By Paul Gregutt
Wine adviser
Q. A reader asked me to recommend a wine to serve between courses of a meal. I suggested a sparkling shiraz. These Australian bubblies are a deep red, a bit tannic, and quite dry. I thought that having just the wine as an intermezzo would lighten the overall menu a bit, and that it being a rather substantive and unusual wine it would make a splash. Which indeed it did.
The reader followed up with this note: “Hallelujah!  I picked up Paringa 2004 Sparkling Shiraz ($10) and it was absolutely luscious. What a delightful surprise it was, and everyone at the table couldn’t get enough of it. Of course I, as hostess, barely got any, but have since gone back to stock up. Thanks for the great suggestion.”
One further follow-up.
In a recent column I suggested that visitors to Napa and Sonoma might consider flying into and out of Sacramento as a more congenial airport than either Oakland or San Francisco. Many readers wrote to remind me that Horizon now offers a daily non-stop from Seattle to Santa Rosa. Small plane, so seats are limited, but definitely an option to consider.
Paul Gregutt, author of “Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide,” can be reached at wine@paulgregutt.com.