Zinfandel

From: Napa Valley, Calif. Price: $32 Serve with: Roast turkey You can serve either white or red with the Thanksgiving feast. Among whites, I recommend pinot gris. Among reds, zinfandel excels - especially the style of zinfandel that comes from Napa Valley fruit. And Ravenswood Dickerson is at or near the top of that breed. This wine is incredibly intense, complex and full-bodied, but with excellent balance and acidity. The flavors of cassis, blackberry and black cherry are clear and pure.

California's Napa Valley tends to produce a much different style of zinfandel than fruit from Sonoma County or other parts of the state. This offering from Ravenswood is an excellent example, with its hints of raspberrry, vanilla and spices. Some zins "shock and awe" the palate; this one seduces it. It's racy rather than rumbling. There's something to be said for each style. It's fully ready to drink now, and the wine's finish is long and smooth. Serve with roast poultry, pasta and red meat.

1998 Geyser Peak Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($16).This California chardonnay is a well-made wine for its price, but that seems to be routine from Geyser Peak. This critic could just as easily single out the winery's 1997 cabernet sauvignon, merlot or zinfandel (also $16) from Sonoma County, as well as the dry, bracing 1998 gewurztraminer ($9). The chardonnay stands out for its exceptional balance of fruit and oak. Its creamy texture and toasty flavors are accentuated by a lively acidity, with hints of white pepper, fresh bread, apple and sweet corn.

1997 Edizione Pennino Napa Valley Zinfandel ($32).Admittedly, this a a high price to pay for a California zinfandel. But the level of complexity is extraordinary. It is packed with powerful blackberry, blueberry and smoked earth flavors. A few hours of breathing does it enormous good, unleashing flavors of smoked meat and fresh sage. Most zinfandels don't age that well after release, but this could be an exception. It's a full wine that some red-wine lovers would love to find under the tree.

1998 Weinstock White Zinfandel ($7.50)This rose is one of the first California 1998s to reach the market -- an excellent decision by this "modern" kosher winery. Drier than most white zinfandels, it's a lively and fresh wine with an appealing strawberry flavor. There are no signs of the fruit loss that afflicts some kosher wines as a result of flash pasteurization. White zinfandel is never particularly complex, but this is a well-made wine that would bring as much fun to an Easter feast as to a Passover Seder.

1997 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel ($12).The new vintage of this repeat wine of the week choice lives up to the glory of previous years. It offers long, ripe blackberry and black cherry flavors with cedar-y and earthy notes for added complexity. The just-released vintage is a little raw now, but will tone down and show impressive power and length. If you see this impressive California red on sale, stock up for the year ahead.Pub Date: 02/03/99

1997 Beringer LVS North Coast White Zinfandel ($11).Beringer's standard white zinfandel is a big commercial success, but it's a bit too sweet and obvious to please those who like a drier touch. The LVS bottling (for Limited Vineyard Selection) is a white zinfandel for those of who generally don't like white zins. This dry, crisp pink wine is reminiscent of some of the fine roses of Provence, but with a hint of strawberry flavor. With its good length and excellent freshness, it would be a delightful companion to cold ham served on a hot afternoon.

1996 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel ($15).This wild, rustic zinfandel is just packed with blackberry and herb flavors. It's a full-bodied, take-no-prisoners zin that deserves to be drunk before the weather becomes too warm; it's hard to appreciate it then.Pub Date: 5/13/98

1996 Ravenswood Vintner's Blend Zinfandel ($11)Ravenswood has few rivals in its mastery of zinfandel, and it shows in this full-bodied California red wine. It offers generous blackberry and black-pepper flavors, and a silky texture that is unusual in a big, inexpensive red wine. This is a classic pizza wine.Pub Date: 4/12/98@

To: Santa ClausFrom: Michael Dresser, Dionysus Consultants Inc.Re: Wine Gifts Division, North Pole EnterprisesDear Santa,DCI's independent elf auditors have found a serious problem among your wine-loving customers.The Belief in Santa (BIS) ratings among wine enthusiasts are down to their lowest level (38 percent) since the poor Bordeaux ** vintages of the early 1970s.This is an alarming number, because wine lovers are by nature cheerful folks who have long formed a key pro-Santa constituency.

