TIGRAN MANSURIAN NOMINATED FOR GRAMMY

ArmenPress
Feb 11 2005

LOS ANGELES, FEBRUARY 11, ARMENPRESS: Prominent Armenian composer,
Tigran Mansurian, was nominated by a German company that produced
a laser disc with his works for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards that
will take place on February 13 in Los Angeles Classical Contemporary
Composition category.

Tigran Mansurian was born in Beirut in 1939. In 1947 his family
moved to Armenia, finally settling in the capital Yerevan in 1956.
Mansurian studied at the Yerevan Music Academy and completed
his PhD at the Komitas State Conservatory where he later taught
contemporary music analysis. In a short time he became one of Armenia’s
leading composers, establishing strong creative relationships with
international performers and composers such as Valentin Silvestrov,
Arvo Part, Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, Andre Volkonsky and
Edison Denisov as well as Kim Kashkashian, Jan Garbarek, and the
Hilliard Ensemble.

Mansurian was the director of the Komitas Conservatory in the 1990s. He
has recently retired as an administrator and teacher, and concentrates
exclusively on composition. Mansurian’s musical style is characterized
mainly by the organic synthesis of ancient Armenian musical traditions
and contemporary European composition methods. His oeuvre comprises
orchestral works, seven concerti for strings and orchestra, sonatas
for cello and piano, three string quartets, madrigals, chamber music
and works for solo instruments.

GEORGIAN LANGUAGE POORLY TAUGHT IN JAVAKHK

ArmenPress
Feb 11 2005

AKHALKALAKI, FEBRUARY 11, ARMENPRESS: Central Georgian authorities
are displeased with how the Georgian language is taught in Armenian
schools in its southern region of Samtskhe Javakhk that has a
predominant Armenian population. In early February Georgian education
ministry conducted a large-scale examination among teachers of
Georgian in these schools to assess the level of their knowledge.
Teachers of Georgian in these region receive three time higher
wages than in other Georgian-populated areas and besides they have
also a set of other privileges. Those teachers who did not stand the
examination will receiver lower salary but will not be sacked.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BENNY HINN, FAKE HEALER?
by Jojo Robles

Manila Standard, The Phillippines
February 12, 2005

Is American evangelist Benny Hinn a fake faith healer? And if he is,
do we really need any more of his kind?

A Web site () put up and maintained by a man
calling himself Pastor Yves Brault has some interesting comments about
the visiting evangelist, who is currently in Manila for a series of
prayer/healing rallies.

Brault has written a 232-page book called The True Face of Fake Faith
Healers (2000, $ 19.95 at amazon.com), in which he accused Hinn and
other prominent American evangelists of using “mesmerism” to con people
seeking miracle cures for various ailments during their prayer rallies.

Brault claims to be a pastor who gained first-hand knowledge of Hinn’s
brand of fakery when he and his family moved from Montreal, Canada
to Orlando, Florida, where they became members of Hinn’s church. The
author also alleges that Hinn’s methods are popular among American
evangelists such as Kathryn Kuhlman, Aimee Semple McPherson, Morris
Cerullo, Jim Bakker, Rodney-Howard Browne and John Avanzini.

In November 2004, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. ran a story on
Hinn’s ministry in a program called “The Fifth Estate.” According
to the network’s Web site (), Benny Hinn was born Toufik
Benedictus Hinn in the coastal city of Jaffa in Israel in 1952. He was
one of eight children born to an Armenian mother and a Greek father.

According to the program, the Greek Orthodox Hinn family migrated
to Canada, settling in Toronto in 1968. Benny, who by this time was
a young teenager, began attending Georges Vanier high school, north
of Toronto.

At school, Benny befriended a group of religious students who
introduced him to prayer meetings and teaching of the Gospel. Benny
eventually became a Born Again Christian, despite concerns and initial
opposition of his family.

When he was 21, he attended a healing service in Pittsburgh headlined
by evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman. She would become a major influence on
his life, so much so, that he emulates her style to this day.

