I was in Healdsburg earlier this month and tried to track down Margaret Wierenga and her small production Pinot Noirs, but to no avail. I thought her 1,500 cases went to mail-only customers, so when I spotted her My Father’s Vineyard bottling from the Anderson Valley on the wine list of One Market Restaurant on Jan. 28, you can bet I convinced my party to order it.

We were all blown away. The wine was gorgeous: pomegranate with hints of cardamom. Robust yet elegant. A great example of fruit-forward California Pinot Noir that wasn’t on steroids and will age beautifully for at least a decade. Margaret only made 150 cases of this wine, so it’s a feat that One Market scored some. We ordered two wines that night (also the Burgundian-style beauty of AP Vin). One was $85 and the other was around $100. Sorry I can’t remember which was which, but both of worth it.

The rumors have been confirmed. Rosenblum Cellars, the oldest and largest of the East Bay Vintners, was sold to international beverage consortium Diageo for $105 million today, according to Mike Kohne, Rosenblum’s director of marketing.

The intent is to keep everyone on board and run the Alameda family winery as is, Kohne tells me, adding that winemaker Kent Rosenblum, known worldwide for his vineyard-designate Zinfandel, Syrah and Petit Sirah, is being retained on a five-year contract and is eager to spend more time in the cellar. Rosenblum produced about 200,000 cases last year, with as many as 50 separate bottlings.

“It wasn’t a burning desire to sell,” Rosenblum said, according to a post on Wine Spectator online, “but we have a number of shareholders who are getting up in the years and have expressed an interest in their investments. I think this is a win-win situation for everyone.” Rosenblum, 63, was a veterinarian before starting the winery with his wife Kathy in 1978.

Kohne says the London-based Diageo, which owns Sterling, Beaulieu and Acacia wineries, will help Rosenblum buy new equipment and scout new vineyard sources. Diageo is the big leagues: They were a bidder on Robert Mondavi Winery back in 2004—for which competitor Constellation Brands paid $1.3 billion. That same year, Diageo acquired the Chalone Wine Group instead for $260 million.

The Diageo portfolio lacked a premium Zinfandel producer, hence the interest in Rosenblum. Judging by the record high attendance at ZAP, which wrapped up yet another breakthrough weekend yesterday, this was an incredibly smart move for Diageo. It’ll be interesting to see how the sale effects the landscape of the East Bay Vintners.

Happy Friday, folks. As we venture out to our happy hours or head home to crack open that bottle of 2005 Pinot, please take a moment to think of your fallen Virginia brothers and sisters, who can’t even parktake in a little spiked fruit punch.

The state has made headlines for enforcing an archaic law banning the serving of sangria, along with other restrictions on alcohol consumption. Here’s an excerpt from a blog by Brandon Arnold, a scholar at the Cato Institute:

“Virginia’s ban on sangria and certain other mixed drinks is a relic of Prohibition that is out of line with today’s culture. While this particular law may be unique to Virginia, the U.S. is riddled with ridiculous state liquor laws that impose restrictions on the size of beer bottles, the number of ounces of spirits of a particular beverage, and the percentage of alcohol in beer; just to name a few. As was the case with the most draconian anti-alcohol restriction, Prohibition, these attempts at reducing alcohol consumption are misguided and often counterproductive. State governments should get out of the nanny business and allow responsible adults to enjoy the alcoholic beverage of their choosing.”

I have one word for you. Utah.

Good night, and good luck. Read more at the Cato Institute’s blog site.

I’m having a hoot of a time reading Graham Harding’s “A Wine Miscellany: A Jaunt Through the Whimsical World of Wine” (Clarkson Potter; $16.95). Harding is chairman of the Oxford Wine Club and holds the diploma of the Wine & Spirits Education Trust.

