Variety is the Spice of Wine

Perhaps classic may be too strong a word, but before the introduction of blends, aromatics and off-the-beaten-track bottles, buying wine by grape variety was marketed as such so you the consumer could easily grasp what was going on in the bottle. It's been very successful.

The kings of varietal wine are chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. Curiously there are no real scientific studies that I am aware of that explain why consumers are so attracted to the two bestsellers but you continue to buy them in numbers that would suggest little else matters in the market. So we will begin with some highly touted chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon and followed up with shiraz, malbec, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.

Local chardonnay has come a long way with fine offerings from Black Hills, Blasted Church, Mission Hill Perpetua, Quails' Gate and Cedar-Creek. Internationally some of the year's bargain bottles must include: Banrock Station, Catena Alamos, Errazuriz Wild Ferment, Heggies and Rodney Strong. Our pick goes to the creamy spicy nutty, green apple scented De Martino Legado Reserva Chardonnay 2007 from Chile's Limari Valley. The style is fresh and elegant, the palate is dry and the flavours a mix of toasted nutty lees with baked apple, citrus, vanilla and butter flavours. A stylish entertainer and it works with a variety of foods.

I am constantly surprised by the number of cabernet sauvignon lovers in B.C. who simply can't get enough of the big minty, leafy, cassis flavoured red. Favourites tasted this year include: Jean Bousquet, Pascual Toso, Santa Rita Reserva, Wolf Blass and J. Lohr, Graham Beck, Hess, Pascual Toso, Penfolds and Signorello. Our holiday pick is the Ikella Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Mendoza, Argentina. Malbec may be the go-to Argentine grape, but cabernet is equally impressive and better than most other international offerings save for specific parts of California. The latest '07 Ikella offers up some delicious round smoky, peppery, cassis, and black cherry fruit with some licorice and black olive notes in the finish. A solid fruit-first red that represents excellent value in cabernet.

Everyone's a shiraz expert in the city and it still sells like hotcakes. Some of my favourites this year include: Liberty School, Jim Barry, Mitolo Jester, Bridlewood, Three Winds and Chakana, but today our big value pick is the Chono Reserva Syrah 2007 from Chile's Elqui Valley. This wine continues to impress in the bottle with its smoky, floral, black cherry, licorice-root nose and round, dry and supple textures. A versatile party red for the wine geeks that will also please your guests who just want a glass of red. Good value here.

We have said so much about malbec this year there is nothing left to say other than everybody is ordering it in restaurants and wine stores. Rich fleshy ripe fruit with a savoury edge is the current fashion. Make sure you have some on hand to serve over the holidays. Labels to for include Viu Manent, Pascual Toso, Don Miguel Gascon, Catena, Xumek, Trapiche and our pick, the crazy value Renacer Punto Final Malbec 2008. We love its supple, fresh palate with peppery, savoury bay leaf and mineral nose with bits of licorice, mocha, black cherry and plum flavours. Attractive, supple, mid-palate with a warm black raspberry finish, it is impressive for the price.

Sauvignon is the versatile party white you can serve with or without food. Cool, fresh, bright, unwooded and under screw cap is the current model of choice. Terrific buys include Casillero Del Diablo, Domaine Clos du Borg, Domaine du Tariquet, ZED, Santa Rita 120 and our pick from the south of France, Arrogant Frog Ribet White Sauvignon Blanc 2008. Paul Mas is tearing up in the south of France with contemporary wines that mesh the best of France with needs of the modern drinker. We love the crisp, aromatic, mineral, citrus, grassy notes on the nose flecked with nettle and grass and passion fruit. Pure and fresh with a touch of lime rind. Bring on the appetizers.

Pinot noir is the last major varietal in this mix, but finding anything that has pinot character and is affordable is the challenge. Most of the wines you see on these pages are a result of tasting 15 or 20 wines; in the case of pinot noir it is more like 35 wines. There's not a lot of tasty pinot noir out there under $25. Your best bet for entertaining is the Santa Rita Reserva Pinot Noir 2007. The second release of this 100 per cent, cool-climate Leyda bottling has lost a bit of the puppy fat and sweet fruit we saw in the '06. The nose is a mix of spicy, licorice, and forest floor with just a whiff of fruit. The entry is round, supple and dry, very soft and pinot-like.

Next week: Last-minute gift ideas for wine collectors.