The ultimate everyday wine

Our wine of the week -- the Montevina 2005 Amador County Syrah -- is something you could uncork on a Tuesday night. It's your ultimate everyday wine.

The syrah has ripe flavors and complexity, but it's not overpowering. As winemaker Chris Leamy put it: "Some syrahs are over the top ... but you don't have to strap yourself in to enjoy ours."

Leamy said the blessing and the curse of the syrah grape is that it can make a range of styles -- from a light, fruity picnic wine to a big, huge monster and everything in between. "It's definitely a popular wine," Leamy said. "It's out there and it has a foothold."

Leamy said Amador County, best known for zinfandel, is also a good place to make strapping syrahs. "They get that ripe fruit character, but they also get that complex minerality. . . . It's the right grape planted in the right place and that's the heart of making any good wine."

-- Peg Melnik