A reader asked me where he could find the wines I had suggested in the June 24 Gazette-Mail "Main Ingredient" piece. Good question. The majority of wines I recommend for your sipping pleasure can be found either in local wine shops or grocery store wine areas. When I'm reasonably sure the wines are not available in the area, I will let you know that fact. In that case, you have a couple of choices to get the particular wine.

First, you can ask your local wine merchant to order the wine for you. State wine distributors (wholesalers who sell the wine to your retail outlet) have access to thousands of labels and can probably get the wine to your wine shop. If you don't want to wait the weeks (or possibly months) it will usually take to get the wine, you have the option of ordering it - via phone or Internet - from a wine shop or winery out of state.

Yes, West Virginia is one of the more progressive states when it comes to wine laws. Thanks to some wine-bibbing legislators several years back who passed a good consumer-oriented law, you are legally permitted to order up to two cases of wine per month from out of state retailers or wineries. Simply "Google" the wine in question and voila! (that's pronounced 'Vi-ole- lah!' where I come from), a dad-gum passel of opportunities to purchase the stuff will be presented to you.

In defense of a beverage which truly needs no defense ( when it comes to tastefully matching just about every known edible food), I feel compelled to respond to my good friend and fellow blogger, Rich Ireland, who has once again made less than flattering (dare I say disparaging?) statements regarding the fruit of the vine.

I've let the snide comments slide in the past, but no more. See if you agree that I must defend the honor of Bacchus after what Rich had to say in a recent "Beers To You" blog regarding people who don't seem to like beer - and don't want to give "craft" beer a try:

"Maybe the person who fits the profile of this article doesn't fit the macro brewery profile. Maybe they really want beer with flavor? Maybe something better than Bud? Beer offers a much broader range of flavor than the default epicurean favorite, wine. Yes, I throw down the gauntlet, I said it! Beer is better than wine at delivering varying intensities of flavor; ranging from sweet to bitter, roasted and toasted to fruity and fizzy. You just have to find the right beer for you..."

Dude, what have you been smoking?? It's easy to understand Rich's frustration, though, regarding beer's less than universal acceptance. But don't beat up on wine because it seems to enjoy a broader appeal than that foamy stuff. That's like expressing frustration over the fact that chess is more intellectually challenging than checkers - even though both of them are board games, require two players and are fun to play.

Beer is good. I like it and drink it on occasion. I particularly enjoy beer with pronounced flavors, such as craft beer, and I cannot abide "near beer" (generally referred to as light beer). I also think beer can be a good accompaniment to food. The problem is the lack of available supplies of the stuff. There simply is not enough variety of quality beer available in this marketplace. There is also a limited number of beer critics, like Rich, who actually taste different types of beer with complimenting food.

As far as suggesting that beer is better than wine at delivering intensity of flavor, I would have to disagree simply on the basis of the sheer number of grape varieties in the world, the diversity of flavors which the resulting wines produce and my own not insignificant experience with both products.

No question, wine is enjoying unprecedented popularity now in the US. However, it has taken three decades to get us to this point and we still drink only a fraction of what other civilized nations consume. What it gets down to is building a broader market for beer, and that takes time, marketing, persistence and an industry willing to invest in growth.

I'm confident, Rich and beer lovers like him will get it done. But in the meantime, they're not going to recruit many open-minded people to their cause (particularly wine drinkers) by constantly complaining about wine's popularity and its success as an accompaniment to food.

My advice? Chill out with a nice glass of "intense" Zin.

When Napa Valley lawyers and winery owners Mike Bee and Jim Peterson wanted to start their own winery in the valley, a lot of folks scoffed at the idea. After visiting Napa and talking to many people in the trade, the men were encouraged to modify their idea of building a full-fledged winery and decided to take a more modest approach.

First, they set about finding the right wine maker which led them to Ray Coursen, then the winemaker at Napa Valley's Whitehall Lane. Coursen, a giant of a man with a prodigious appetite for red wine (more about this later), was not only a fine winemaker, but had worked many years in the vineyards so he was aware of where the best grapes were being grown. After some coaxing, Coursen took on the task of producing Falcor wines and produced the first vintage in 1996 with a Burundian-style Napa Valley Chardonnay.

Mike and Jim were very pleased with the result. That led to a stable of limited production wines (about 500 cases for each varietal) including two Chardonnays, Sangiovese, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Le Bijou ( a Bordeaux-style blend) and a Rose. Mike's son, Ryan, is Falcor's general manager and works out of a small Napa office. In addition to his duties, which include criss-crossing the country to open new markets, Ryan is overseeing the building of Falcor's small winery and upscale tasting room which is scheduled to open in August in the southern portion of the Napa Valley.

