Wine country gets with it

Contrast the quintessential wine-snob image with the fun and irreverent feel at Cline Cellars. A sign at the winery entrance beckons with changing lines and clever rhymes. ''I walked the line for a bottle of Cline" was a recent posting (a tribute to Johnny Cash), as was ''Phil was right" (referring to a spell of rainy winter weather that followed Groundhog Day).

''Fred Cline put up the sign when he first opened the winery here," said Bob Kelso, Cline's director of hospitality. ''Some days we feel more clever than others, and we try to change it twice a week. There are people who will call me up to tell me that they love -- or hate -- the day's saying." Another whimsical feature is Cline's signature red truck parked outside the tasting room. The winery offers an affordable, easy-drinking ''Red Truck" bottle every year, made from a blend of syrah, petite sirah, cabernet franc, and merlot.

Despite their insouciant attitude, the winemakers at Cline are serious about making good wine, especially their rich, robust zinfandels. If you're lucky enough to get one of the last bottles, the 2003 Live Oak Zinfandel is one of Cline's best offerings, a smooth red that has deep, plummy flavors and hints of pepper. And fans of dessert wines will love the 2003 Late Harvest Mourvedre, a delicious, raisiny creation that is lighter than a port.

Excellent small-batch wine can also be found right off Sonoma's historic town plaza. Vic McWilliams's Castle Winery isn't open to the public, but his award-winning wines can be sampled in the 1922 bungalow-cum-tasting room, which opened about a year and a half ago. With an open-air porch and an outdoor garden, the setting is ideal for relaxed group picnics paired with a bottle or two of Castle wine. The 2001 Sonoma Valley Syrah, with its spicy berry flavor, is a good choice, especially paired with selections of imported cheeses, fresh bread, and Italian salami from the Cheesemaker's Daughter, a gourmet food shop just across the plaza. The counter staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and can steer you toward the right gruyere or Gouda.