BOTTLES THAT'LL PUT YOU IN THE RED.

Byline: LARRY LIPSON

You're right, it's not from Sicily.

Established in 1864, Vega Sicilia is one of Spain's old-line red wine producers -- and knowledgeable, wealthy collectors jump at the chance to pick up a case or two when they have the opportunity.

At a recent tasting at Valentino in Santa Monica, the highlight wine was a rich 1996 tempranillo (80 percent) and cabernet sauvignon (20 percent) blend titled Unico (aged seven years in wood) that can run as high as $380 a bottle.

More down to earth but still very expensive, Vega Sicilia's 2004 Pintia Toro, a big, tannic, chewy wine (around $60), 2002 Valbuena ($270) and 2003 Alion ($78), the latter much fruitier on the palate, showed well with Valentino's venison medallions and Italian cheeses.

Vega Sicilia also bottles a few notable Hungarian whites, mostly sweet and one dry ($23), that it sells under the Oremus label.

Incidentally, the reds consistently rate in the mid-to-high 90s by Robert Parker.

Information: [phone]. www.vega-sicilia.com.

RIM SHOTS: At the recent Pacific Rim Wine Competition at San Bernardino's National Orange Show Center, more than 2,000 wines were judged by an international panel.

Picked as the Grand Champion wine was the best red wine pick, the J. Lohr 2004 Hilltop Vineyard cabernet sauvignon ($35) that utilizes grapes from the Paso Robles region of California.

Surprise winner in the white wine category was an inexpensive, nonvintage, sweet niagara grape wine ($7) from the Oak Knoll Winery in Oregon.

Coincidentally, the competition's best dessert wine was also from Oregon, the 2005 Frostbite gewurztraminer ($20) by Girardet Wine Cellars.

Of the sparkling wines, the top bubbly turned out to be a perennial winner, Gloria Ferrer. This time it was the 2003 Blanc de Blancs ($24).

Information: [phone], Ext. 415. www.nosevents.com.

BE STILL, THEY SAY: It's not uncommon to find still wines being made by major sparkling-wine producers.

But usually it's a modest effort.

Enter the movie "Sideways" -- and the resultant surge in pinot noir sales across the country.

Couple that with the fact that the best sparklers are made from pinot noir and/or chardonnay grapes, sometimes with some pinot meunier.

So why not jump on the pinot noir bandwagon?

Domaine Chandon has done just that, and its still wine division -- under capable winemaker James Kress -- has boosted production up to 15,000 cases of pinot noir (2005, $35 a bottle) and 10,000 cases of chardonnay.

And Domaine Chandon, which also bottles a 100 percent pinot meunier (5,000 cases, 2005, $35 a bottle), claims it was the first winery to plant this grape domestically, which it did in its Carneros Ranch vineyard some 20 years ago.

Kress makes a limited amount (1,000 cases) of an interesting, lean "Chablis-style" chardonnay with a pronounced mineral or flinty taste.

His main chardonnay, on the other hand, is a very round, full-flavored, buttery wine, made in the more familiar California chardonnay way.

Both sell for around $19.

Information: [phone]. www.domainechandon.com.

NEW RELEASES: Grapes from Mendocino (48 percent), Sonoma (30 percent) and Napa (21 percent) counties are in the Kendall-Jackson 2004 Vintner's Reserve merlot ($18). The other 1 percent is from San Benito County. Go a step higher for K-J's 2004 Grande Reserve merlot ($26) with 79 percent Sonoma and 21 percent Napa. Information: [phone]. www.kj.com. -- From Australia comes the 2005 Archetype shiraz ($15) and from New Zealand the 2006 New Haven sauvignon blanc ($11.99). Information: www.

diageowines.com. -- Reliable nonvintages, a rarity these days, from Rex Goliath to hit the shelves late last month were the merlot, shiraz, zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon. Also two 2006s, the chardonnay and pinot grigio. All six wines sell for around $9. Information: [phone]. www.rexgoliath.com. -- The latest from Gundlach Bundschu are the 2006 gewurztraminer ($25) and 2005 chardonnay ($25), both from the Rhinefarm Vineyard. Information: [phone]. www.gunbun.com. -- New 2006 sauvignon blancs from Sauvignon Republic Cellars are from Marlborough, New Zealand ($18), and Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Calif. ($18). Information: [phone] or www.sauvignonrepublic.com.