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Pick of the week

Montevina Terra d'Oro Zinfandel 2005 ($39.95, product No. 057307) is rich but dry and lively, enveloping the palate with flavours of chocolate, cherry, warm liqueur and coffee.

Apparently, wine is in. I just read it in US Weekly, so don't even think of disagreeing. Not the drink, mind you, the colour. Across two full pages of its March 24 issue, the one with Patrick Swayze and a nasally reconstructed cutie identified only as Ashlee on it, are six women who are doing more to stimulate my enthusiasm for the fruit of the vine than any 100-point Robert Parker score or the 2005 Bordeaux vintage.

I speak of the Red Carpet section near the front, with the headline that reads, "Chic in Cabernet Lately, sophisticated wine-coloured styles are the toast of Tinseltown's soirée scene."

I had no idea. But the evidence is compelling: Beyonce Knowles in satin Armani, the skeletal Victoria Beckham in a tubular Marc Jacobs number, Natalie Portman in a bare-shouldered curtain of a gown from Christian Lacroix, Rashida Jones evoking a female bullfighter at cocktail hour, Kim Raver in a frilly halter thingy and, my favourite, Amy Smart in a compellingly clingy, minimalist deal from Hérve Léger that's so snug she clearly has no room underneath for even a thong.

I've written (intrepid correspondent that I am) on wine-scented perfumes and barbera-dyed jeans before. But this seems less gimmicky, a more genuine statement that wine has soaked into the fashion-world aesthetic rather than just the marketing machine. Here are actual style icons getting paparazzied in top designer wear that plays subtly off the oenological zeitgeist. To trot out that threadbare fashion metaphor, wine is the new black.

The only quarrel I have with the otherwise estimable magazine spread is the headline. Note to US Weekly: Those women aren't wrapped in cabernet; they represent a spectrum of grape hues. So, as a wine-column tribute to the spring season, let me toast the range with some well paired and recently released bottles.

Other Boleyn Girl star Natalie Portman's regal gown reminds me of zinfandel, not just because of its rich hue but also the velvety, turban-like draping on the lower half. Its oeno-analogue could be Montevina Terra d'Oro Zinfandel 2005 ($39.95, product No. 057307), released this past week in Ontario through Vintages fine-wine stores. Often when zinfandel producers rely on precious, low-yielding old vines (in this case, 100 years or more) they permit the grapes to over-ripen, leading to a flabby, sweet, raisiny character. Not here. It's rich but dry and lively, enveloping the palate with flavours of chocolate, cherry, warm liqueur and coffee. Were the conceit of this column about desserts rather than dresses, I'd say it was a black forest cake.

In British Columbia and several other provinces, look for a good alternative, Rancho Zabaco Sonoma Heritage Vines Zinfandel 2004 ($22.99, No. 13946), a nice buy, with nuances of plum, berry, toasty oak and tobacco, with a juicy, crisp finish.

Victoria Beckham, soccer wife and Spice Girl, appears in a glistening two-tone snake-hide effort that does, in fact, call to mind cabernet. Let me recommend two, both posh and both from her new home state of California. Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($78.95, Vintages No. 930206) unfolds with chocolate, cedar, minerals and, appropriately, lively spice. I hope Mrs. Becks ages as well as this beauty undoubtedly will.

The other cab to grab if you possess a cellar and can afford it is Groth Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($64.95, No. 606517). It's a splendid, complex red from first winery ever to garner a perfect 100-point score from famed U.S. critic Robert Parker (in 1985).

Though expensive, it's come down in price by exactly $10 from the previous 2003 vintage. Full-bodied but not at all heavy, it's brimming with pure cassis-cherry flavours and chalky tannins. Laying it down for at least five years should pay dividends.

The little girly dress barely staying up on 24 co-star Kim Raver's torso gives off merlot vibes. One great merlot-dominated red, Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vijn 2004 ($39.95, No. 626325), which I mentioned soon after before it was released in British Columbia, has just landed in Ontario and other points East. One of the Okanagan Valley's best reds, it's full-bodied, concentrated yet elegant, with hints of plum, cassis, minerals and herbs and slightly dusty tannins.

Another good choice, which also happens to be kosher for Passover, is Ella Valley Merlot 2003 ($28.95, Vintages No. 058891). From a good producer in Israel, it's concentrated and dark, with plum-like fruit and a pleasing, tar-like astringency to it. A cellar-keeper, it should still be drinking well for Passover 2015.

To me, singer Beyonce's dress looks like valpolicella, not just because of the plunging V-line. It's lighter in colour than the rest and has a wrinkled quality reminiscent of the dried grapes used in a special version of valpolicella called ripasso.

The latest vintage of a perennial Italian favourite has just been released in Ontario, Tedeschi Capitel San Rocco Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2005 ($20.95, Vintages No. 719294). This is not your parents' bland, watery 1960's valpolicella that got served with spaghetti and meatballs. It's medium full-bodied and velvety, with flavours of cherry liqueur and bitter chocolate, and juicy acidity on the finish. A good match for the cheese course.

The rusty colour as well as the style of actress and Harvard grad Rashida Jones's dress puts me in mind of something Spanish. Another wine that gets high marks for consistency is Miguel Torres Mas La Plana Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($44.95, Vintages No. 617456), chock full to bursting with dark fruits, coffee, vanilla and tight acidity.

What can I say about Varsity Blues star Amy Smart that hasn't been said in such guy mags as Stuff (which named her among the 100 sexiest women in the world) except that she looks great in sangiovese? That reminds me of another very good red from this past week's Vintages release, Michele Satta Piastraia 2002 ($39.95, No. 709980). It's actually a blend of sangiovese with cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah and is, I think, one of the best under-$50 "supertuscans" made. Despite the dismal 2002 vintage, this wine manages to shine with cola, cherry liqueur, leather and a note of old church pew. A silk dress out of a sow's ear, you might say.

Not that it's my place to end with style advice when you could better find it in the front of this section, but here's another good, and practical, reason to wear grape colours on your body: It saves on dry cleaning.