When it is on a North Coast Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant bottle. Before Mac World yesterday I had a meeting near the Ferry Building. $6 (20 min.) parking vs. $3 with a purchase. Instinctively I sought out the excellent wine shop in the building, appropriately named for its landmark location.

It is obvious by the stocklist that the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant is making a concerted effort to expose small, lesser known producers to the wine consumer. With a winebar, food list, and an excellent cross section of wines by taste or flight, you can actually start you weekend City tour with a wine tasting as early as 8:30 am. Perfect for that pre-brunch sparkling wine tasting you were dreaming about.

Aside from the selection, what caught my eye was the rating system they have implemented to help guests get a better sense for the wine they are buying. A clever set of icons denoting type and character are on their 2003 Zin, but also are attached to bins and bottles.

The icons to the right are an example of a classification for a young California Cabernet with 0 being the lowest. While determining these classifications is still subjective it at least gives the consumer an opportunity to learn an established system and benefit from the experience of the wine buyers at FBWM. And if you have yet to build enough wine knowledge to really get what “full bodied” means, ask away.

With a full calendar of events including winemaker tastings, the Ferry Building Wine Merchant is a great addition to the Embarcadero. Soon, they plan to have an online shop for you to take advantage of. And how can you not like a merchant whose motto is “we spit so you don’t have to!”

Naomi Brilliant over at Roshambo Winery emailed us to be sure we knew about the discounts on some of their wine. It seems their resident pooch Schotzie has marked down three favorites, the 2004 “think” Rose, the 2004 “the obvious” Sauvignon Blanc and the 2002 “justice” Syrah. It looks like these are 6 pack prices, and are available online.

The 2002 Justice Syrah will present you with a nice aroma of earth, dark flowers and plums. Jammy with blueberry, black cherry and currants, this Syrah has a velvety finish, long and silky with a hint of chocolate right at the end. Its a fun wine to drink, and a great winery to visit.

If you are in the Healdsburg area Saturday night for the Winter Wineland, they will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Costumes and props will be made available to those in the know!

Roshambo Winery is located at 3000 Westside Road, Healdsburg. Ring them at (707) 431-2051 for more details.

I am looking forward to the new release of La Crema’s NINE Barrel Pinot Noir. It hasn’t been announced yet, but I am going to be sure to get on their mailing list and join the wine club. Winemaker Melissa Stackhouse is a fellow graduate of UC Davis, where I studied Environmental Design. One of the benefits of a Davis education is the world class Enology and Viticulture program there and Melissa’s wines are a perfect example of that.

Each year the team at La Crema select 9 barrels that exhibit the finest characteristics for their limited Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Its distinct packaging, with the red 9 jumping off the label will guarantee that the wine you are purchasing is the finest of quality from La Crema.

If you are in the area, be sure to stop in at the new tasting room La Crema has opened in Healdsburg, Ca. In the heart of Sonoma County Wine Country, this new facility is constructed from recycled materials such as aluminum cans, sustainable wood products and a wide variety of ‘green’ products. Even the floors are made from recycled cork.

The tasting room is located at 235 Healdsburg Avenue and hosts complimentary tastings daily.

I had a wonderful day at Rosenblum Cellars yesterday. I was visiting a client in San Francisco to review a proposal, and was invited over to meet with my friend Kate. Kate is in charge of the marketing of Rosenblum Cellar wines. We were joined by her assistant, soon-to-be winemaker Stephanie.

Rosenblum Wineries is in Alameda, thru the tube from Oakland and over off Main St, near the container yards. Very large ships site off a few hundred feet waiting to be (un)loaded. The facility is as unique as the wine that is made there. The warehouse and wine making facility is fronted by older wine barrels, so you wont be able to miss it. Tasting is daily.

Upstairs in the tasting room I met Robin. When she found out I had never tasted any of Kent Rosenblum’s wine, she started me out smoothly, pouring the 2004 North Coast Zinfandel from their Appellation Series. The full fruit of the wine was expressed in currants, spicy raspberries and black cherry. Not too much pepper, and just the perfect way to begin to understand the philosophy behind their deep and diverse portfolio.