I had the pleasure of visiting with Mike, Jim and Ryan a few years ago in Napa and tasted through their line of wines with wine maker Ray Coursen. After tasting the Falcor wines, Ray opened a bottle of his Elyse Morisoli Vineyards Zinfandel which we proceeded to empty in short order. Ray then took me next door to a long metal building chock full of Elyse wines, many of which were in l.5 liter bottles. When I asked what his plans were for this fortress of wine, he looked at me and said, "I plan to drink it all myself." I don't think he was kidding. Later, we took a few l.5 liter bottles of Falcor and Elyse to accompany a wonderful leisurely, three-hour lunch at Bistro Jeaunty in Yountville. You can find the entire line of Falcor wines at fine wine shops around the state. The best way to purchase Elyse wines is through the winery online or by searching the Internet for merchants that will ship it to you.

Join host John Brown as WineBoy, Episode 13, visits Wilson Ward’s Fisher Ridge Winery in Putnam County to explore the art of making wine in West Virginia. You’ll get the inside scoop on how wine is created — from the vineyard to the fermenting vats to the press and into the barrel. And you won’t want to miss WineBoy’s unique brand of trick-or-treating in version 13 of the batty, weekly Webcast on wine appreciation.

Going to the WVU-Louisville game next week? Go a day early and join the fine folks at the “Slight Indulgence” wine shop in Morgantown for a special tasting and dinner at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7.  Joe Elchik from Francis Ford Coppola Vineyards will lead the tasting and guest chef Jason Blosser will prepare special dishes to match each of six wines from Coppola. Cost for the event is $65 per person. Seating is limited, so call (304) 599-3402 for reservations. Slight Indulgence is located at 3200 Collins Ferry Road in Morgantown.

When my herb garden begins to yield bunches of fragrant and delicious sweet basil, I know it's time to prepare one of my favorite summertime meals. With this lovely herb as the centerpiece, I created a wonderful -yet simple- meal that you may want to try sometime soon. Not surprisingly, I also have a few wine suggestions for these basil-infused dishes. So here goes. Many folks use basil as a seasoning for salads and one of my favorites is an old family recipe. Today, I'll provide you with this salad recipe and also with one of my favorite summertime culinary masterpieces: pesto pasta.

First the salad.

1. Start with six or so sweet and ripe tomatoes which should be cut into one-inch wedges.

2. Prepare the basil: I had picked a small basket full of basil leaves, being careful to snip the larger of them with my fingers at the base of the plant in order to insure continued growth. (You can buy basil at most grocery stores, but it's a lot cheaper to grow your own.)

3. Next, finely mince one garlic clove, chop one medium-sized sweet onion into one-inch pieces and add this to the tomatoes. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste) to the tomatoes and onions and then pour about three ounces of extra virgin olive oil to the dish. Now take a hand-full of sweet basil and chop it into small pieces and add this to the mixture. If you have fresh oregano, put the leaves from one sprig into the salad.

4. If you like a touch of heat, slice a hot banana pepper in half and cut it into small pieces, adding this to the tomato salad. This is optional, but I love the piquancy of the pepper and the flavor it gives to the salad. (Incidentally, I do not recommend using vinegar since the tomatoes usually provide sufficient acidic balance to the salad.)

5. At this point, allow the salad to sit at room temperature for at least one-hour, stirring it occasionally. Then taste it and make final adjustments (salt, garlic, etc.). It is now ready.

Now for the pesto:

1. Take two handfuls of basil, wash and pat dry with a paper towel. In a food processor, put the basil, five or six medium garlic cloves, six to eight ounces of extra virgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper and one-cup of freshly grated mild parmesan cheese ( I prefer to use Parmigiano Reggiano, but it's expensive). Blend until the consistency is very smooth and taste to adjust for salt and garlic (is there ever enough garlic?).

2. Next, put a handful pine nuts in a small sauté pan and stir till slightly brown over medium heat and add to the mixture.

3. Now add one pound of cappellini or angel hair pasta to boiling, salted water and cook till the pasta is slightly firm (usually about three to five minutes). Put the pasta in a colander, drain it and then add it to a bowl. Pour the pesto mixture over the pasta and blend the ingredients. Dinner is ready!

Serve the tomato salad in bowls (because it will have made a large amount of juice). At the same time, serve the pesto pasta on plates and add a little more freshly grated cheese. You will need at least one loaf of crusty bread (Ciabatta or other crusty bread from the Charleston Bread Company would be excellent), especially to dip into the tomato/basil salad.

WINE SUGGESTION: This meal demands sauvignon blanc where the herbal components in the wine will marry nicely with the pesto and tomato salad. Try sauvignon blanc from producers such as Dry Creek, Nobilo, Kenwood or Kim Crawford (all under $17 a bottle).