remarks              Big spicy, soft, peppery, warm, modern cabernet sauvignon.

Zinfatuation Zinfandel 2006, Amador County, Sierra Foothills, California, United States

Price      $16

UPC       0085200027002

Score     86/100

Remarks              Raspberries white pepper and coffee all in one.

Milcampos Tempranillo Vinas Viejas 2006, Ribera del Duero, Castilla-Leon, Spain

Price      $18

UPC       008424324000010

Score     85/100

Remarks              Smoky spicy sour cherry fruit with bits of coffee, earth and chocolate.

Wine Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2008,

Price $15.00

UPC 00750625651018

Score 85/100

Remarks    Classic cool minty Chilean cabernet that really needs a piece of protein to work.

Cono Sur Viognier Limited Release 2008, Valle del Colchagua, Chile

Price      $11

UPC       7804320405407

Score     88/100

Remarks              Consistently well made this is a super value.