You know a product is ingrained in the culture when consumers (and writers) use the name to describe all other similar products. Band-Aid, Kleenex, Jell-O, Frisbee, Gore-Tex - stand up and take a bow. Yes, it makes the manufacturers grind their proprietary teeth and their lawyers write threatening form letters. But the bottom line is, consumers saying your name is better than their not saying it. Hanging out with military and law enforcement professionals recently, I noticed that when they talked about hydration packs, they called all of them "CamelBaks," a tip of the cap to the company that makes all shapes and sizes of bladder-and-tube drinking systems and plastic water bottles.

It's a relief to be able to recommend a wine that's both inexpensive and widely available. This is not one of your blockbuster California zinfandels. It's a medium-bodied, fruity red wine with no rough edges and plenty of easy charm. It offers straightforward, smooth blackberry and herb flavors and a smooth texture. It's not a wine to ponder over, just to drink and enjoy. 2007 Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Zinfandel From: California Price: $8 Serve with: Pizza, burgers, pasta

2007 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel From: California Price: $10 Serve with: Pizza, pasta, red meat Here's a widely available, affordable zinfandel that provides a load of simple pleasure. It's a medium-bodied, smooth red wine with bright flavors of black cherry and blueberry, finished with lively acidity. If you're looking for a blockbuster zin or a paragon of complexity, this isn't your wine. But if what you're looking for is value, and a simple red to share with friends, it's a great bet.

This robust, smooth zinfandel does a pretty good imitation of a fine vintage port, minus the sweetness. It's packed with flavors of blueberry, chocolate, herbs and coffee. Its style is more reminiscent of a big-shouldered Sonoma County zinfandel than the typical Napa zin, but who's complaining? It's simply a delicious red. Michael Dresser 2006 Napa Cellars Zinfandel From: Napa Valley, Calif. Price: $22 Serve with: Pasta, pizza, winter stews

This wine from Tamayo Family Vineyards is a special label for this football-crazy market and thus something of a gimmick. If only all gimmicks tasted so good. It's a full-bodied dry red wine that is so jampacked with fruit it gives the impression of sweetness without the syrup. A blend of zinfandel, syrah and cabernet sauvignon, it offers layers of black-cherry, blackberry, chocolate and herb flavors. Imagine a fine port without the residual sugar. At four years, it's mature and mellow and perfect to serve with barbecue.

From: Napa Valley, Calif. Price: $32 Serve with: Roast turkey You can serve either white or red with the Thanksgiving feast. Among whites, I recommend pinot gris. Among reds, zinfandel excels - especially the style of zinfandel that comes from Napa Valley fruit. And Ravenswood Dickerson is at or near the top of that breed. This wine is incredibly intense, complex and full-bodied, but with excellent balance and acidity. The flavors of cassis, blackberry and black cherry are clear and pure.

California's Napa Valley tends to produce a much different style of zinfandel than fruit from Sonoma County or other parts of the state. This offering from Ravenswood is an excellent example, with its hints of raspberrry, vanilla and spices. Some zins "shock and awe" the palate; this one seduces it. It's racy rather than rumbling. There's something to be said for each style. It's fully ready to drink now, and the wine's finish is long and smooth. Serve with roast poultry, pasta and red meat.

Zinfandel makes several different styles of red wine in California, roughly reflecting the county of origin. One of the most distinctive - and best - is that of Mendocino. This version from the reliable Edmeades winery is an excellent expression of the style - with high-toned, spicy, wild berry flavors, a pleasing acidity and well-concealed alcohol, even at 15.5 percent. It's an excellent value in a red wine ready for early consumption. Serve with: pasta, grilled red meat

Does the shape of the wineglass affect the taste of the wine? Yes and no, say sippers who know. When arguing in the affirmative, they tell me the proper configuration of the glass - wider at its bottom, tapered at its top - allows for the felicitous pairing of air and wine surface. This, in short, allows you to stop, swirl and smell the good stuff. World-renowned wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. likens the work done by a well-made glass to meteorological events. Swirling the wine in the bottom of the glass creates a "cyclone," he says.

What it is -- A pack of four single-serving, unbreakable bottles of wine. What we like about it --This affordable chardonnay is made to travel on the trail or to a picnic. Each plastic bottle holds about a glass of wine (but no need to bring glasses). The wine could be more complex, but as long as you keep it chilled in the backpack or picnic hamper, its pleasant taste will go nicely with casual fare such as grilled chicken and potato salad. Pinot grigio, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and white zinfandel also are available.