Well gang, I have spent my beautiful Saturday with my wife Alice and very good friend Allen. Sometimes we shop for food and create a concoction of food worthy of greatness or way out of sync. Today, we were simply lazy and ate dim sum from a local dive and drank a glass of obscenely expensive Cabernet for lunch. Yesterday, I devoured some incredible sushi at Damo Sushi in Pleasant Hill. The flavors of the toro and white tuna still resonate today and is encouraging me to write this blog today.

But more to the point, over the last week, my pals in the office in the business have been turning up everywhere asking me what my top ten wines from our current 5 cent sale are. The easy answer is that I love them all, but the honest answer is that I have some definite favorites. At the top of my list is the teeth-staining, sexy 2008 Powder Keg, a way wow of a Zinfandel. Not far behind is the decidedly urbane yet tantalizing 2007 Kenwood Reserve Zinfandel. For those who simply want to stain everything in the house (including the dog), I tell you to go after the 2007 Line 39 Petite Sirah. If you need hair on your chest, this is the ticket. On the white wine side, one cannot pass up the glorious 2008 Zolo Gaucho Unoaked Chardonnay. The wine has incredible purity.

Back into the Red Hills of California (for those you, who are uninformed, this AVA resides in Lake County), I encourage you to try the 2008 Fortress Sauvignon Blanc. Possibly the best deal, in this current offering is the 2008 Bivio Pinot Grigio. Fresh and light and clearly Italian. To round out my the list are the finely focused 2007 Hahn Estates Syrah, the bright yet untamed 2008 Unruly Red, the well balanced and campy Kumbaya, a pretty red that goes down so easily, and the smooth and delectable Barefoot Bubbly Chardonnay Champagne, a bubbly guaranteed to tickle both your nose and palate.

Well, that is it. I think I hear some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven. Alice does a good job with these, even though the dough belongs to my pal, Allen. I'll leave my computer now, read a bit and pour some 20 year old tawny. Happy Dining.

The easy drinking Kumbaya...a red wine that everyone can enjoy (Photograph by Wilfred Wong, January 14, 2010, Emeryville, CA)

When you drink balanced red wines that are simply "matcho" in their make up, you can enjoy toro in a fine tuna and red wine matching. (Photograph by Wilfred Wong, February 12, 2010, Pleasant Hill, CA)

Wine can be a labor of love and for a crazy, passionate zany wine person like myself, words can't even begin to tell the story. The 2008 Powder Keg Zinfandel was a wine that winemaker Allison Crowe and I worked on. Well, she did all the work; I just told her how I wanted the wine to be. Explosive and fulfilling this wine simply breaks the plane of sanity as it explodes right out of the glass. Not for the faint of heart, this wild and wicked red sends berries to the roof of your tongue. If you are tired of spending $$$$'s on your zinfandel fix, then this wine is your ticket to paradise. I totally endorse this wine. Pair it with something from the grill and see how well the right wine can turn an ordinary meal into an event!

Powder Keg in the Wine Room                                                                                         Photo by Wilfred Wong (February 11, 2010, Concord, CA)

What is the best match with Dungeness Crab? Don't say Chardonnay, especially the kind with lots of two by four oak. I recently wanted to test a West Coast Riesling with this famous crustacean and chose a wine from Chateau Ste Michelle. You may be thinking, "No, too sweet!" Fortunately the winery makes a superb, dry version. The '08 Chateau Ste Michelle Dry Riesling matches up incredibly well. The wine's pretty ripe core fruit with hints of flower bring the crab's sweet meat to an apex and it's dry finish completes the pairing. Hey, I am a big Chardonnay fan but in this case, Riesling is a clear winner. Give this pairing a try, you will be rewarded.

Photo Taken by Wilfred Wong (January 22, 2010, Concord, CA) Photo Taken by Wilfred Wong (January 22, 2010, Concord, CA)

Well, we are here, the last day of the year. A year of trials and tribulations, successes and failures, yet we all must prevail. The alternative is not an option. As the wine world turns, this is a good time to focus on the best. So, let's celebrate life and continue to thrive. For me, 2009 has been pretty special with nearly 10,000 wines tasted, trips to France, Spain, Argentina, Chile and Great Britain, all under the heading-wine research. With 2010 looming up-front and center and three more trips to France as well as a visit to Argentina and Chile (Spain may also be on the horizon), I will continue to build from my previous forays into the vineyards. Finally, for the annual ritual of coming into the New Year, I ask you: What is in your fridge? In mine, amongst the vegetables and fruits, caviar and pate as well as assorted "quasi" junk food, I have chilled an amazing bottle of the delicious, complex and stylish '02 Roederer Estate L'Ermitage. A superb sparkler that surpasses many Champagnes that cost two or three times as much. Let's ring in the year 2010 in style and toast the Anderson Valley for its contribution of one of world's great wines!

What to drink? Arguments for white, red and pink often end up with, we might as well just order a bottle of red wine. Since most of our gang enjoys staining their teeth or downing a glass or two of a satisfying red with everything, I though take a different direction and bring back a classic- drink a great bottle of Champagne and who could ever turn down a glass of Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut? One of the greatest Champagne houses, Bollinger (founded in 1849 in Ay, France) continues to refine a bubbly that is already a mainstay among the rich and famous.

So as we close the year 2009 (what a year of adjustments, everyone has had to endure) and usher in the new: 2010, we should be thankful for the things that matter most-family, friends, and all that surrounds us (does that sound like everything? Perhaps. I first sipped on Bollinger nearly 40 years ago (does that mean I am ancient?) and still find it to be the very best off all the brut Champagnes. Great with raw oysters with a splash of lemon, delicious with sashimi, and always good as a toast. Take stock of what you've got and celebrate the future and all the promise that it holds.