Wine Blog (will update title later)

You know that crazy feeling when you're shopping and you know you shouldn't buy something really extravagant but you just can't help yourself and you get into a tizzy and do it anyway? Well that's what the Pacific Coast Wine Festival is counting on and its organizers cashed in big last night at their auction at the Island Hotel in Newport.

That's where they lubricated bidders with tastes of rare and wonderful wines. We sipped Bruciato from Antinori, a super Tuscan blend that finishes dry but really delivers on sumptuous fruit; first rate Californians Flora Springs Trilogy, Silver Oak cabernet and a new find in the Zotovich Family Vineyards Syrah, with concentrated flavors and a peppery finish (the owners live in Orange County, so expect an entire blog post devoted to them soon). We were floored by several Bordeaux from the '80s which were a real adventure—the Chateau Lynch-Bages were bricky and so complex they actually smelled of after shave!

That was just the opening act. The crowd mixed and mingled while tasting and bidding on silent auction items that included Kistler chardonnays, Harlan cabs and other dream wines. Then we sat down to a delicious dinner of filet mignon and chatted with table mates before the auctioneer revealed each lot. Of course each would create an instant mini cellar for those who could afford them. And some of the prizes were mixed in with tempting foodie and or sports fan opportunities,  like USC football tickets or dinner at Mastro's for 10.

Even though our pocketbooks would not allow us to bid, it was great drama watching the well-heeled spend outrageously and on impulse. We envied them as they snagged the following: a case of '90s Bordeaux (Figeac, Haut Brion, Calon Segur, Mouton Rothschild, etc.) valued at $4,750/sold at $4,500; a case of 2001 Margaux, V-$5,400/S-$4,750; classic Bordeaux of the '60s and '70s, V-$6,355/S-$4,000; Cult California cabernets including Hundred Acre, Staglin, Hobbs, Harlan and Colgin, V-$2,255/S-$3,600.

As you read and reread that last lot in amazement, let me just remind you that unless you are in some of those particular wine clubs—which have waiting lists a mile long and limits on what you can buy—you would never be able to secure them without a broker. So it does make sense, and doubly so when you realize that all the profits from the donated lots go to Pacific Symphony's music education programs. That means everything from classical concerts for young school kids and seniors, to teaching programs for high school students in youth ensembles. So really, it's not so crazy after all.

So, if you can indulge your taste in fine wine and fine music, it's one of the grandest events of the season. If you missed out this year, be sure to watch for next year's info at pacificcoastwinefestival.org and pacificsymphony.org, and remember there are still ways to be supportive this season with an upcoming gala on April 25, classical and pops shows at the Center, and the popular summer concerts at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine.—Anne Valdespino

The love story almost came to an end in 2007 when he passed away. But he had begun planting vineyards in Sonoma, and this was the start of her second career. She loves viticulture as much as he did and is determined to continue demonstrating her love for him by completing his dream. Her first bottlings are now being released, and she brought them to share at dinner.

We started with two 2007 wines, a chardonnay ($38) and a pinot noir ($45). Both are strictly Burgundian in style. Serviceable dinner wines, they paired beautifully with appetizers. Antonello's popular shrimp scampi brought out lemony highlights in the chardonnay, and the light-bodied pinot matched the loaminess of sauteed mushrooms. These wines are not for lovers of California fruit bombs. They are tamped down in comparison and do not distract attention from traditional cuisine, even food with delicate flavors. They are crafted by Plendler's winemaker Greg Bjornstad (Phelps, Flowers, Kistler, Kosta Browne). These are his first efforts for her, and I'll definitely be watching to see how these vineyards develop.

Pfendler offered a good preview of things to come in her soon-to-be-released 2008 pinot noir ($45). This wine is much bolder and more full-bodied than the '07. Ruby-hued in the glass, it comes in a plain bottle with an ecru label and simple script—a package that matches its vintner's classic tastes. The 2008 pinot has more structure, is balanced, has good mouth feel with an olive oil silkiness. There are no barnyard aromas here, no wild sour cherry/raspberry notes popping out, but firm fruit integrated into the whole. Who knows what it could be with a little age?

It's one of Pfendler's favorites. Now that it's bottled she will begin using everything she knows about packaging and media to help it find its way in the market. "This is my first vintage," she said. "And it's a lot to do, putting your face to the brand and knocking on doors and cold-calling people. But I thought, 'What can I take from film, what did I learn?' It's taught me to trust my own creativity. It's all about starting a project from scratch."

Pfendler is beginning small and boutique-y with 400 cases of the 2008. So far she's selling on her Web site (pfendlervineyards.com) and to restaurants (Nick's in Laguna Beach). While I don't think these wines will appeal to everyone—if you love big, oaky chards and monster cabs their charms will be lost on you. But if 2008 is any indication, the vintages will grow in quality by leaps and bounds. This is a wine for foodies with subtle sensibilities who can appreciate wines focused on quality and polished to a luster like an Oscar-winning film.—Anne Valdespino

When a wine list is as interesting as Lucca's you might not get around to tasting all the bottles you'd like during dinner. That's when "reverse corkage" comes to the rescue. Cathy Pavlos offers $10 off the wine list price on any bottle you'd like to take home. It's like shopping while you dine. You also get the expert sommelier advice of her husband Elliott.

The list favors Italians to go with the cuisine. Last time I visited, I had lunch with—ready for some shameless name-dropping?—Orange Coast food editor Chris Christensen and food writer/cookbook author Cathy Thomas. We sipped a dry rosé from the Alto Adige, that's where Pavlos' folks come from in Italy. Beautifully salmon-colored it had a great fruit backbone of strawberry/raspberry and paired with salumi, fresh or dry cheeses, and meaty olives.

But don't take my word for it. Stop in for lunch or dinner and have the experts steer you around. Lucca Cafe & Market is located in Irvine, in the same spiffy Quail Hill shopping center as Bacchus' Secret Cellar, so it's a must-stop for winos.—Anne Valdespino

When you think of Italian wine, do you think of an older gentleman drinking bone-dry barolos redolent of tar and pressed rose petals?

Vintner Fabrizio Gatto of Ecco Domani wants you to think of Italian wine as easy drinking, uncomplicated, and as sexy as martinis. He’s not making wines for the Godfather. He’s making them for the hot chick sitting at the end of the bar.

“It’s very important that Italian wine is recognized as elegant, but at Ecco Domani I try to export the wine styling of Italy for Americans. We use stainless steel fermentation for our pinot grigio. It is crisp, light and drinkable, easy to approach,” he said.

Gatto must know what he’s doing. His wines, made exclusively for the American market, are showing up in grocery stores and on by-the-glass lists throughout America. On a recent visit to the U.S., he made appearances in supermarkets such as Ralph’s in Irvine and I caught up with him by phone that day. I definitely got the impression that he’s going after the “you and me” market, not the 60-year-old guy with the cigar.

Gatto’s pinot grigio ($8) would be great with a shrimp pesto appetizer or quesadilla. And his pinot noir ($9) is practically see-through but it’s very pleasant and uncomplicated with notes of raspberry and a big, fruity nose. At these prices it’s a wine to buy by the case for a big party, or by the glass in a bar where the markup will be two to three times the original price.

It’s a wine for the party girl in us all. No wonder he’s getting press in fashion magazines such as Glamour, InStyle, Redbook, and Women’s Day. And his Website gives recipes for turning the wine into cocktails.“More women like the wine because it’s contemporary and stylish, and a very good expression of what we are in Italy. We have wine for every meal; we don’t need a special occasion to have a glass of wine.”

—Anne Valdespino