Michael McVittie

Viognier can be overtly alcoholic, thick and ponderous, but not so with Bonterra's 2012. Here they have hit the nail right on the head.

The Milbrandts are farmers and have been since the '50s, so when grapes started to gain traction as a major crop in Washington state, they went right ahead and planted. Today, they have about 2,000 acres under vine and supply some of the most prestigious labels around.

The Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon by Jim Barry has been popular for years.

Sanford Vineyards in Santa Barbara County, Calif., has a new line of chardonnay and pinot noir they call Flor de Campo. It means "wild flower" and these wines are indeed beautiful.

I have always been a champion of the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier combo.

Spain produces some of the greatest wine values on the planet. I have been especially enamored with the imports from Jorge Ordonez. He has some great stuff in his catalog. Today I am sending you out in search of Tarima, Monastrel.

The Foppianos of California are still at it, five generations later. This is real dirt-to-bottle juice -- no virtual winery here. Now petite sirah is their thing, but the 2010 sauvignon blanc is a must try.

Cabernet Franc is the unsung hero of Bordeaux. There are some very famous wines produced from it, like Cheval Blanc, but then the French never tell you what's in a bottle anyway -- just place and name. So the varietal names like Malbec, Carmenere or Cabernet Franc aren't that well known.

Here we go -- a Napa Valley sauvignon blanc at a reasonable price. Girard's 2010 Sauvignon Blanc is an especially zippy charmer. I like this wine because it doesn't behave like a stereotypical New Zealand sauvignon blanc. You know, pink grapefruit and gooseberry.

Wow! I just tasted Educated Guess Cabernet. This stuff is killer for the money. It's from an upstart winery, Roots Run Deep, and owner Mark Albrecht believes that Napa Valley need not cost $50 or more a bottle.

Over the weekend I ran into a racy blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cabernet called "relative red." It's from Joel Gott, who seems to know just about everybody in California's Napa Valley.

The 2010 Cali red comes to us from Anchorage's newest micro wine wholesaler, Veritas. It's absolutely great to see educated entrepreneurs out there bringing us wines of style, depth and value. Veritas specializes in dirt-to-bottle, family-owned wines.

This week I'm still stuck in the Southern Hemisphere. Not that there aren't plenty of tasty treats from North America, but the smaller wineries aren't as well represented here. Thanks to a new batch of gung-ho distributors, that may soon change.

Years ago you couldn't imagine pinot noir coming from anywhere but Burgundy, France. Today, California is searching for a new style, and the Oregon pinots are out of sight. New Zealand is coming on fast, so you can expect some amazing things soon.

Wine exploration is something I get to do every day, and sharing my discoveries with you is pretty cool. My latest is the Nugan "Vision" Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 -- yep, more Australian juice. This stuff is packed, fat and oak-y.