Well, an expert is handy: you.

You're the expert, since nobody knows your taste like you do. And if you can figure out what you like to eat from the endless possibilities available in this country, then you can figure out what you like to drink. It's not about what's "right" or correct; it's about identifying your preferences, and using them to find your way to a wine that pleases you.

How? Just think of wine as food. After all, many places in the world do — wine, like bread, is simply part of the meal. The best part about this approach? It will carry you through even when you're all alone among the bottles.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to get started.

Read the rest of the article at the Denver Post.

This review first appeared in the Denver Post.

King Estate 2006 Oregon Vin Glace Pinot Gris, about $18/half bottle
Like peach shortcake in a glass, this honeyed pinot gris from Oregon's foremost wine producer will match any fruit-infused cake, especially when topped with a scoop of honey whipped cream.

Iron Horse Vineyards 2003 Green Valley Russian Cuvee, about $33
Iron Horse's Russian Cuvee is made in the slightly sweeter style favored by Russian royalty early last century. It's just sweet enough to qualify as a dessert wine next to something as reservedly sweet as angel food cake, but not so sweet it'll offend those who drink dry wines only (sad souls).

Carlson Vineyards 2005 Colorado Cherry Wine, about $13
Made from Colorado-grown Montmorency cherries, this bright, sweet red wine has the sweet-tart balance to complement chocolate or vanilla cake without overwhelming.

Dashe 2006 Dry Creek Valley Late Harvest Zinfandel, about $24
As dark, dense and sumptuous as a juicy, overripe plum sheathed in melted chocolate, this would put extra icing on the Devil's Food cake with chocolate fudge frosting.

This article first appeared as a sidebar to a story on birthday cakes for Independence Day in the Denver Post.

This first appeared in the Denver Post.

Whites

Colombelle Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne White, $8: Every year, the appearance of this wine marks the beginning of summer for me. Crisp as a snap pea, with a sharp grapefruit zing that wakes the tongue up even on the most lethargic summer days.

Gazela Vinho Verde, $7: Portugal's Vinho Verde is one of the great bargains of the wine world, and made for immediate summer drinking. So light it's almost a little fizzy, with cold, crisp, green grape flavor.

La Petite Frog Picpoul de Pinet, $3 0/3-liter box: Picpoul fuels the summer vacationers in the south of France, where this is made. It's as piquant as picpoul sounds, with a grassy, grapefruitlike brightness to its light, dry flavor.

Segura Viudas Cava Brut, about $8: Crisp, light, dry and bubbly. What's not to like, especially when there's shrimp on the grill? If it's too dry for you, add a splash of fruit juice for a summer cooler.

Three Thieves Bandit Pinot Grigio. $ 8/1 liter: You wouldn't know it from prices, but every year in California some amount of grapes go to waste. The Three Thieves run around California buying up the best of this juice to makes wines like this Pinot Grigio, a bright, fruity white in a 1-liter Tetra Pak, the same sort of packaging for juice boxes.

Reds

Banrock Station Shiraz, $ 8/1.5 liter: When it comes to grilled red meat, it's hard to go wrong with Australian shiraz. This is an affordable workhouse red with lots of grapey, spicy flavor.

J. Lohr Monterey Wildflower Valdigiue, $9: Buy this by the case for summer cookouts. With tangy, dark boysenberry flavors yet a light texture, this matches everything from grilled fish to teriyaki steak.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon, $10: This is a good one to know about since it's stocked almost everywhere, and often discounted. It's simple and spicy, with lots of plummy shiraz flavor given a little extra structure by the cabernet.

Protocolo Red 2006 ($6): This old- school Spanish red remains one of my favorites. It's juicy with tempranillo's spicy cherry flavors, but it's also earthy, gamey even. Great with steak, even better with lamb chops.

Santa Julia Mendoza Malbec, $9: Jose Zuccardi's soft, spicy basic malbec is excellently suited for backyard events. And the Reserve version, with a little more sass to its blackberry and licorice flavors, is only $3 extra.

This accompanied a piece on backyard barbecues in the Denver Post.

Imported by USA Wine West, Sausalito, Calif.

This review first appeared in the Denver Post.

J. Lohr's valdiguie is a terrific way to deal with the schizophrenic weather. It's a red wine filled with dark purple fruit flavors (blueberries, boysenberries), but it has a white wine body (light, bright, lively). That means it goes as well with a cold-weather plate of sausages and polenta as it does grilled hot dogs on a warm evening. Either way, give it 15 minutes in the fridge before serving to show its fresh fruit at its best.

About the grape: Valdiguie is so obscure in California that, for years, it was thought to be gamay (the same grape found in Beaujolais); it turns out to be from southwest France, land of duck fat and cassoulet, with which it would also be delicious.

J. Lohr Vineyards, Paso Robles, Calif.; jlohr.com

This review first appeared in the Denver Post.

Le Petit comes from Clos des Papes, a Rhône producer whose Châteauneuf-du-Pape retails for six times as much (and it's sold out, so don't bother looking for it). As its name implies, it's a smaller wine, but it lacks nothing in substance, radiant with grenache's red cherry fruit, filled in with Rhônish notes of herbs, spice and earth.

It's as charming as its label, a cartoon of a big-nosed man raising a glass with a grapevine, Châteauneuf's signature galets—softball-sized rocks—at its feet. Pour it now with pork roast with rosemary to chase winter's chill away, but reserve a few bottles for that first warm spring day—it's perfect picnic drinking.
City Wine says it bought up Colorado's entire allotment, so give them a call to get some.

City Wine, 347 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver, 303-393-7576.

This first appeared in the Denver Post.

To become a Master Sommelier, candidates must pass a three-part exam that includes a oral exam testing knowledge of wine, spirits and cigars, a tasting of 6 wines they must describe and identify correctly within 25 minutes, and a nerve-racking practical in which they must perform sommelier duties at multiple tables of wine professionals masquerading as demanding restaurant customers.

Becker is the second MS to emerge from Frasca, where Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey presides, making it only one of three restaurants in the US to claim two Master Sommeliers. Last year, Nate Ready earned the title while working at Frasca; he’s now at Boulder Wine Merchants, making that store the only in the U.S. to boast three Master Sommeliers.

Such a high concentration of Master Sommeliers in one town, let alone one state, is rare, but Master Sommelier Wayne Belding of Boulder Wine Merchants points out that it makes some sense. “It’s good practice to work with other Master Sommeliers, not only for the level of knowledge they offer, but to push them, to be the burr under the saddle that keeps them going,” he says. “It helps to have people who understand the level of preparation and devotion needed to pass this exam.” But he’s not taking any credit for their success: “It all comes from the individual, from within.”

In addition to Belding, Ready and Stuckey, Becker and Razee join a list of Colorado MSs that includes Sally Mohr of Boulder Wine Merchants, Richard Betts of Aspen’s Little Nell, Jay Fletcher of Southern Wine & Spirits, Doug Krenik of Rosenthal Wine Merchants, and Brett Zimmerman of Domaine Select.

This article first appeared in the Denver Post.