Organizers of trade tastings can be smart, or really foolish. If you want to familiarize the wine media and trade with an underrepresented region, you usually hold a tasting in the afternoon, always in the City, provide munchies and education, and by 5 p.m., you can call it a day.

But if you want to familiarize the consumer - the most important receiver in the wine industry, if you ask me - with that new or underrepresented wine region, you can easily extend the tasting into the evening, charge, and turn it into a benefit. Such is the case with a tasting at the Palace Hotel in SF on April 12 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. It’s focus is Portuguese reds.

ViniPortugal, the Portuguese Trade & Tourism Office, and the Port and Duoro Wines Institute are holding a tasting of more than 400 Portuguese wines and ports by more than 48 producers. The tasting benefits Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation and the suggested donation of $25 will be taken at the door. The charity is the nation’s largest culinary benefit supporting the effort to end childhood hunger in America. All the proceeds will go to the charity.

For those (like me!) eager to sharpen their knowledge of Portuguese wines, the “Keys to Understanding Portugal’s Major Grape Varietals” seminar will take place from 6 to 6:30 p.m.
Reservations can be made at rsvpsf@wagstaffworldwide.com or by phone at 800-871-9012, ext. 24552#.

The producers:

Adega Cartuxa - Fundação Eugénio de Almeida
Aveleda
Azamor / Kilburn & Gomes
Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal, S.A.
Campolargo Vinhos
Casa Agrícola Alexandre Relvas
Casa Cadaval
Casa de Vila Verde
Casa Santa Vitória
Casa Santos Lima _ Companhia das Vinhas, S.A.
Caves da Cerca
Caves São João
Caves Vidigal, S.A.
Cortes de Cima
DFJ Vinhos, Lda.
Douro Family Estates
ENOFORUM
Fiùza & Bright
Herdade do Meio
Herdade do Esporão
Herdade dos Coelheiros
Herdade Grande
Herdade Outeiro da Esquila Vinhos, Lda
J. Portugal Ramos - Vinhos, Lda
José Maria da Fonseca Vinhos, S.A.
Júlio Tassara de Bastos - Dona Maria Vinhos
Manoel D. Poças Junior - Vinhos
Monte da Capela
Monte do Traveo
Monte Seis Reis
Montez Champalimaud, Lda
Monte Novo e Figueirinha
Quinta and Vineyards Bottlers
Quinta da Alorna
Quinta da Cortezia
Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima
Quinta de Ventozelo
Quinta do Carmo
Quinta do Portal
Quinta do Quetzal
Real Companhia Velha
ROQUEVALE, SA
Soc. Agrícola Encosta do Guadiana
Soc. Agrícola D. Diniz (Ravasqueira)
Soc. Agrícola Santar
Soc. Vinhos Borges
Sogevinus Fine Wines (Barros and Cálem)
Sogevinus Fine Wines (Burmester)
Sogrape Vinhos
Symington Family Estates, Lda.
Terras de Alter Companhia de Vinhos
UDACA
Vicente Leite Faria Vinhos
VDS - Vinhos Douro Superior
Wiese & Krohn

Alright people, I promise this is the last time I write about Chardonnay for a while. And to think, this time last year I was a snooty, practically red-only wine drinker.

Last night, my monthly wine club met at my place. I got off to a late start preparing for the crew of 12, as I hit the Persian New Year party at The Regency Center the night before. We Persians know how to party.

Anyway, I offered a selection of Chard-friendly cheeses, like gruyere and a medium brie, with a cherry and pecan topping; an olive, tomato and havarti lavash tart; endives filled with blue cheese pecan spread; and potato nachos. All in all a delicious and cheesalicious evening.

On to the wines. We bagged and tasted blind 8 unoaked chardonnays. I chose the theme to see if the butter would remain when the oak was taken out of the winemaking process. In addition to no oak, some of the wines also didn’t go through malolactic fermentation. Some did. All the wines were less than $20 and were a combination of Old and New World. I was surprised there was no representation from Chile.

These were our top three:

Omrah 2004 Unoaked Chardonnay: $18. Grapes hailing from two locations, the Adelaide Hills region of southern Australia famed for it’s cooler, high altitude climate that yield crisp, vibrant whites and the warmer Geographe region. Fermented in stainless steel. Nectarine on the nose, lime on the palate. Refreshing and delicious.

Nepenthe 2005 Unoaked Chardonnay: $16. Hailing from the same two regions of southern Australia. No malolactic fermentation. Pale yellow color and delicious pear aroma. Parker gave it 90 points.

