DATE: Sunday, March 16, 1997                TAG: 9703130042

SECTION: FLAVOR                  PAGE: F8   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: WINES & SPIRITS

SOURCE: BY M.F. ONDERDONK, WINES & SPIRITS CRITIC 

                                            LENGTH:   99 lines

RENEGADE WINEMAKER CHARMS CAROLINA CROWD

IS THERE such a thing as a typical California wine maker? No. But even if there were - say, a U.C.-Davis grad with a degree in enology and a penchant for straw hats and Lacoste alligators - Randall Grahm would be that guy.

NOT.

The famously idiosyncratic wine maker of Bonny Doon was in vintage form when he blew in for the Outer Banks Wine and Food Conference in Nags Head a couple of weeks ago. Greeting a group of wine worshipers gathered for a vertical tasting of Le Cigare Volant, his Rhone-style red, he opened the seminar with a quote from heavy metalist Alice Cooper: ``Welcome to my nightmare.''

Grahm's nightmare has been - and will doubtless continue to be - winning a following for his eclectic wines in a land obsessed with glamorous varietals. ``I would like to make a Dr. Faustus label of chardonnay,'' he revealed. ``I could continue to rail publicly against it - while making it in secret.''

When he came to Bonny Doon - with qualifications that included being one credit shy of a degree in philosophy from U.C.-Santa Cruz, he dreamed of making the ultimate pinot noir. But the Santa Cruz mountains where the winery is located have proved more hospitable to the grapes for which southern France is known, such as grenache, mourvedre and syrah. It is these that go into the making of Le Cigare Volant, named for a French ordinance that forbids flying saucers to land in the vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

``It works very well,'' Grahm likes to point out. ``No flying saucers have landed there since the law was enacted.''

While Le Cigare Volant is the flagship (or spaceship) wine for Bonny Doon, Grahm has gained attention for others, too - not the least because of the quirky fascination of labels such as Big House Red, with its drawing of prison walls and spotlight. Il Pescatore is a white wine labeled with a picture of a little boy who sits on a dock and dangles a fishing pole, a map of Italy on the hook. ``We call this our Otis Redding cuvee,'' quips Grahm.

With his big head of post-college hippie hair and distracted air of slight madness, Grahm was the undisputed center of attention at the conference, organized by the Country Vintner and held at Kelly's Outer Banks Restaurant and Tavern March 1. But the caliber of presenters was extraordinary, including Allesandro Furlan, son of Italian wine maker Franco Furlan; Louis Trebuchet, a Burgundian wine dealer; Andrea Fossi, also Italian and wine maker for Cantina Fossi; Michael Shaps, wine maker at Jefferson Vineyards in Virginia; and several top North Carolina chefs.

The day of seminars covered topics ranging from the wines of Burgundy and Italy to tasting components and wine and health. Cookery classes dealt with such subjects as sauces, hot-smoking fish, risotto and plate presentation. The event was capped by a dinner showcasing wines by Bonny Doon and cuisine by Scott Howell of Nana's in Durham, N.C., and Chuck Arnold and Sam McGann of Ocean Boulevard.

The latter is McGann's new Kitty Hawk bistro, which is housed in a handsomely refurbished brick storefront and provided the setting for the five-course dinner. Highlights included tuna tartar with caviar (one in a seafood trio, matched to Il Pescatore), and seared foie gras and oven-roasted sweetbreads with sun-dried cherries (alongside an '88 Le Cigare Volant, poured from the 12-liter bottle known as a balthazar). At the conclusion of the dinner, Grahm happened to mention that Bonny Doon will be moving soon to Pleasantown, about 40 miles from Oakland, and into the old Ruby Hill winery. ``Amid the expensive real estate, I see it as - an island of anarchy,'' predicted the wine maker.

Meanwhile, the Rhone is catching fire in the California wine world. Beaulieu Vineyards (conveniently abbreviated to BV for the French-challenged crowd) has introduced Ensemble, a new Rhone-style blend of grenache, carignan and mourvedre. Retailing for around $28, the wine is a companion piece to BV's Tapestry, a Bordeaux-style blend that goes for around $22 and takes most of its taste cues from cabernet sauvignon.

These and other BV wines - including the winery's highly regarded pinot noir, hard-to-come-by champagne and ravishing reserve chardonnay - were showcased locally by wine maker Joel Aiken last weekend as part of the ongoing gourmet weekend series at the Williamsburg Inn. TASTING, TASTING . . .

The latter half of March brims over with wine tasting opportunities - especially this Thursday. On that evening, Eastville Manor will host a five-course wine dinner, the first at this fine dining room on the Eastern Shore. The selection of European wines will range from Laurent-Perrier brut champagne to Croft reserve port, and dishes will include smoked salmon terrine and rack of lamb in herbed crust. Cost is $45, plus tax and gratuity, and lodging can be arranged for enophiles who don't care to make the trek back across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel that evening. Phone 678-7378.

On this side of the water, also Thursday, Hot Tuna will pour the vino for its fourth annual Surfrider Foundation benefit. There will be 20 wines to try and, if you really go for one (or more), bottles on sale at cost. Tickets are $25. Phone 481-2888.

The demise of 22 Wine Street Gourmet does not mean an end to tasting opportunities in Hampton. Thursday tastings continue, under the aegis of Wine Street University, at the Radisson Hotel. On Thursday, Rhone wines will be sampled. Cost is $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Phone 722-VINO or 727-9700.

And perhaps most tempting of all is a March 27 dinner at Timbuktu. A de facto celebration of the new partnership between chef/ owner Willy Moats and Andrea Burke-Simek, formerly of East of Napa, the evening will pair fusion cuisine to such prestigious labels as chardonnay and merlot from Wildhurst, Smith-Madrone riesling, Fess Parker syrah and Jepson brandy. Look for such signature Moats fare as ``Dragon'' Broth With Asian Vegetables and Black Bass and Morroccan Lamb Chops With Grilled Eggplant and Curried Couscous. Cost is $65 per person including tax and gratuity. Phone 491-1800.

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