L.A. WINELINE A WINE THAT COULD DO WONDERS FOR YOU.

Byline: Larry Lipson

Said to be a combination of love potion and dessert wine, the new Quady Deviation - while not quite in time for Valentine's Day - is set for a late February release. It is is described as ``an infusion of damiana and scented geranium in Quady's Essensia Orange muscat.''

Damiana, ``reputed to have aphrodisiac properties,'' according to Quady's ``Dessert Wine Digest,'' is a plant that ``has a very pleasant herbal character.'' And the scented geranium is supposedly used in witchcraft for its ``hauntingly seductive aroma.''

Quady calls its Deviation ``a tasty new kind of aromatized dessert wine.'' It will be available only in 375-milliliter bottles with a suggested retail price of $24.99.

Information: [phone].

RARE BOTTLE: There's another Essencia wine - note the slightly different spelling - this being what its producer, the Royal Tokaji Wine Co. of Hungary, calls ``one of the rarest wines in the world.''

Only 1,200 bottles (500 milliliter) of the 1999 vintage, also due for a spring release, have been produced. And of those, only 600 will make their way to the United States.

They're encased individually in a brass-hinged Hungarian oak box lined with velvet that contains a special crystal sipping spoon.

This is a very sweet, very rich wine with a low 2.9 percent alcohol measurement and a high price.

The cost: $500 per bottle.

Information: [phone] or www.wilsondaniels.com.

CABERNET COUNTRY: Great cab seekers know about the Stags Leap District in Napa Valley.

The fine wines of Shafer, Pine Ridge, Regusci, Clos Du Val, Steltzner, Robert Sinskey, Stags' Leap, Silverado, Ilsley, Cliff Lede, Baldacci, Hartwell and Chimney Rock originate there.

And every year, the member wineries host visitors, put on a seminar and cater a dinner extravaganza at Stags' Leap Winery as part of its Vineyard to Vintner (V2V) event.

The 2006 V2V Day is April 22. It begins at 10:30 a.m.

The day's activities and dinner cost $175 per person (without dinner $100).

Ticket information: [phone] or www.stagsleapdistrict.com.

NEW RELEASES: The 2004 meritage by Hahn Estates with 42 percent merlot, 38 percent cabernet sauvignon, 7 percent petit verdot, 7 percent cabernet franc and 6 percent malbec was released last month at $20 per bottle. Hahn released its 2004 cabernet franc ($14) and its 2004 merlot ($14) in November, its 2004 cabernet sauvignon ($14) in September and 2004 chardonnay ($14) in August. Information: [phone] or www.hahnestates.com.

SIPS & NIBBLES: Nifty headline from Wine Expo's Holiday 2005 News: ``Thousands of truly interesting wines and ONE merlot!'' Wine Expo, a major Westside retailer is located at 2933 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. Information: [phone] or wineexpo(at)earthlink.net. ... Notice that restaurants are using the wine bar designation more often these days. Fleming's Steakhouse & Wine Bar (there's a new one in Woodland Hills) does. So does the Crepevine Bistro & Wine Bar, new in Pasadena. ... Visitors can taste wines from all over California at the California Regional Wine Tasting on March 11 in the Grand Ballroom of the South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, 34843 Rancho California Road, Temecula. Cost: $45. Tickets: [phone]. ... Wine books worth buying: ``The Good Life Guide to Enjoying Wine'' (Writers' Collective; $13.95) by Ray Johnson and ``Vino Italiano Buying Guide'' (Clarkson Potter; $13.95) by Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch. ... Look for some very well-crafted wines from Napa Valley carrying the Calistoga Cellars label. Winemaker is Barry Gnekow. Current releases are 2004 sauvignon blanc ($17), 2004 chardonnay ($22), 2003 merlot ($29) and 2003 zinfandel ($26). Information: [phone] or www.calistogacellars.com.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com