Reflecting on the fifth year of wine column

It is hard to believe I've been writing this column for five years.

They say time flies when you're having fun, and I am. Thanks for reading the first 120 columns (about 60,000 words), and if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let me know. I feel like the wine bottle is at least half-full, so here's to Wine Line and the start of year six. Cheers!

What's on our table

The wine wall in your supermarket has grown in length from about five feet in the 1960s to about 50 feet today. Finding a quality wine at a decent price can be a daunting task.

I thought recommending a wine in each column would be helpful to the readers.

The wine must be available, a good value for its price, and under $15.

We (the editor and I) call this section What's on our table (she likes wine too). Here are my white, rosé and red wine selections from year five.

White and rosé wines

Three chardonnays made the table, the unoaked Morgan Metallico, the lightly oaked Kendall-Jackson Avant and the well-balanced Bogle. The bargain Montevina pinot grigio, the crisp Bogle sauvignon blanc and the La Cana albarino from Spain rounded out the whites.

The rosés were: Robert Hall Rose de Robles, the non-vintage Italian Incanto Frizzante, Lee Family Farms from Morgan Winery, Marques de Caceres, Bernard Griffin and Clayhouse Adobe Pink.

Red wines

I chose three cabernet sauvignons; Columbia Crest Two Vines, Liberty School and Matchbook Lake County. Two red blends that stood out were the Novella Synergy from the recently sold EOS Winery and Cline Cashmere, a blend of mouvedre, syrah and grenache.

Five good-deal pinot noirs worth finding are: McManis, Bogle, Irony, J. Lohr's Falcon's Perch and Kenwood's Russian River.

Old-vine zinfandels are very popular and some good values are Bogle, three from Ravenswood (Lodi, Sonoma County and Napa County) and Bota Box.

Yes, a wine in a box.

Two smooth reds at Costco are the Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos garnacha and the J. Lohr Los Osos merlot.

Winery of the year

In my May 23 column, I wrote, "I like the wines from Bogle Vineyards. I always have." I still do and that's why Bogle Vineyards is my choice for winery of the year.

From a consumer standpoint, the wines are a terrific value and readily available. The top wine magazines always rate Bogle wines as a "Best Buy" and consistently rank Bogle Vineyards in the top 10 value brands of the year.

The Bogle family goal is to produce a wide selection of dependable, high-quality wines, and it's something they have done for more than 20 years. The winery is located near Clarksburg, in the delta region, south of Sacramento. Go to www.boglewinery.com for more information. Here's to Bogle Vineyards. Cheers!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Find me on Facebook or at rgwinton@yahoo.com.