* * *

Benny Hinn began his healing ministry in Toronto by hosting his own
evangelical program on local television. His success in Canada inspired
him to travel with his healing missions. In Orlando, Florida he met
and married Suzanne, the daughter of a local pastor and it was there
that Benny Hinn began to build his evangelical empire.

Today he is known as Pastor Benny, “one of the best-known and possibly
richest televangelists in the world. Each year he travels the world
conducting so-called miracle healing crusades that are very closely
patterned to a rock concert tour,” the network said.

It also noted that some Christian groups have been critical of Benny
Hinn for misinterpreting scriptures on a number of occasions. The
Apologetics Index, an online resource on religions, says he has been
criticized by a number of Christian watchdog groups for not joining
the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

The council is the leading accreditation agency that helps Christian
ministries earn the public’s trust through adherence to seven standards
of accountability. It has over 1,100 members, including Pat Robertson
and Billy Graham. Benny Hinn refuses to join.

Under US tax laws, the Hinn Ministry is not legally obligated to make
its finances public because it is a religious organization. Benny
Hinn insists that every penny is spent on God’s work.

But The Fifth Estate obtained confidential financial records from
inside the Hinn ministry and quoted a forensic accountant who said
“it would be hard to persuade me that you had to incur that kind of
expense in order to accomplish a business objective.”

The expenses include stays at the prestigious Lanesborough Hotel,
next to Buckingham Palace and frequented by celebrities such as
Madonna and Michael Jackson, and cash tips amounting to $ 5,000 to
the staff of the Savoia Hotel in Milan, Italy.

* * *

In an an e-mail to members of Philippine media recently, Pastor
Brault warned Pinoys about Hinn and his alleged criminal activities.
Brault quoted a letter that he alleged was written to him by another
disenchanted former member of Hinn’s church.

The letter-writer noted that Hinn will be holding his “miracle
crusades” in Manila at the Luneta grandstand on Feb. 11 to 13. “As
an ex-member for two years of Benny’s church, I feel compelled to
inform you of Benny Hinn’s real source of power. Do not be fooled
if you see others who appear to be healed from ailments like back
troubles, heart conditions, even asthma because these are ailments
that mesmerism can also relieve.

“Mesmerism, discovered in the 18th century by Fran Anton Mesmer is
best defined as follows: The capacity of raising the emotional state
of a person or a crowd to an abnormal but controllable intensity.’ It
is also referred to as controlled hysteria.

“Benny has disguised this old hypnotic technique with the religious
term anointing’ and people are duped. In Benny’s crusades, most of
the individuals who falsely believe to be healed have only one goal in
mind, and that is to get on the platform and to be touched by Benny.”

Brault claims that in a crusade in Calgary, Canada, Benny told a
woman she was healed from AIDS. The same woman died of aids a few
weeks after the crusade.

He also related the case of Amanda and Mila Prakash, an Indian couple
who pledged $ 2,000 to Benny Hinn’s ministry after their son Ashnil,
who was terminally ill, was “healed” when the evangelist laid hands
on him in a crusade held in Portland, Oregon. When Ashnil died,
the Prakashes were devastated, Brault claims.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
February 11, 2005, Friday

THE COVERED SKY

SOURCE: Vremya Novostei, February 9, 2005, p. 4

by Nikolai Poroskov

Heads of 10 countries of the Commonwealth: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
and Ukraine met on February 10, 1995, and signed Accord on the CIS
United Antiaircraft Defense System. The Accord does not have a
definite expiry date; it is open for new subscribers who accept
provisions of the CIS Air Space Defense Concept and Plan of
Co-operation of the United Antiaircraft Defense System. Georgia and
Turkmenistan have stayed away from programs within the framework of
the CIS United Antiaircraft Defense System since 1997.

