L.A. WINELINE SO MUCH ALCOHOL, IT'S A ZIN.

Byline: LARRY LIPSON

Zinfandel lovers, have you noticed that your zins are getting bigger and stronger?

Have you checked the alcohol content on your zin bottle lately?

Bet it's a lot higher than the normal 13 percent of red table wines.

How about 15, 15 1/2, 16 or possibly, even 17 percent?

At a late August panel discussion, the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, a wine industry trade group, pondered these very questions regarding their zinfandels. Is bigger better? they asked.

Zinfandel, according to panel moderator and Quivira winemaker Grady Wann, represents the New World style. He called it ``a poster child for this trend toward big wines.''

He described zinfandel grapes as producing a ``bold, forward, very jammy fruit (that) makes a wine that reflects the brash independent American spirit.''

But it was Rancho Zabaco winemaker Eric Cinnamon who initially addressed those high percentages. He said, ``For our style of Zinfandel we look for intense, rich, black and blue fruit with chewy tannins. With this ripeness comes higher sugars.''

Cinnamon explained, ``The higher the sugars, the more alcohol.''

And it's ``modern vineyard techniques (that) allow growers to ripen the grapes to higher maturity,'' said Rafanelli winemaker Dave Rafanelli.

Former Mazzocco winemaker and now Deux Amis owner-winemaker Phylis Zouzounis said, ``I look for balance in the fruit. I want to make a big, bold, juicy wine without having under-ripe or over-ripe character.''

So, does it really matter if there's higher alcohol, or not?

Seghesio winemaker Ted Seghesio summed it up. He said, ``In the end, it is about fruit quality.

``The wine has to taste good.''

RIVER RECOGNITION: Does California's Russian River rate up there with such great wine rivers of the world as the Loire, the Rhine, the Rhone, the Douro and the Mosel?

Author Steve Heimoff believes it does and he's chronicled this belief in a well-written book, ``A Wine Journey along the Russian River'' ($24.95; University of California Press).

Heimoff, a former Wine Spectator writer and now West Coast editor of Wine Enthusiast, not only details the region's wine history, but also illuminates the grapey glow of the river's past and present through numerous engaging personality profiles.

And he ends his 296-page cruise with a list of recommended Russian River wineries.

Information: www.ucpress.edu.

GLACIER VODKA: Are we ready for vodka made with glacier ice?

Siku (the word for ice in Greenlandic) is a new Netherlands vodka that uses 60,000 year-old Greenland glacier ice in its production.

The ice comes from Greenland's Qalerallit Sermia glacier.

In an attractive icelike bottle, Siku is currently being retailed for around $35 per bottle.

For more information visit www.sikuvodka.com.

NEW RELEASES: Two 2003 zinfandels from Kenwood have just been released, the Sonoma County Reserve and the Jack London Vineyard, each at a suggested retail price of $20. ... The Spanish white 2004 Aura verdejo from the Rueda region has hit the shelves at around $18 per bottle. It contains 98 percent verdejo and 2 percent sauvignon blanc. It's obviously a natural with fish and shellfish. Information: www.bodegasaura.com. ... Artesa has introduced two of its 2003 estate wines, the chardonnay ($30) and pinot noir ($40). Artesa is owned by giant Codorniu of Spain. Information: [phone] or www.artesawinery.com

SIPS & NIBBLES: Specializing in pinot noir, Santa Rosa-based Siduri Wines sources grapes from 27 vineyards between Santa Barbara and Oregon and claims to produce ``the largest number of single vineyard pinot noirs by any California winery.'' Information [phone] or www.siduri.com ... Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared this month as the official California Wine Celebration. For event and activity information visit www.wineinstitute.org ... Congrats to Hop Kiln Winery in Healdsburg, celebrating its 100th birthday this harvest. Centennial events are slated for Oct. 15 and 16. Information: [phone] or www.hopkilnwinery com.