Wine On

SONOMA COUNTY CABERNET SAUVIGNONS

Gallo Sonoma County 1998, $219

Vines were first planted in California's Sonoma Valley in 1812 by Russian fur-hunters. Eleven years later, Spanish Franciscans started growing grapes there, at their most northerly mission. By the time California became part of the United States in 1850, wineries studded the rolling hills. One of the most glamorous is now Gallo of Sonoma, started almost 70 years ago by two hard-working Italian brothers. At first Gallo was known for its cheap, bulk wines but it has since gone upmarket and some of its wines now rank among the best in the world. This has a pleasing, spicy taste with flavours of blackberry and chocolate coming through if you let the wine rest in the glass. I enjoyed it with a couple of grilled herb sausages.

Links Concept (tel: 2802 2818)

Canyon Road 2001, $94

A Hungarian nobleman named Agoston Haraszthy, regarded as the father of California's wine industry, operated Buena Vista winery in 1857. The state government sent him to Europe in 1861 to study viticulture. He came back with 100,000 cuttings; some of the descendants of those vines are still producing marvellous wines. For the price, this wine is value for money. It has the aroma of ripe plums and currants, and that strong whiff of chocolate that seems so common in Sonoma reds. The wine has a juicy finish that goes nicely with a plate of heavily oiled pasta. There is nothing fancy about this wine: it's a satisfying red that tastes more expensive than it is. Just the job for a cold, damp night.