These days, the CIS United Antiaircraft Defense System comprises 19
fighter regiments (11 of them Russian), 29 antiaircraft missile
regiments (11 Russian), 22 technical formations (9 Russian), 2 units
of radar and jammers (both Russian), 4 antiaircraft defense brigades
(all of them Kazakh). Antiaircraft missile regiments have Osa, Buk,
S-75, S-125, S-200, and S-300 complexes of different models. Fighter
aviation is represented by MIG-23s, MIG-29s, MIG-31s, and SU-27s.
Here is an interview with Lieutenant General Aitech Bizhev, Russian
Armed Forces Second-in-Command in charge of the CIS United
Antiaircraft Defense System.

Question: Many things changed in these last ten years. The CIS
Headquarters for Coordination of Military Co-operation is being
ousted by the analog from the Organization of the CIS Collective
Security Treaty. Does it have any effect on the CIS United
Antiaircraft Defense System?

Aitech Bizhev: The United System is working nowadays, performing the
functions for which it was established in the first place: protection
of air borders of the Commonwealth, joint control over the use of air
space, exchange of information on air situations, missile and air
raid warnings and dealing with them. We succeeded in restoration of
the system of mutual exchange of information ruined by the collapse
of the Soviet Union. We also set up the structure of forces on duty
and organized combat training. Exchange of information on situations
in the air is constant. In fact, it is automatic at least among
central command posts of the Air Forces and Antiaircraft Forces of
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Question: But weapons and military hardware of the United System have
to be constantly repaired and upgraded every now and then. In the
meantime, Russia alone has the industrial facilities to build
antiaircraft complexes…

Aitech Bizhev: Spare parts needed to maintain antiaircraft military
hardware of CIS countries are provided in accordance with Decree 1953
of the president of the Russian Federation (December 1, 2000).
Whatever needs repairs is repaired in Russia. Every now and then,
teams of specialists themselves travel to the units with military
hardware in need of repair. Unfortunately, some standard acts of the
Russian Federation interfere with development of military-technical
co-operation, paradoxical as it is. However, changes in the acting
legislation initiated in the last 2-3 years only diminish
effectiveness of military-technical co-operation and attractiveness
of services enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.
Coordinating Committee for Antiaircraft Forces drew some proposals it
forwarded to the Federal Service of Military-Technical Co-operation.
Their acceptance will ameliorate the situation.

Question: NATO organized air defense of the Baltic States as soon as
it expanded. How is combat duty within the framework of the United
System organized?

Aitech Bizhev: Antiaircraft defense forces of Russia and Belarus were
the first to organize joint combat duty. Following that, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Russia signed a trilateral Instruction on joint
actions of antiaircraft defense forces on duty. The forces went on
duty in March 2000. These days, we have joint combat duty with units
and formations of the Armenian, Belarussian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and
Uzbek armies. Needless to say, our work together allows for better
protection of the borders, lessens the stress of forces on duty, and
is generally less expensive. For example, it enabled us to cut down
the number of Russian units with radar turned on.

Question: How is the United System financed?

Aitech Bizhev: It is financed in accordance with the Provision on the
financial planning, establishment, restoration, and improvement of
the System. Money is provided as specified by the annual financial
plan endorsed by the CIS Council of the Heads of States. The plan
indicates how much is to be spent on establishment and modernization
of antiaircraft defense means, how much on joint functions, and how
much on joint modernization programs. All money is transacted from
budgets of participants to the bank account of the Coordinating
Committee. It is managed by Coordinating Committee chairman a.k.a.
Russian Air Force commander-in-chief. As for units of national armies
and modernization of national antiaircraft defense systems, every
country is on its own.

Question: What do you mean by “joint programs”?

Aitech Bizhev: The CIS Council of the Heads of States endorsed
Portfolio of the joint programs on June 20, 2000. Their fulfillment
maintains and modernizes national antiaircraft defense systems of all
countries in accordance with their needs. We hope eventually to form
regional antiaircraft defense systems in the East European, Central
Asian, and Caucasus areas. We already drew up a portfolio on
establishment of the united Russian-Belarussian antiaircraft defense
system. Joint programs are implemented in the form of joint combat
training. Command exercises and drills involving command structures
and forces on duty of the United System have been under way since
1995. More than 20 drills and exercises took place already. As a
rule, they involve tactical teams of Russian and CIS armies. They
drill co-operation between command structures and forces on duty in
dealing with trespassers, in assistance to craft in distress. Not
long ago, Russian, Belarussian, and Kazakh fighters executed a
maneuver-requiring landing on each other’s airfields. An AWACS-type
craft was involved in the exercise.