He’s also a fantastically witty Brit. The book’s short, punchy wine dork factoids are arranged to lead naturally into one another. You’ll learn about the birthplace of wine (China or Persia, depending on what you consider wine); heaven’s wine guy (the early St. Vincent, apparently) and the world’s largest wine list (belongs to a steakhouse in Florida, natch)

Compact and thus perfect for BART or to tuck into your bag for a coffee-shop Sunday, I recommend the book for enthusiasts and experts alike.

Aaron and I braved what will likely go down as the worst California storm of our lives to taste and hang at Siduri on Jan. 4, and it was well worth it. If you read my piece today on Ryan Zepaltas, you’ll understand why. There will be plenty more Sonoma love where that came from. Stay tuned here and read my column every other Wednesday in Food & Wine.

On to Siduri. As you probably know, Adam and Dianna Lee get their Pinot Noir grapes from the best vineyard sites in Oregon and California. They vinify each barrel separately down to lot, clone and yeast, honing in on the true reflection of the place the grapes were grown, and the potential vibrancy of the fruit.

They make so many fine Pinot Noirs (26 at last count, I believe) but it’s easy to tell them apart because they all taste so different. It’s the full spectrum of the Pinot Noir rainbow. Copious notes help too, and the fact that I often run through special bottles in my head right before I fall asleep at night (I’m serious).

The following are my koo-koo-for-Coco-Puffs Siduri standouts. I also tried and fell in love with wines from their secondary label, Novy Family Wines, when I was there. They are technically a value brand but still show off the Lees’ mad skills with Syrah, Chardonnay, Nebbiolo and Zinfandel, among others. On to Siduri:

2005 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir: Light and delicate but with good acidity and structure. I got cherry cola, mushrooms and cacao from this wine. Gorgeous.

2005 Rosella’s Vineyards Pinot Noir. From the famed vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands comes this pomegranate and forest floor darling. Totally different style from the above wine.

2005 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir: A great example of New World Pinot Noir that’s not dosed on ‘roids. It’s quite spicy with a lot of red berry flavors. I’d totally have this with a Moroccan or Indian inspired burger.

Novy Family Wines:

2005 Gary’s Vineyard Syrah: Another Santa Lucia Highlands wine covered in rich, dark blackberries, leather, and a white pepper finish that goes on and on.

2005 “Oley” Dessert Wine: I rarely go for sweet wines but hope to include this half-bottle one in an upcoming cover story on stickies for its fresh citrus flavors and round, apple pie a la mode quality. It’s also got a sweet story: it’s named after Grandma Novy.

2005 Nebbiolo Stolpman Vineyard: It was a real treat to sample this “play wine” of the Lees. The Santa Ynez vineyard tamed the finicky grapes used for Barolo and Barbaresco and produced this gorgeous, spice-flecked, raspberry filled wine. What a rarity to drink quality Nebbiolo from California!

Ever hold on to that special bottle of wine only to never open it? You wait for the right occasion, surely an anniversary or job promotion, but it never arrives.

And your lips never touch that nectar.

That’s why Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bottle Night eight years ago, to give people permission to pop the cork on that special something. On the last Saturday of February, thousands of people around the world open special bottles and make memories.

I recently opened something I considered special: a 1999 J. Schram. A had a special guest in town and we were having dinner at Slanted Door with my best friend (who I always try to have around when I’m opening a special bottle) and her husband. It was a Thursday night. I can still taste the notes of pear tart. I’ll have to figure out what my bottle will be for OTBN 8.

I’d like to hear your Open That Bottle Night stories. If you’ve celebrated the holiday in the past or plan to this year, let me know! Either post your comments here or email me at jyadegaran@bayareanewsgroup.com.

I’m saddened by the continued lawsuit John Davies has brought on his mother Jamie Davies, who owns the pioneering sparkling house Schramsberg, in addition to being trustee of her late husband’s will.

Aren’t your two offshore multimillion-dollar hedge funds enough?