Macon-Villages Louis Jadot Chardonnay. $13. Why can’t we learn from the French? Don’t fuss with the variety and watch it bloom. This white Burgundy came in third and had a medium finish that we all insisted was elongated by the cheeses. You can find the wine at Wine Thieves in Lafayette.

If you haven’t tried the Pey-Marin label out of Marin county, you really should. Wines in Marin, you ask? Yes, why not? They make wine in Beirut, people. Marin is sandwiched between Sonoma, Napa and the Santa Cruz Mountains. It’s got ocean, it’s got fog, it’s got fairly warm winters, all making for a long, balanced growing season and surprisingly fine structure. They’re not big nor hot-hot-hot with alcohol.

If you like world class Burgundian Pinot Noir or dry Reislings, try Pey-Marin’s 2005 Reisling. It’s very dry and citrusy. And the $20 will go a long way. Their 2004 Pinot hails from multiple vineyards and is quite earthy and delicious: $36. Merlot lovers should try the couple’s (that would be Jonathan and Catherine Pey’s) other label, Mount Tamalpais. The 2004 Merlot has sweet tannins and won’t remind you of anything from California.

My wine club meets at my house this month. As such, I’ve picked the theme: Unoaked Chardonnay. It’s so hip right now, I decided to get a bunch of these bottles together and see if they really are the antithesis of a buttery Crescent Roll, and instead more like a Pinot Blanc, crisp and honeyed, with notes of roasted nuts. The big producers of this type of Chardonnay come from Chile, New Zealand and Australia, of course, but Napa’s hopping on the bandwagon.

A nice expression of the style is Nickel & Nickel’s Truchard Vineyard Chardonnay. It’s got the price of a snooty Chard ($38) but even though the label doesn’t say anything about no malolactic fermentation, the taste says it all. It’s still rich and creamy but with enough vanilla, earth and crispy citrus to balance it out. Give it a try, and I’ll report back on Monday about the 5 or so official unoaked Chards we’ll be trying.

If you read your wine magazines, you know that kosher wine has come a long way, baby. For about 20 years now, Israeli wine makers have employed advanced techniques common to long-time developed wine areas, like planting vines in cooler, high-elevation areas and picking at optimal ripeness. Today, it’s not uncommon to walk into BevMo or your local wine store around Passover (which is only two weeks away) and find more than one sophisticated kosher wine. In other words, move over, Baron Herzog.

I’ve had my eye on two. Here they are:

From Galilee, the nation’s biggest wine region, Dalton Canaan White Blend, a mix of White Reisling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s fruity without losing its crispness. Drink it now, especially with those apples and honey.

The Dalton Canaan Red Blend, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, is a medium-bodied red with a fair amount of fruit and low tannins. It’s great with Mediterranean food, and the 2006 is on sale at Kosher Wines for $11.99, which is actually right where it should be (I’m a fan of Israeli wines but often find them a bit overpriced.) The 2004 White goes for the same price. Order now for immediate consumption on Passover. L’chaim.

Is it just me, or is there something inherently magical about drinking a glass of Champagne? It certainly looks glamorous in your hand; it’s silvery glint a hint of what’s to come. When it coats the sides of your mouth, the tingle is impossible to ignore. It wakes you up. Almost instantly, you lengthen your spine. And that aroma. Anything from citrus fruits to a must that reminds you of vintage couture. Of course, there is no discussion of Champagne’s effect without the mention of bubbles. The transformations are Cinderella-like.

I drank a bottle of 2001 Clover Hill, a Tasmanian sparkling, the other night with a couple very much in love, and a friend of theirs, who was suffering from a wounded heart. The wine wasn’t cold enough, yet the bubbles put up quite a fight, resisting escape from the stemless tumblers we drank from. With every sip, the couple told us of their courtship. They did all the things you’re not supposed to do. Meeting the parents on the second date. Saying ‘I love you’ in the second week. We laughed; I mean the three of us did. But the sad friend seemed to sink deeper into a pensive state, all the while commenting on the rigor of the Tasmanian bubbles.

I think the wine provided some kind of hope for him. I know it did for me. Because I realized it’s not just the Champagne that’s magical, but the situations it brings you to. I loved every minute of that meal, and the hope that this couple gave me. It’s a juju I just can’t put my finger on.

Woah. For Valentine’s Day, Jenny’s fiance got her a membership to Bonny Doon’s wine club. Along with her Doontastic quarterly wines (she gets two bottles of red with some really over-the-top labels, even for The Doon), she’s able to attend some pretty fabulous winemaker’s dinners. And guess what? The Rhone Deranger himself will be in attendance!