Exercises of the Combat Brotherhood series are organized on a regular
basis, on Russian testing sites for the time being. They always
include elements of shooting practice. Almost 70 batteries of
antiaircraft missiles, up to 60 crews of fighter, ground-strafer, and
bomber aviation, and dozens crews of radar operators participated in
the series. Servicemen will find tactical situations tricky indeed
this year. We have come up with some ideas on how to make life hard
for jammers and for whoever will have to deal with targets. Crews of
antiaircraft complexes will have to be put in the standby mode and
launch on the march. Armenia, Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus
(the latter hopes to test its automatic control system) will
participate in the exercise. Our crews will travel to Balkhash in
Kazakhstan to execute test with the S-400 complexes. A command
exercise on our central command post will take place in April.
Strategic aviation aircraft will play targets. This is going to be
the first such exercise, but not the last.

Question: Here is a situation that is not at all impossible: a border
of some member of the CIS United Antiaircraft Defense System is
violated. Will Russia come to this country’s help?

Aitech Bizhev: Yes, it will. Forces on duty of the invaded country
make a report to the central command post. Forces and means of the
United System are put on full alert. “All weapons free” decision are
made by commanders-in-chief of the Air Forces and Antiaircraft
Forces.

Translated by A. Ignatkin

Armenia’s K-Telecom buys 100 mln euros of equipment

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
February 11, 2005

YEREVAN, Feb 11 (Prime-Tass) — K-Telecom, Armenia’s second-largest
mobile operator, has bought equipment worth 100 million euros,
Andranik Manukyan, Armenia’s Transport and Telecommunications Minister,
said Friday.

The equipment is expected to be shipped to Armenia in the near future,
he said.

Currently, K-Telecom has been holding negotiations with Armenian
national telecom company ArmenTel regarding cooperation on Armenia’s
mobile market, he said, adding that ArmenTel uses the 25 MHz frequency,
which is expected to be divided between the operators.

Starting May, K-Telecom is expected to start providing services in
Yerevan, he said.

In November 2004, the Armenian government had awarded a license
to K-Telecom to become the country’s second mobile operator, after
removing ArmenTel’s exclusive right to provide GSM, mobile satellite
and mobile radio communication services by amending the company’s
license. End

IPR Strategic Business Information Database
February 10, 2005

KING, ARMENIAN DELEGATION REVIEW TIES

According to “Bahrain Tribune”, the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,
received the visiting Armenian parliamentary delegation, led by
the Speaker, Artur Baghdassarian. Baghdassarian presented the
King with a letter from the Armenian President, Robert Kocharian,
on relations and cooperation between the two countries. The King
hailed the advanced relations at all levels, affirming the importance
of the exchange of visits and parliamentary experience. King Hamad
highlighted the status achieved by Bahrain as a democratic country.
The King expressed satisfaction with the signing of the agreement
of cooperation between the parliaments of Bahrain and Armenia which,
he said, would reinforce joint work. Baghdassarian lauded Bahrain’ds
achievements and democratic steps in its political experience,
wishing the Kingdom constant success under its leadership.

UNSETTLED KARABAKH CONFLICT IMPEDES OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER, TURKEY’S FM STATED

PanArmenian News
Feb 11 2005

11.02.2005 13:46

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijani and Turkish Foreign Ministers Elmar
Mamedyarov and Abdullah Gul hold the opinion that the settlement of
the Karabakh conflict is one of the conditions for the establishment
of peace in the Caucasus. According to Gul, the unsettled conflict
impedes the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border urged for the EU
membership. He expressed hope that the negotiations will be successful
and will lead to the normalization of relationships with Armenia.

