A few wine favorites from spring tastings

Each spring, wine trade and press are treated to (barraged by really) "tasting season. Vintners crisscross the country hawking their wares.

Tastings come in all shapes and sizes: one may be a seated seminar providing an in-depth examination of a postage stamp-size vineyard and wines so esoteric they're not even for sale; another, a "stand-up, walk-around" (in professional parlance) with row upon row of tables filling Navy Pier in Chicago.

On any week, this wine pro's calendar might read: Monday: 30 vintners from a Northern California county; Tuesday: Chianti; Wednesday: a seated look at organic viticulture; Thursday: a consortium of sons and daughters of famous winegrowers. Happy/ beleaguered tasters crisscross town, calling to each other in passing, "How was Napa?" "Great. Be sure to hit Table 12. Will you be at New Zealand?" "You bet. I hear the Pinot Noirs are awesome!"

So many wines, so little time.

Through wine stains and handwriting influenced by tasting hundreds of wines, I've deciphered notes of my favorites from a recent event:

2006 Torrontes, Bodega Colome (Rias Baixas, Spain): Another noteworthy Torrontes (see "Good Wine" May 28), dry-ish with rich stone fruit aroma, flavor and texture. Serve as a unique Pinot Grigio alternative and to complement lighter foods. About $13.

2006 Gewȼrztraminer, Alsatian Style, Claibourne & Church (California): As exotic and complex as baked pineapple. The label tips its hat to Alsace, where this powerful white grape pairs with sausages, kraut and flavory cheeses such as Munster. At our global tables, serve this "Gewurz" (geh-VURTZ) with rich, seasoned foods such as Mexican moles, Indian curries and a ballpark frank with the works. About $18.

2005 Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Kabinett, Dr. H. Thanisch (Mosel, Germany): I needed a nip of Riesling to complement my trip to the hors d'oeuvres table, beckoning with smoked salmon. Lucky me, I found one of the world's finest growers (Thanisch) of one of the world's finest Riesling vineyards (Bernkasteler Doctor.) With supple texture and refined balance of stone fruit, slate and lime, the wine charmed my nose, mouth and imagination. Serve as an exciting complement to a wide range of meals including smoked foods, Asian cuisine (including sushi), and to cure whatever ails you. This wine is still a baby and will develop in complexity over five to 10 years. About $35.

1973 Vina Tondonia, R. Lopez de Heredia (Rioja, Spain): This traditionalist defies our current youth culture and the grape-juice fruitiness of the "international style" with wines that balance on the edge of life and death indefinitely. With a memory of fruit, flavors of ancient earth and aged meat glide across delicate bones of tannin. Look for the current 1997 release, silky, with dried cherry, tobacco and tea flavors. About $40.

2005 Petite Syrah, David Bruce (California): David Bruce earned international recognition for powerful Pinot Noir, too beefy, in fact, for this palate. The Petite Syrah, however, wears beef well. Flavors express several growing regions ˆ­- the rustic density of Paso, bright blue - and blackberry flavor from the north ... - in burly harmony. A carnivore's delight. About $25.

Matusalem, Oloroso, Gonzalez-Byass (Jerez, Spain): What's more decadent: endless sweetness or intense complexity? This sherry has both, matured about 30 years in solera - the Sherry region's traditional aging system - for rich, baked fruit flavor saturated with honey, brown spice, citrus zest.

An elegant complement to any breakfast, lunch or dinner tapas meal including Iberian ham, almonds and cheeses, to complement dessert or as dessert in itself. About $30 per 375 ml bottle.

My calendar shows a sake tasting coming up soon. I'll report back in an upcoming "Good Wine."

Hey, someone's got to do it.

Advanced sommelier and certified wine educator Mary Ross writes Good Wine twice a month in Food.

Ross' choice

Old Vine Grenache

2006

Yangarra Estate & Vineyard

McLaren Vale, Australia

Suggested retail and availability: About $25 at wine shops

The Aboriginal word "yangarra" translates "from the earth" and in that spirit, Yangarra Estate translates its growing region - McLaren Vale - into unique, complex wines. The clove, flowers and ripe berry aromas of this Grenache beckon from the glass, inviting the palate to wander around in flavors of ripe fruit, cocoa powder, meat and peaty earth, all defined by acidity and grainy tannin. It's a big but balanced wine to drink now or years from now with red meat, the richest poultry and veggie dishes.