Sidebar: Wine Country, One Glass at a Time

Even if you aren't traveling to the Bay Area in the near future, remember that wine can come to you. The trick, as always, is knowing what to ask for. California, like any other major wine area, produces wines that range from awful to awesome. The following half-dozen recommendations constitute a six-pack of California wines at their most convincing. Though none sell by mail, all are available at major wine retailers.

Beringer Bancroft Ranch Howell Mountain Merlot. ($32) Howell Mountain is a subdistrict in Napa Valley that creates terrific Cabernet Sauvignon. Beringer planted some Merlot, however, and the results are sensational. This may well be California's single finest Merlot, year in and year out.

Stags' Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon. ($22) This Napa Valley subdistrict's specialty is creating rich, luxurious Cabernets. Stags' Leap Winery owns one of the best vineyards and has improved its wine making mightily, starting with the 1990 vintage. Its price is lower than some others, as the word on its successful comeback isn't fully out.

Kistler Vineyard Chardonnay ($35). Kistler makes several different Chardonnays, all from vineyards in various parts of Sonoma County. Kistler's Estate Vineyard is located 1,800-feet up in the Mayacamas Mountains. It's intense, stony-tasting, and memorable. Any Kistler Chardonnay will do.

Mount Eden Vineyards Estate Chardonnay. ($36) If I had to name California's single greatest Chardonnay, this would be my pick. Mount Eden is located in Saratoga -- high in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Silicon Valley. The soil is stony, yields are low, and the result is stupendous and long-lived. Get the Estate Chardonnay, as Mount Eden also buys grapes from Edna Valley for a less expensive, vineyard-designated bottling.

Spottswoode Winery Cabernet Sauvignon. ($42) This one is hard to find, if only because Napa Valley's Spottswoode has earned a reputation for producing impeccable Cabernets. While these subtle, gentle Cabernets go down without a catch, they are far from boring.

Amador Foothill Winery "Eschen Vineyard", "Ferrero Vineyard," or "Grand-pere Vineyard" Zinfandels. ($10 to $14) Amador County is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains -- Gold Rush country. The Grand-pere vineyard is California's oldest: most of the vines date to 1868. Amador County Zinfandels are redolent of prunes, berries, and tar. They're not for everyone, but they are original. Amador Foothill Winery makes some of the best.

Sidebar: Resources

The following California wine retailers specialize in mail order and sell everything at discount prices. Call for free monthly newsletters and catalogs: Wine Club, San Francisco, 800-966-7835; Hi-Time Wine Cellars, Costa Mesa, 800-331-3005; The Wine House, Los Angeles, 310-479-3731; outside L.A., 800-626-9463.

The most widely read newsletter is Robert Parker Jr's "The Wine Advocate". Parker's palate gravitates toward somewhat large-scale, intense wines. His integrity is unquestioned, his followers are legion. Coordinates: The Wine Advocate, 410-329-6477; $40 for six issues a year. The single best wine book is "The World Atlas of Wine," fourth edition, by Hugh Johnson (Simon & Schuster, $50). Wine is all about place. This book, a cartographer's dream, has the best maps of the world's vineyards.

Most Web sites on wine are boring. One exception is the Napa Valley Virtual Visit, which offers lots of useful information for visiting Napa Valley. You can also link to a comparable Sonoma Valley Virtual Visit. Coordinates: Napa Valley Virtual Visit,
(http://www.freerun.com/cgi-bin/home).