How to find your favorite wine

Whatever your level of interest in wine, you`ve no doubt encountered the most vexing question facing wine consumers in today`s fast-moving world: Where do you lay your hands on the wines you want? Simply knowing which wines to buy is no longer enough. Then you have to find them.

I have a simple answer for anyone who asks. Get to know the buyer at your favorite wine shop. Anyone who sells wine, from the smallest corner market to the largest chain discount store, has access to often voluminous catalogs of wine being offered by the wholesale trade. The wine you want, if the stocks haven`t been depleted or allocated, is an easy phone call away.

The trick is finding a wine merchant who values customer service enough to take the time to look up your wine in the wholesale books and place an order. More merchants are willing to make that effort these days because of increasing competition from the Internet. Wine sites, such as wine.com, eVineyard.com and drinks.com, make it easy to shop for some of the most desirable and highly allocated wines.

Internet wine sales aren`t available in every state, but they`ve made an impact in states that permit wine shipments. Brick-and-mortar wine merchants have to be more user friendly or they will wither and die. So don`t hesitate to ask if there`s something you want and it`s not in stock. And if the person you ask is too busy to help, I have a solution for that. Find another wine merchant.

WINE FINDS

The most outstanding wines are rated Exceptional. Wines that earn high marks for complexity, balance and flavor are rated Very Good. Wines that represent excellent quality for the price are rated Good Value.

Exceptional:

Pommery 1989 Louise, Champagne ($140), illustrates the tremendous depth and richness that top Champagne can achieve. Everything about Louise, from the complex aromatics in the nose to the persistence of the finish, is extraordinary. When someone talks about Champagne with the power, complexity and elegance to stand up to main courses, including meat, it`s something akin to Pommery Louise they have in mind. Connoisseurs should note the 1989 Louise is so powerful that it was released nearly a full year after the equally gorgeous, but more evolved 1990 vintage.

Delas Freres 1997 Hermitage "Les Bessards," France ($95), is a brooding, muscular wine that needs more time in the cellar to realize its potential. The dark berry fruit is dense and concentrated, tightly woven and nowhere near showing its best at the moment. But give it time and a wonderfully complex, spicy, earthy Hermitage with extraordinary complexity and length on the palate will emerge. Highly allocated to the major cities of the United States.

Very Good:

La Crema 1998 Chardonnay "Cold Coast Vineyards," Sonoma Coast ($20), will throw weight behind claims that the relatively new Sonoma Coast appellation is the most exciting development in California wine in years. The proximity of the appellation to the Pacific Ocean - some vineyards even overlook the breaking surf - ensures a long, cool growing season. In years like 1998 and 1999, the grapes struggle to ripen, and they always have exceptional acidity. This makes for beautifully balanced chardonnay that is crisp on the palate, flavorful and positively perfect with food.

La Crema 1998 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley ($30), is from a cool growing region, too, though the Russian River grape growers don`t live on the edge of disaster the way those in the Sonoma Coast appellation do. The range of aromas flavors is quite different in the Russian River, too, with more tropical fruit, citrus and floral nuances. I`m not sure the additional layers of complexity justify the price difference, but the Russian River inspires an almost hypnotic devotion among some wine lovers.

Concha Y Toro Terrunyo 1998 Carmenere, Peumo Valley, Chile ($29), isn`t made in the California style of many Chilean red wines, where the fruit is supple and juicy and the wines are meant to be consumed upon purchase. The Terrunyo (Spanish for terroir) Carmenere is made after the European fashion of tightly knit wines that require cellar aging to evolve into something beautiful. Carmenere is an almost extinct Bordeaux grape variety that is still widely planted in Chile.

Clover Hill 1996 Brut, Tasmania ($29), held its own when tasted alongside several non-vintage bruts from Champagne. Good thing, too, because that`s the price category where it fits. This is a fresh, elegant sparkling wine that offers a fair amount of complexity despite its delicacy on the palate.

Good Value:

Pepi 1998 Arneis, Central Coast ($12), keeps alive the wonderful Piedmontese white grape of northern Italy. There isn`t a huge demand for this wine because many wine enthusiasts, including many in Italy, have seldom if ever tasted it. The aromas are unusual (almond, tangerine and apricot) in combination, mouth feel is full and round, and this is a remarkable flavor experience for the price.

Pepi 1999 Pinot Grigio, California ($12), is immediately identifiable as a California pinot grigio. It`s riper than most pinot grigio from Italy, for starters, and the hint of tropical fruit and a floral aromatic are dead giveaways this wine is not from Alto Adige or Friuli, the two best regions for the grape in Italy.

Prosper Maufoux 1998 Vire Clesse, France ($13.99), will satisfy those with an urge for a crisp, fresh chardonnay that has been produced without benefit of oak. The apple and pear aromas are dominant. Meant to be drunk young, it pairs nicely with seafood or soft cheeses.

Prosper Maufoux 1999 Cotes du Rhone, France ($9), is as delicious as any red wine you can find for $10 or less. Juicy plum and black currant fruit, good weight on the palate and a spicy finish all add up to one thing: Yummy!

Spirit of the Week:

Espolon is one of the new kids on the block in the premium Tequila sector, the fastest growing spirits category in the United States. The spicy, fruity Espolon Silver ($29) was recently introduced in the United States. It`s not only one of the finest blanco Tequilas, but one of the best values, too. It compares favorably to Tequilas costing far more.

The Espolon Reposado ($34) is made for those who love the nuances of oak with their Tequila. It`s sweeter and more heavily laden with the aroma of vanilla spice than other Reposados I tasted it against.

Serving suggestion:

Freshly shucked oysters are abundant in the seaside villages of western Scotland, where the denizens enjoy their local catch with single malt scotch drizzled lightly about the shell. The preferred type of Scotch would be one of the smoky island malts, which tend to have a briny, sea-salt aromatic. It`s an exotic flavor combination, to say the least. A few of the malts that work in this fashion: Laphroaig 10-year-old, Bowmore Mariner 15-year-old and Lagavulin 16-year-old.

Visit Robert Whitley online at www.whitleyonwine.com or send e-mail to him at whitonwine(at)aol.com.

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Robert Whitley