I’m also a little irked by the Chronicle’s tabloid-esque A-1 story “Bitter Harvest” (cue “Dynasty” score) January 18 on the family’s woes. While the coverage is thorough and well-reported, I doubt 72-year-old Jamie Davies needed the world to know she suffers from acute Parkinson’s Disease, and that she takes anti-depressants, sedatives and tranquilizers.

It’s another example of how some overly glamorize Napa Valley, turning vintners into soap opera stars. This is one of the most starched and well-respected families in the Val. That said, I guess I shouldn’t go off too much. I’ll go see “Bottle Shock.” I’m just saying.

A brief recap: The original suit was filed in August by middle son John Davies, who lives in Moscow. John claims his mother is not mentally fit to do her job as trustee and violates the trust by favoring her younger son, Hugh, who is president of Schramsberg, over John and eldest son Bill, who lives in the Valley, and minority shareholders. John wants his share of the Schrammy pie.

In November, a judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove that Jamie Davies was not fit to be trustee, and that as trustee, she does not have to answer to her sons. But John Davies is not giving up and appealing the decision in the state’s First District Court of Appeal. He certainly has the money to.

Thoughts? Send them my way.

Leave it to Randall Grahm. His cork funeral is no much for what the eclectic winemaker has done this time. He’s put his money where his biodynamics are, making Santa Cruz-based Bonny Doon the first producer in the U.S. to list the ingredients of its wines on the back label.

It’s crazy, and I love it.

The initial wines with the new labels—the 2007 Ca’ del Solo Vineyard Albariño and Muscat, both from the Monterey County AVA—will be released next month. The Albariño will list biodynamic grapes and sulfur dioxide as the ingredients, and will also indicate that indigenous yeasts, organic yeast hulls and bentonite were used in the winemaking process.

Since going biodynamic in 2004, Grahm has spoken passionately about clean, green winemaking that’s low on additives. A marketing and trendsetting savant of sorts, I bet his move will encourage fellow winemakers to do the same.

Alright all you Zinheads, Wednesday marks the arrival of the biggest public tasting I’m aware of, and it happens to be centered around Zinfandel, that fun, over-the-top scoundrel of a wine.

The 17th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Festival will take place Jan. 23-26 at various locations and events in San Francisco. The best thing to do is go to ZAP’s web site for more information.

If you can only make one event, go to the public tasting at Fort Mason on Saturday Jan. 26, when about 300 Zinfandel producers will be pouring their new releases (let’s hope they come armed with decanters). Twenty-nine of those wineries are new this year.

My favorite thing about Zin is the foods I get to eat with it: hearty, often meaty, smoky and spicy dishes like BBQ shredded pork sandwiches, duck sausage, meatloaf and pizza. Certainly a far cry from my usual heirloom tomato salads and Gruner Veltiners.

If you’re the same, definitely hit the dine-around Good Eats event on Thursday night Jan. 24. Producers team up with area restaurants to showcase these excellent food and wine marriages. It will be more intimate and way less chaotic than the public tasting. People really go wild over California’s heritage grape.

Tickets are not available at the door so be sure to score them online at www.zinfandel.org. You can also call 877-772-2542. Have fun and may your teeth be suitably stained. 

Those of you who read today’s Night Writer can probably guess what a wine drinker’s doing at a beer bar. Most of us who work with wine drink plenty of beer — it’s actually a winemaker’s secret weapon during harvest.

For me, Belgian beers in particular cleanse the palate with their often crisp, citrus flavors. It’s the only thing I crave — besides Champagne or sparkling wine — after a long day of tasting or judging wine.

And the Trappist raises the bar on places to drink the stuff. I felt at home. Much like a specialized wine bar, they focus on hand-crafted finds from artisan breweries. I relished the tasting notes and other ceremonials when it came to serving the beer as well. Temperature and glasses are of the utmost importance to showcase the very best of these brews.

Go for the sampler — the small glasses in front of me in the photo above — and be wowed. The Trappist opened in Old Oakland last month. You can find all the information on their web site. Follow the link above.