BARGAIN SYRAH TAKES TOP HONORS AT L.A. COUNTY FAIR.

Byline: Martin S. Gonzalez Staff Writer

In what is probably a first, the wine glass is likely to be more expensive than the wine.

The 2002 Hahn Estates Central Coast Syrah that took home the Best Wine at this year's L.A. County Fair Wines of the World competition is about $8 a bottle. It is a tremendous value that fair organizers hope will help introduce more people to the world of wine.

``It's validation of what we are doing in the winery,'' said Adam Lazarre, Hahn's winemaker. ``But more important, it's great for the consumer because they can now choose our wine with confidence, knowing it was selected from a huge number of wines from around the world.''

The Hahn Estates Syrah was chosen from a pool of close to 4,000 wines submitted; competition was held in May and judged by a panel of 90 international wine professionals.

The Wines of the World Competition is the largest wine competition of any county fair in the country and one of the most prestigious. Wine Warehouse, a distributor for Hahn Estates, sold more than 100 cases of the winning syrah within a week after the competition, according to Spike Meury, a salesman for Wine Warehouse.

As has been the case over the past decade, the yearly competition continues to grow, although much less this year than in previous years.

``It was a tough year in the industry,'' said Bob Small, chairman of the competition's wine steering committee. ``Different factors were involved and with the economy, everyone was a little flat.''

The syrah, a ripe, fruity wine, with a balanced acidity and pleasant taste on the palate, beat a formidable list of winners in categories that included an exquisite 2003 Geyser Peak sauvignon blanc with a bright fruity finish and an exceptionally bold 2000 Grgich Hills Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon.

``I'm really excited about this syrah. It goes great with barbecue,'' said Mary Ellen Cole, the Vineyard's cellar master.

``We're just looking for the best wines,'' Small said. ``That it is priced this low is good for the consumer. Syrahs are hot right now. They seem to be exploding. Syrah is the new merlot.''

Small added that the competition this year saw leaner, fruitier chardonnays with little or no oak aging.

Another growing trend: screw caps.

``We will continue to see more screw caps in the coming years, especially with younger wines,'' Small said. ``For wines that will be consumed within two years, it is the perfect closure. It is still to be seen whether wines can be aged with a screw top, though.''

Winning wines will be available for tasting at the fair's Vineyard during the 2004 L.A. County Fair, which continues through Sept. 26.

Can the shape of a glass make wine taste better?

As in other years, consumer wine educational programs will be available during the fair at the Vineyard. A new class being offered for the first time on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. is ``The Glass Does Matter! A Riedel Wine Tasting.''

Riedel is known for its line of stemware based on the character of wine. The ``Sommeliers'' line was introduced by the family's ninth-generation Claus J. Riedel 30 years ago and is still the subject of much discussion in the wine world. Some have mocked the idea of glass shape or size having any bearing on the taste and aroma of wine.

But I'm now a believer.

Dana Ginavan, a Riedel regional sales manager who will be teaching the seminar, met with a panel of tasters at the Collins School of Hospitality Management on the Cal Poly Pomona campus to explain why the unique shape and bowl size of wine glasses enhance the best characteristics of wines.

``Aroma is 80 percent of what we perceive as flavor,'' Ginavan said as she swirled an award-winning Geyser Peak sauvignon blanc in the designated glass. ``The other 20 percent is what we taste with our tongue.''

The tall and narrow shape of the glass helps focus the bouquet of the sauvignon, Ginavan explained. In technical terms, she described the molecular weight of different aromas a wine carries and how the narrow bowl brings them into contact with our nose.

Intuitively it made sense, but I wanted to taste the wine for myself and see if I noticed a difference. The bouquet of the sauvignon blanc was intense and crisp. The main thing I noticed when I took a sip was that the wine naturally ran down the center of my tongue, as she said it would. The crisp, fruity flavor of the wine was immediate on the tip of my tongue.

It was only when I sipped the exact same wine from one of the school's restaurant general wine glasses that I realized what a difference the glass made. Gone was the crisp aroma; the scent was flat and tame in the wider bowl.

The taste difference was even more significant. With the general glass, I felt the wine roll over more of my tongue, especially the sides where taste buds detect more acidic flavors. A sharp bitter punch now finished each sip instead of the smoother fruity finish when sipped out of the Riedel glass. I could not deny the obvious and immediate differences between the same wine in two different glasses, and neither could the other tasters.

``It really is a lot flatter in taste,'' said Peg Rahn, a freelance food writer and a member of our tasting panel.

The difference was even more pronounced when we tasted a wonderful Navarro Vineyards pinot noir. Although it had a spicy bite, out of the Riedel glass the wine had a smooth finish and hints of sweetness. Out of the restaurant glass, the wine was noticeably more acidic and had a far more bitter punch in the finish.

``This is why I have a whole line of these glasses in my home cellar,'' said Yvonne Rich of Altadena, wine educator and panel member.

``The difference is really pronounced with the pinot noir glass,'' Ginavan said. ``That is why I like to use it in these presentations. Obviously, for home use, people may not be able to afford the whole line, so I will suggest which wines can work with other glasses, but if they really enjoy pinot noirs, I tell them they really have to get the pinot noir glasses. There really is no substitute.''

Riedel glasses run about $20 each (you can get them at Sur La Table) but it is more about the shape of the glass than the brand.

Most classes offered at the Vineyard during the fair will cost $7.50 and include a lesson, a sample of five wines, a wine judge ribbon and a gold medal tasting ticket good for a 1-ounce taste of gold medal-winning wine.

The Riedel class, however, will cost $65 and will include the tasting and a set of four Riedel glasses used in the class. Pre-registration is strongly recommended and registrations made by Thursday will include admission to the fair. Call [phone] to register for the Riedel class.

Martin S. Gonzalez can be reached at [phone], Ext. 2734.