…and if you read today’s Napa Valley Register, you’ll see we are putting some pretty outstanding stuff in our bottles.

For those of you who haven’t been to COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts, it’s a non-profit discovery center whose mission is, in the words of Robert Mondavi, “to educate adults and children to the joys of living well.” The goal is to expose the positive roles that wine, food and the arts have played in our lives. COPIA features all sorts of wine and food tasting programs, art exhibitions, organic edible gardens, films, concerts, lectures, etc. Located in the heart of Napa Valley, it’s a must-see wine country destination. (Of course, I’ve never actually been there… but that’s why I’m the Vineyard Idiot).

Anyways, last weekend COPIA hosted their Sixth Annual “Taste of Sonoma County,” a signature event in which over 60 Sonoma producers participated. Our beloved cellar rat/winemaker Mikey Smith showed up to pour and I think part of him wished he gussied up a bit. Dressed in his usual attire (black Roshambo tee and not the cleanest jeans) he said he felt “frumpy” amidst the sea of polo shirts. Apparently it didn’t matter. People flocked to our table and Roshambo was a crowd favorite at the tasting, which is encouraging because first and foremost, we are interested in making great wine.  Here’s what Register Staff Writer L. Pierce Carson had to say…

SONOMA WINES GET HIGH MARKS AT COPIA TASTING

While Napa Valley is lauded as America’s premier winegrowing region, the grapes grown by our Sonoma neighbors are nothing to sneeze at. That fact was made more than clear last weekend as Copia hosted dozens of Sonoma County winemakers eager to pour their latest releases for wine lovers from near and far. Copia’s “Taste of Sonoma County” brought together producers from a number of Sonoma’s appellations, ranging from Rockpile to Carneros, Dry Creek to Russian River, Alexander Valley to Knights Valley. For more than three hours, consumers roamed the large lobbies of Copia tasting wines that ran the gamut of chardonnay to zinfandel. Starting with three favorites from Roshambo, the playful, consumer-savvy producer from Healdsburg, here’s our impressions of a number of wines worthy of your attention:

Roshambo 2005 Imago Chardonnay ($18): A stainless steel fermented, lees-stirred chardonnay with bready and tropical fruit aromas, this one has attractive ripe stone fruit and pear flavors with a bit of passion fruit that lingers in the mouth. It’s a medium-priced chardonnay without the slightest hint of oak (hooray!) that is an ideal aperitif or a fine accompaniment for salads, fruits and creamy cheeses.

Roshambo 2005 Zinfandel ‘The Reverend’ ($25): The winemaking team said it all in explaining why “The Reverend” was applied to this ripe, well-balanced zin - “Just like an old fire-and-brimstone sermon, it starts easy and lures you in with scents of Christmas spices. And then it kicks up the volume with an explosion of juicy red and blackberries, plums and chocolate. To finish, you are called up to the altar to be healed by a smack to the forehead of spicy, smooth tannins. You’ll be back next Sunday for some more.” To that, I say, “Amen!”

Roshambo 2005 Syrah “Justice” ($25): An outstanding Dry Creek syrah with floral and plum aromas and a big mouth full of blueberries and baking spice. This is ripe fruit in a bottle, from enticing entry to lingering blueberry finish. It invites a second, even third, sip, and proved to be one of the best syrahs tasted last weekend.

**ARE YOU WHET YET? If not, if you need a little bit more to turn you on, perhaps a little visual stimulation, then take a peek at these bottle shots.

Sexy huh? Now… follow your senses. Try the wines that everyone’s raving about.

Over the holidays, a writer from The Chronicle unexpectedly popped into our new Cornerstone tasting room. Since most everything in this world - movie, music, book, wine reviews, etc. - is so utterly (and sometimes incomprehensibly) subjective, we were naturally curious as to what said critic thought. A great review might send new people in our direction, and a bad review… well, I’m sure you get the point. The review got off to a rocky start in the opening line when our slogan was misquoted (It’s “Fighting for Fun in a Winey World,” not in a winery world.) That notwithstanding, I’m thrilled to report that we very much loved what Amanda Gold had to say. Por ejemplo, “If it weren’t for the flights being poured at the counter, you might not remember that this is Wine Country.” Thank you, Amanda! I couldn’t have said it better myself. Roshambo has always prided itself on creating a fun and disarming atmosphere in which to experience incredible wines. We never thought wine, even fine wines like ours, should be intimidating, esoteric, or an exclusive extravagance for the elite. We believe that wine should be as easy to embrace and enjoy as a cold bottle of beer. And that’s why Naomi designed another imaginative and offbeat tasting room (not to mention the Roshambus). It’s a place that, according to The Chronicle, “If you’re not in the mood to sample wine, you’ll still find entertainment - grab a seat at the old-school Ms. Pac-Man table and chomp away.” So what are you waiting for? Read this review. Then take a walk on The Wild Side at our new Cornerstone tasting room!

**Oh, and tell them “The Roshamblogger” sent you. (Not that you’ll get any special discount, but you’ll make me look good to my boss (and girlfriend, Naomi). And I promise that in return, I will love you forever. Well… “love” is a strong word. So maybe I will just like you forever. Not just a lot. But I will like you a lot, a lot.)