Finally looking over my notes from last weekend’s tasting at Harrington. I wrote about those wines earlier this week, but neglected to mention three lovely wines from Edmunds St. John that I tasted.

Edmunds St. John is the like the mother winery of the East Bay Vintners. They’re one of the pioneers and no doubt churn out some great juice. Here’s a rundown of what stood out to me. Visit them at www.edmundsstjohn.com:

2006 Bone-Jolly Rose: Gamay rose! It’s about time in these parts (outside of Placerville, to be exact). It’s a dark pink, snappy wine with bright red fruits in the nose and a wild, kick of pepper on the palate. Just my kind of rose; reminiscent of those made in the Languedoc. $16; 340 cases.

2005 Rocks and Gravel: This red blend comes from no less than nine vineyards. It’s a spicy combination of Grenache and Syrah with beautiful satiny tannins and dark red fruits. The finish goes on a lot longer than most tight 2005s you taste, especially with such low alcohol. (14.2%). It’s an open wine. Impressive. $18; 1,340 cases.

Speaking of East Bay Vintners, quick note about Dashe Cellars: Wine & Spirits magazine recently named the Oakland winery one of the top 100 in world, and among the top 27 in California. The magazine’s competition is based on a tasting of 9,100 wines. Congrats Mike and Anne!

The local NBC-11 weekly show has been picked up for national distribution, and I’m thrilled for them.

Starting Sept. 28, your friends in 210 cities that have NBC affiliate stations can watch host Mary Babbitt (pictured above) tour wineries, meet California’s premier chefs, and get a taste of our state’s zest for gardening and decorating.

Speaking of zest, I went to a taping of “In Wine Country” last night at a private residence in Diablo, and was thoroughly impressed by producer Jeanine Michelle Olsen’s passion for getting the right shots and asking the right questions to get people pumped up about wine.

This particular episode, which will air in February, was a blind tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon ranging from $10-$50 using the Blind Wine game. I’ve blogged about the game, which was created by two Monte Vista High School graduates now living in Martinez and Pleasanton. It’s basically a snazzy kit to throw a complete blind tasting party for up to 12 guests.

However, the first episode to air nationally will be “In Wine Country’s” Golden Grape Awards. The episode, which kicks off the their seventh season, will air here at 9:30 p.m. Sunday Sept. 23. Tell your friends outside of Cali to check their local listings, or the web site for more information.

Based in San Jose, the show has been running on a five-person staff all these years, sweeping up eight Emmys and a James Beard award for best local show. Let’s hope this means NBC will beef up their staff. Publicist Meredith Smith calls it the “little show that could.” And I couldn’t agree more.

While they hope to expand their coverage to include other American wine regions, Smith says they have no immediate plans to do so. For the time being, they will focus on California. Represent!

If you watch NBC’s show “In Wine Country” you’re probably familiar with its annual Golden Grape Awards. This is the third year of the contest, and the finalists have been announced. The winners won’t be announced until a special “In Wine Country” show in September, which kicks off the show’s seventh season.

Until then, here are the finalists. I’ll put in my two cents where I can:

Best Winery to Visit: Clos LaChance Winery, Passalacqua Winery, Preston Vineyards. None. I say Reverie on the Mountain in Calistoga.

Best Wine Country Adventure: Private Jeep Tour of Pisoni Vineyards, Relish Culinary School, O.A.R.S. Wine on the River Series. Wine on a river? That one, if I could afford it.

Best Wine Country Spa: The Spa at the Carneros Inn, The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, Jefferson Street Day Spa. None. I say Kenwood’s Caudalie Spa.

Best Wine Country Restaurant Splurge: Cyrus Restaurant, The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, Tra Vigne. Gotta give props to Wente!

Best Wine Country Resort: Auberge du Soleil, The Carneros Inn, Meadowood. Meadowood all the way!

Best Wine Country Bargain Bites: Boon Fly Cafe at the Carneros Inn, Oakville Grocery, Taylor’s Automatic Refresher. Taylor’s Refresher. Have you HAD the sweet potato fries?

Best Wine Country Bed and Breakfast: Grape Leaf Inn, Honor Mansion, Madrona Manor. I wouldn’t know. Never stayed at a B&B in the Valley.

Best Wine Country Gardens: Clos LaChance Winery, Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery, Passalacqua Winery. I’m kind of thinking Hall Winery on this one.

Feel free to vote and share your thoughts with me!