Next up, Robin suggested we leap across the Zin spectrum and taste the 2003 Eagle Point Vineyard Zinfandel. This Mendocino County vineyard produced grapes that created a burst of pepper, spice and deep blackberry. Much more complex than the North Coast, I was wishing it was later in the day, and I was finishing off the final glazing of a rack of baby back ribs with my own BBQ sauce recipe. This Zin is a must buy on my list, also receiving a 90 in the Dec 31, 2005 issue of Wine Spectator and selected as the Wine of the Day for Dec. 19, 2005.

So lets talk about the Wine Spectator for a moment. Rosenblum Cellars has 2 wines in this years Top 100.

The 2003 Rockpile Zinfandel was awarded a 94. I think that is one of the highest Zin scores ever, but I need to confirm that. As soon as i get my hands on that I will do a complete review of the Rockpile Zinfandel. The other on the Top 100 list is the 2003 Paso Robles Zinfandel. Ranked at number 30, it comes in with a score of 92. A quick glance thru past ratings showed at least 14 wines from Kent Rosenblum with a Wine Spectator score of 90 or better.

Ok.. so back to the tasting. Kate suggested we try the 2002 Redwood Valley Zinfandel, Annette’s Reserve, which I think is now on the Reserve tasting list. You need to ask for it. And be sure you do. Another top wine at 91 from Wine Spectator (do you see a pattern here?), this Zinfandel was big, strong, full-bodied, energetic and would dare say bold. It was my favorite of the day, as I tend to enjoy the raspberry and chocolate punch of this wine. I can see why Kate wanted me to taste this, as it has been recognized with over 12 awards.

So it is safe to say that I have become a big fan of Kent Rosenblum’s winemaking style. He has sourced grapes from over 80 vineyards and using his unique and distinctive winemaking philosophy, combined with the talents of winemaker Jeff Cohn, to create a deep portfolio of award winning wines. Take the time to cross the bay when you are in the San Francisco area. Visit the winery. Drink the wine. Join the wine club and for goodness sake buy the wine! You will be happy you are taking home such a wonderful souvenir.

The design savvy people at Artkrush have an ad for a contest on their site. It seems that the Wines of Spain campaign is offering VIBRANT RIOJA, a contest to win a tasting for 20 at your home. I entered it so you don’t have to.

Speaking of the wines of Spain…. I had the privilege of working as a strategist for Campo Viejo. I was able to attend a 3 day course on the Wines of Spain at The Culinary Institute of America
at Greystone (Napa Valley) where I tasted Crianzas, Reservas and Gran Reservas, sherrys, tapas, cheeses and more food than I could comfortably eat. All of this was preparation for the development of Campo-Viejo USA, which ended up being a finalist for a Webby Award in 2004.

The DTOUR Macon-Village is the next step in wine storage. First the cork is replaced by the screw cap and now this French white wine comes stored in a 3-liter plastic bag that collapses inside its cardboard cylinder. About 750ml for $37.00 a bottle tube.

Take the tube, put it in your fridge and then off to that concert in the park or a Niner’s game. The cardboard acts as an insulator. Sommelier Daniel Johnnes (yes, THAT Daniel Johnnes), Chef Daniel Boulard (Cafe Boulard fame, among others) and vinter Dominique Lafon, the D’s of DTOUR, have teamed up to make a Bistro style wine that should last for about a month as the vacuum sealed bag does not permit oxidation.

Food and liquids in a box are nothing new in Europe and Australia. Though slow to the States, the technology is catching on, as I now buy my favorite chili (Hormel) in a box.

Its available at Tribeca Wine Merchants on Hudson in NYC, or see the web site for a directory of limited paces to try this wine. Send me a tube for Christmas. Yes, Kevin, I am talking to you!

PUBLIC is an eatery in NYC created by AvroKO. They have recently introduced their wine mailbox program that promises to bring you one wine each month delivered in a bronze mailbox. The club will feature Australian and New Zealand wines hand selected by PUBLIC’s Chef Brad Farmerie. Pairings, event and tasting invitations will also accompany the selections.

Here is a link to the Wine Mailbox Program.

I received the newsletter from myopenbar.com last night which mentioned a daily wine tasting at Crush Wine and Spirits. Crush is located in NYC at 153 East 57th Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenue. Although they offer tastings every day from 10am-9pm, I won’t be going because a) it’s too cold for me right now on the east coast and b) I live in California, where it will be about 65 degrees today.

So if you are brave enough to pile on the coats and gloves, then hop a cab to the east side and spend a few hours looking at the inventory while you taste from this week’s list of wines.