April 14 is Jenny’s bridal shower (which I’m throwing at Clos Du Val), but if we were free, we’d surely go to that one: For this dinner, they’re pulling the cellar’s last remaining bottles of 1986 Estate Claret and 1993 Le Sophiste in magnum. Those who recently tasted these wines say they are spectacular, evolved yet very fresh. Looks like we’ll hit the one in October. It’s a Vineyard Harvest Dinner Featuring Tre Syrah Syrah … Syrah. Not bad for $75. And to have Randall sign my…….this is a family newspaper. Er blog.

Today, Inspired by Rob W., an Arkansas wine blogger at 365 Corks, I feel the need to discuss Chardonnay. Rob’s got a half dozen Chards in his March postings alone. And, when savoring a gorgeous crab Louie salad at a San Francisco luncheon honoring Dame Vivienne Westwood over the weekend, all I could think about was the bottle of 2005 Clos Du Val Chardonnay I had chilling at home, and how smashing the two would’ve been together. Much like the Dame and her Sex Pistols.

You can taste Clos Du Val’s new vintage in the winery now, but to buy a bottle ($22), you’ve got to wait until April 1. Here’s why you should, and do so in an excited, geeky fashion, where you email your friends and say things like, “11 days until CDV’s Chard comes out!’:

1. Because, like me, you enjoy California Chardonnay when it’s made by a Frenchman in a Burgundian style.

2. You like a green tinge, both in color and flavor, to your Chards.This one shines like melted citrine and peridot.

3. You believe that Chardonnay can taste like a crisp, fresh fruit tart rather than butter-saturated toast from Denny’s.

4. You plan to eat a lot of shellfish this season and need require quality, affordable quaffage that doesn’t have an animal on the label.

You’ve probably heard already. Ernest Gallo, wine mogul extraordinaire, died yesterday in his home in Modesto. The cause was not given. His brother, Julio, who he started the larger-than-life wine company with in 1933, died 14 years ago.

That leaves Joseph, Ernest’s son, as the company’s chief executive in charge of 4,600 employees. I had a friend who used to sell wine for Gallo. She nearly became an alcoholic and left the business a few years ago. Now she sells pharmaceuticals. Somehow that makes sense.

Don’t know about Thunderbird, but it’s safe to say we’ve all enjoyed a Turning Leaf, Louis Martini or Gossamer Bay wine in the past five years. All Gallo wines. I’m embarrassed to say it, but on more than one occasion, my friends and I have used ‘Gallo’ as an adjective to refer to a so-so wine.

But more than those actual bottles, I’ll remember the Gallos for their pioneering practices, specifically, bringing what was definitely better quality wine, at that time, to the masses at a lower cost. Blending grapes from Napa and San Joaquin? They did it. Stainless steel instead of wood casks? Them too. Screw tops. They were there before the Aussies.

2001 was a great year for Cabernet Sauvignon. Wild Horse, Silver Oak, Justin. Some of my favorite California producers made amazing Cabs that year. Those wines have been napping for six years, however, and in my book, that means it’s time to drink them.

I recently had two experiences with this vintage that I thought were worth sharing. The first was not with a Cab, but rather, a Pinot Noir. It was a bottle I had bought with Jenny on our last visit to Paso Robles, nearly two years ago. The 2001 Pinot was from Stephen’s Cellar, an organic winery in Templeton that focuses on Pinot Noir and is located just seven miles from the ocean. That maritime influence does wonders for the grape, by the way.

We’d been waiting to uncork the wine with just the right meal, and finally settled on a multi grain roasted vegetarian lasagna. To my dismay, the color and clarity of the wine was crap. It’s possible that the bottle was exposed to some heat or bright light in my former Walnut Creek abode, but that would’ve no doubt effected the flavor, which was superb: super earthy with a lot of dried fruit, like trail mix plus mushrooms. The finish went on and on, so we were able to ignore the foggy look, which reminded us of Morro Bay more than Templeton.

Given this experience, I was cautious when, at a belated birthday dinner with my roommate Gavin, I spotted a 2001 Markham Cabernet Sauvignon on the wine list at Somerset in Rockridge for under $10 a glass. Of course, I wanted to try it. But I was hesitant. I told the waitress my concerns and she insisted I try a splash before ordering it. I recall reading about this service in a wine book and accepted her offer instantly. The wine was a satisfying claret, lots of wild blueberry and dark chocolate. It was a slam dunk with my garlicky flank steak, and I’m so glad I got to try it before ordering it. Lesson learned, never be afraid to ask.

Also, as an aside, Somerset gives generous pours, so my roommate and I asked for a third glass to aerate everything, especially since we were drinking wines more than five years old. It makes a world of difference.