L.A. WINELINE SYRAH GETTING BIGGER THAN EVER.

Byline: LARRY LIPSON

So what's the hot wine right now?

Syrah/shiraz, the fruity red known by either name, is the wine responsible for 13 percent of total retail wine sales growth since September 2004, according to ACNeilsen, which tracks retail sales.

That's an increase of more than 62 percent since September 2003.

So why syrah or shiraz?

Creative packaging and reasonable pricing, say the experts at Wine Business Monthly.

Yeah, yeah. But I say it's the consumer-friendly taste.

Call it the Chilean sea bass of wine.

It's difficult to mess it up.

In the trade, they refer to it as ``fruit forward.''

Basically, it has flavor depth that envelops the palate and displays very little to no tannic harshness.

It's a wine with more character than merlot, the previous hot red that seems to be in a rut right now after being ridiculed in the movie ``Sideways.''

Whether it's an Australian label shiraz or a California version of a French Rhone-style syrah, be prepared for a lovely, easy-to-drink red wine.

And with more consistency than the maverick, mysterious pinot noir.

Yep, there are plenty of options on your supermarket or wine merchant's shelves.

Though not enough yet on restaurant wine lists.

But hey, we'll probably remember 2005 fondly as the year of the days of syrah (or shiraz) and roses.

VINTAGE SOLAR: Congrats to Shafer Vineyard in Napa Valley which claims to be the first winery in Napa and Sonoma counties to convert to 100 percent solar power.

Shafer figures that its investment will pay for itself within seven years.

Other wineries currently using solar power include Fetzer, Domaine Carneros, Sierra Vista, Domaine de la Terre Rouge, Frogs Leap and Long Meadow Ranch.

For more Shafer info, call [phone]

HIGHS AND LOWS: There are the mountain people and the valley people in winedom.

Who's superior? ``We are,'' they both say.

From Napa's Atlas Peak's Astrale e Terra Winery winemaker Bill Ballentine comes the term ``peak mentality,`` a mixture of ``patience, risk and potential.''

From Jess Jackson, owner-proprietor of Kendall-Jackson, comes the statement that ``growing grapes on the sides of California's cool coastal mountains builds character,''` both in the grapes and the growers.

``It's not easy growing grapes on mountains,`` says Jackson, ``nor is it inexpensive. It's a real test of patience and determination.''

OK, OK.

So let's hear it from the valley folks.

GENTLEMEN PREFER MERLOTS: There is, of course, one merlot that hits the shelves every June 1 - Marilyn Monroe's birthday - with much hoopla. That's Marilyn Merlot ($24.50) and it always has a new Monroe photo label. Wow, she would have been 79. Information: [phone], or www.marilynwines.com.

SIPS & NIBBLES: For those who seek hard-to-find Stony Hill wines, Liquid Wines & Spirits, 10100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth, has some in stock. Information: [phone]. ... Some of the good wines to be poured at the upcoming 23rd American Wine & Food Festival are those of Ferrari-Carano, Flowers, Topanga, Hendry, Kalin Cellars, Morgan, Rosenthal-The Malibu Estate, Planeta-Bisol-Castello Di Meleto and Vias Imports. ... Century-old (80 to 109 years) vines provide the majority of the juice for Dry Creek Vineyard's 2002 Old Vine Sonoma County zinfandel ($25), which has an interesting blend of 81 percent zin and 19 percent petite syrah grapes. Information: [phone] or www.drycreekvineyard.com. ... Hosted by Wolfgang Puck and Barbara Lazaroff on Sept. 24 at Universal Studios back lot, the fund-raiser for Meals-on-Wheels features many of the nation's most renowned chefs. Tickets ($250 in advance or $300 at door): [phone], or by e-mail at festival(at)wolfgangpuck.com.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com