Last week I was invited to taste 32 Chairman's Selection wines that will be arriving in Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board premium stores in the next weeks.

The Chairman's Selection program was the brainchild of Jonathan Newman, who until 2006 was chairman of the board of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, a political appointment. Mr. Newman made numerous improvements to the state's monopolistic hold on wine and liquor sales. We have him to thank for stores inside grocery outlets, sales on Sundays and the popular Chairman's Selection program, where Pennsylvania leverages its huge buying power to negotiate lower prices for some wines. The first of such selections arrived in stores in 2003 and consisted of 1,500 cases of two wines. The selections arriving in stores now are from the latest buying trip, which resulted in purchases of 133,000 cases of 162 wines!

The best of these wines are scooped up quickly and will likely disappear before the holidays. A few of these bottles are older than what we normally find in this state and are the last bottles of that vintage from that winery, which means they are not available elsewhere.

If any of these new arrivals interest you, you probably should speak with your store manager and ask that he/she reserve them for you, or order them online from www.pawineandspirits.com. Shipping is free for orders of $200 or more.

If your store is out of a wine, ask them to check the inventory in the entire state to see which stores still have stocks of that wine. When you find the wine in another store, there are two options for getting it.

The first is to pay a modest shipping fee and have the wine sent to you in a matter of a few days. If there is no rush, you can ask for an inter-store shipment, which is free but can take as long as a month.

As I watch the value of our investments disappear, my greatest regret is that we didn't buy fewer stocks and more wine these past few years.

At least we would be drinking the portfolio rather than watching it slowly drain away. Since I still don't trust the market, from now on it will be wine!

The highlights of last week's tasting were as follows:

Kathy Lynskey Gewurtztraminer 2007, New Zealand, PLCB #18222, $15.99.

Ms. Lynskey is an iconic winemaker in New Zealand's Marlborough region. Her wines consistently win awards at international competitions. This thoroughly dry gewurtz would be an interesting turkey wine with its aromas of orange blossoms, lychees and spice. It's classy and well-structured with an almost unending finish.

Alkoomi Riesling Frankland River 2007, Australia, PLCB #27325, $9.99

On the south coast of Western Australia, the Franklin River Valley is producing beautiful dry riesling. This wine, with citrus and green apples on the nose and slate and minerals in the mouth, is another nice bottle to drink with turkey. It received 91 points from the International Wine Cellar magazine and normally sells for $17.

Swanson Pinot Grigio, 2006, Napa, PLCB #18132, $14.99

Although the nose on this wine was rather dead in the glass, the wine came alive when warmed in the mouth. Uber alive, in fact. It is a pinot grigio on steroids with gobs of ripe peach and pineapple fruitiness mingled with honey and almonds. Great weight in the mouth and a long and vibrant finish. This is a welcome change from the many insipid pinot grigios I have tasted recently. Listed at $21, it was rated 90 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc, 2007, Russian River, PLCB #18115, $10.99

Another "anything but chardonnay" possibility with lovely aromas of melon and pear. This wine has a creamy texture, evidence of a bit of oak and good acidity. It is wonderfully balanced and a nice food wine. Normally $18.

Louis Latour Meursault Chateau de Blagny 1er Cru, 2004, Burgundy, PLCB #18095, $34.99

It has been a long time since I have seen a premier cru white Burgundy for this price. If you want a chardonnay, this is the time to indulge in what most consider the role model for all other chardonnays. 2004 was not a great vintage in Burgundy and I expected this wine to be flat; however, it is still lively and has good fruit and acid balance. Very round in the mouth with subtle butteryness that comes from a long aging in oak. The longer than usual bottle age also adds to the roundness. It sells for $44 elsewhere.

Chateau St. Jean Pinot Noir 2006, Sonoma, PLCB #13226, $15.99

This is not a wine for a pinot purist (i.e. Burgundy connoisseur) but it is a seductive red bursting with dark cherry and other red fruit flavors. Chateau St. Jean winemaker Margo Van Staaveren has just finished her 29th harvest at this winery. At the winery this bottle sells for $23.

Fra Guerau Red Blend, 2005 Spain, PLCB #86637, $8.99

This wine wins hands down in the bargain category. Named for a 12th-century Spanish monk, it is made from seven grape varieties grown on the estate. They are cabernet sauvignon, carena, syrah, garnacha (grenache), tempranillo, merlot and monastrell (mourvedre). With aromas of black cherries and raspberries and a hint of spice, this is a lot more wine-drinking pleasure than its price might indicate. Although the state purchased 2,300 cases, my guess is they won't hang around for long. It normally sells for $16.

Te Awa Boundary 2002, Hawks Bay, New Zealand, PLCB #10408, $19.99

There is more than good sauvignon blanc coming from New Zealand. This wine is considered New Zealand's best Bordeaux blend (68 percent merlot, 16 percent cabernet sauvignon and 16 percent cabernet franc). It is elegant and memorable thanks to the velvety texture that comes from the bottle age. Lovely plum, cherry, spice and herb aromas. Rated 90 points by the Wine Advocate, it normally sells for $35.

Salexis Snowden Vineyard Napa Merlot, 2002, PLCB #12182, $15.99

Forget all the slurs the film "Sideways" cast upon merlot and rush out and buy a bottle of this amazing wine. Only 560 cases were made and the remaining 400 all are in Pennsylvania state stores. All the subsequent vintages are selling for $36. Aged 20 months in oak (66 percent new) and with four years in the bottle, this is a wine ready to enjoy. It is juicy, complex, round and velvety. I'll bet even Paul Giamatti would become a believer after one sip.

Chateau Teyssier St. Emilion, 2004, Bordeaux, PLCB #19453, $24.99

The French version of the above wine is a grand cru from St. Emilion. A classic French merlot with lots of briar patch fruits and cocoa flavors, it has good weight, a creamy texture and well-integrated tannins thanks to oak aging and the time in bottle. It normally sells for $35.

Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003, Napa. PLCB #11162, $33.99

This is a big and chewy wine made from 79 percent cab, 8 percent malbec, 7 percent merlot, 4 percent petit verdot and 2 percent cab franc. With a huge structure and 14.8 percent alcohol, it will continue to improve over the next five years. The Wine Enthusiast awarded it 94 points. Only 1,200 cases were made and 500 are in our state.

Cedar Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Napa, PLCB #11659, $27.99

This is the second label of Palmaz, one of the $100 California cabs that you have to wait in line for years to buy. It is another example of a big, impressive new-world cab. It sells for $45 at the winery.

Vinedos de Murcia Sierra Carche, Red Blend 2005, Jumilla, Spain, PLCB #26873, $29.99

My favorite wine of the tasting, this bottle also impressed the Wine Advocate tasters who awarded it 96 points with the thought that it would improve until 2025! A blend of 50 percent monastrell, 25 percent malbec and 25 percent petit verdot, it spent 13 months in oak. The nose is still slightly muted but the aromas open when swirled and burst into powerful berries, pencil lead and tar in the mouth. It is elegant and long in the finish. Buy some to enjoy now but also a few bottles to lay down.

It's probably a better investment than anything your broker is pushing!