The new Bloomingdales opens in Union Square today. I went to the red carpet gala on Tuesday night — which was a hoot, let me tell you: trumpeter Chris Botti, the most beautiful boys SF has to offer, and high society done up in 80s fashion. But anyway, I had some great Zinfandel, which is saying a lot (for me) because it’s not a favorite of mine. I liked the St. Francis Old Vine Zinfandel because it wasn’t Smuckers in a bottle. It was peppery and bold, with darker fruits that felt as if they were smoked on the grill. The Sonoma wine runs about $16 a bottle. Not bad.

Someone recently asked me what a barrel sample is. When you go to a winery, sometimes they will offer a taste of the wine while it’s aging in the barrel. Yes, the wine is going to taste very young, so you shouldn’t judge that as the final wine, but rather as its potential. By the time it makes it into the bottle, it’s going to change significantly. Not to mention the fact that, if the wine in the bottle was cabernet sauvingnon, they may add some cab franc to it.

I went to an early Thanksgiving dinner at Rubicon last night in SF to learn more about wines from the Loire Valley, the region south west of Paris. Aside from being a warm and fabulous night hosted by the French, with folks from Gourmet, Savuer and Chow in attendance, Jenny and I fell in love with Cabernet Francs coming out of the Loire. Here are some standouts:

Gratien & Meyer Cuvee Flamme Saumur Brut Rose NV: Only $19.99 and mostly from Cab Franc; however, the 32 percent Grolleau, a grape used mostly for blending, gives this elegant sparkling an unusually caramel color. Gorgeous!

Domaine Philippe Alliet Chinon Vieilles Vignes 2004: Alliet de-stems grapes after harvesting to eliminate any vegetal characteristics, which explains why Jenny, lover of meaty California cab and Australian shiraz, was gushing more than a ripe grape over this wine. Talk about bacon fat. Hot damn! Only $22.99.

Chateau de Fesles Bonnezaux 1999: Just to show that the high Loire quality is enough to make converts out of Big Red snobs, this Chenin Blanc dessert wine grew on us after half a few whips and swirls. The gold color, the non-syrupy quality, and the heavenly caramelized pumpkin cream cheese custard served with it certainly made me nostaglic for my younger palate, with its penchant for orange muscato. This is the far superior, grown up version. $60.

Go buy "Secrets from the Wine Diva." Now. Author Christine Ansbacher eschews soil and flowery descriptions for concrete tips as early as page 2: Avoid red wine headaches by taking an antihistamine, don’t store wine in the fridge unless it’s a screw cap, and make a $10 Cabernet taste like a $30 one by playing TAP - temperature, aceration, glassware. The book is published by Sterling, costs $14.95 and is thin enough to fit in my purse. It’s my BART book right now. I read it on my way back from treks to Vino Venue in SF. Of the last five wine books I’ve read, this is the only one that doesn’t put me to sleep, isn’t filled with antiquated name-dropping that means nothing to us and actually teaches me something I can do now to buy, order and enjoy wine better.

Someone recently asked me where the U.S. ranks in terms of wine producing nations. Well, here’s your answer: We’re fourth, behind France, Italy and Spain.

Was anyone besides me wondering what the wine was that spilled out of the truck on Hwy. 680 yesterday? Unfortunately, it was  pretty good stuff: The Big Paw Chardonnay and Howling Syrah of Santa Maria’s Ambuellneo Vineyards, a favorite of sommeliers at Gary Danko, Michael Mina, Fifth Floor, French Laundry and Martini House. That’s quite a list, eh? I talked to owner Greg Linn yesterday and confirmed. They lost 7 cases of chard and 5 cases of syrah headed for shipment to their mailing list. The latter is particularly painful, as they only made 100 cases of the syrah.

I found the news in the Associated Press story today abhorrent. I’m all for chemists trying to uncover the compounds responsible for the flavors, textures and fragrances in wine. But using that data to forecast the price and what score a certain Critic to End All Critics with a background in law is going to give it? What’s the point to laboring over the vines all year? Just as we’re learning to make sophisticated wines without the haughtiness, just as sustainability and biodynamics are back en vogue — that alone took us 100 years — we’d be willing to throw it all away for the promise of a Brave New Wine? Might as well just step on the grape.

I’ve got Australia on the brain. And wine not? They are the number two supplier of imported wines to the US. Their wines are complex without being over-the-top. You can always spot a Barossa Valley Shiraz for its velvet luxury. Aussies make the best sparkling roses and their Reislings are dry enough to pass for Sauvingnon Blanc. An Aussie’s wit is even drier. They’ve never taken themselves too seriously. And they keep their prices just as accessible as their wines. Here are some of my favorites:

Yellowglen "Yellow" or "Pink" Southeastern Australian Sparkling NV. Get it at BevMo for around $10.

Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Rose NV. Have it with salmon or  something garlicky.

Hardy’s South Australian Sparkling Shiraz NV. Deep purple and berry delicious. Usually runs under $20.

Cullen Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. Big enough to be a Shiraz but smooth enough to be an aged California Cabernet. A really unbelievable wine.

Don’t know about you, but I always struggle to make my dressings a little fruity or nutty to pair well with wines. Guess what? The Culinary Institute of America has developed a lemony vinaigrette that works really well with dry whites like white Burgundy and California Sauvingon Blanc. Here it is:

Whisk together: one egg yolk (or egg yolk substitute), two tablespoons lemon juice, one cup extra virgin olive oil (I’d probably do a bit less, that’s a lot of oil), and a pinch of salt. That’s it. Drizzle over butter lettuce, roasted root veggies ro even grilled or sauteed fish. YUM.

Did you know the Aussies start their winemakers early? Since 1992, students at Nuriootpa High School in the Barossa Valley have been making and bottling a shiraz and a chardonnay, designing the wine labels and developing sales and marketing strategies. The only thing we made in high school was posters.

So do the wines suck? Actually, no. They cost $20-$45 and are so good that The Grateful Palate here in the CA imports the Nurioopta High Wines. The vines used for the Shiraz are the same ones that go into E&E Black Pepper Shiraz, and if you’ve had that you know it’s good. Grateful Palate sends the money from the sales back to the school to help pay for winemaking equpiment. Some seniors may be lucky enough to taste the labor. The drinking age in Australia is 18.