Korean students 2nd in Calif. English proficiency
By Jin Hyun-joo

THE KOREA HERALD
February 12, 2005, Saturday

Korean students finished second behind Chinese counterparts in
an English proficiency test among 1.3 million foreign students in
California State, a report by U.S. education authorities said.

In the 2004 test known as CELDT, or California English Development
Test, Korean students had 63 percent in the top and second top brackets
among five levels of English proficiency. Chinese students had 64
percent. Armenian students ranked third and Russian and Vietnamese
fourth and fifth. The CELDT assesses listening and speaking skills
for kindergarten and first grade, and listening, speaking, reading and
writing skills for grades two through 12. The state requires English
learners to take an English proficiency test annually until they are
reclassified to being fluent English proficient.

California has the greatest number of students whose primary language
is not English, according to a report by the education department.

The average score of English learners has increased by 22 percent in
four years – from 25 percent in 2001 to 47 percent in 2004.

“These results are a clear indication that statewide efforts to
help all students learn English as quickly as possible are working,”
said Jack O’Connell, the state’s superintendent of public instruction.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SAAKASHVILI: GEORGIA NOW A “MODEL” COUNTRY

Eurasianet
February 11, 2005

Declaring Georgia “a proper state,” President Mikheil Saakashvili
delivered his annual state of the nation speech to parliament on
February 10. The upbeat speech was the Georgian leader’s first
detailed public statement on government policy since the death of
Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, a leading architect of the country’s
reform program.

Saakashvili asserted that the 2003 Rose Revolution that brought his
administration to power had begun to accomplish its goals. “Georgia
was a failed state, disintegrated, demoralized and humiliated. It was
a country that had lost all attributes of statehood,” Saakashvili
said in condemning the administration of his predecessor, Eduard
Shevardnadze. In contrast, Saakashvili continued, Georgia in 2005 “is
a model country where every program is working in a model way.”

The president cited improved tax revenue collection and a new tax
code, an enlarged state budget, regular payment of government
salaries and pensions, and a crackdown on corruption as among his
administration’s successes in 2004. Increased tax flow and the timely
payment of state salaries and pensions – “the one area in which we
can claim success” — prompted the president to nominate Finance
Minister Zurab Noghaideli for prime minister, he said. “When a person
works so well, he should be promoted,” commented Saakashvili. The
president officially presented Noghaideli as his candidate for prime
minister on February 11. A special session of parliament is expected
to convene on either February 17 or February 18 to vote on Noghaideli
and other proposed cabinet changes, according to Speaker Nino
Burjanadze. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The February 1 explosion in Gori and the February 3 death of Zhvania
have shown “that we can deal with any unexpected changes, tragedies
and terrorist acts and remain strong, so that we still stand firm on
our own two feet,” Saakashvili said. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. “We are a country that has to reclaim the most
attractive part of its territory and which faces the strongest and
most aggressive – perhaps not the strongest but certainly the most
aggressive – forces in the world.”

Those “forces” were not named, but political observers believe
Saakashvili was referring to Russia, which has had a prickly
relationship with Georgia since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet
Union. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. In contrast
to Russia, Saakashvili characterized Georgia’s relations with
neighbors Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey as “idyllic.”

Saakashvili stated that he is ready to pay an official visit to
Moscow to “once again extend the hand of friendship to [Russian
President] Vladimir Putin, which . . . has been left hanging in the
air,” but added that Russia must be prepared to compromise on issues
that divide the two states.

Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze announced on February
10 that talks in Tbilisi on a framework agreement with Russia have
not been successful, with Russian insistence that Georgia promise to
ban foreign military bases from its territory proving a key stumbling
block. Separate talks are continuing in Tbilisi about the removal of
two Russian military bases from outside the Georgian towns of
Akhalkalaki and Batumi. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive].

On the domestic front, electoral changes could soon be in the offing.
Georgia’s next parliament, due for election in 2008, could be a
smaller, two-chamber body with 150 members. Deputies would still be
elected according to a combination of single-mandate constituencies
and party lists, but “first past the post” seats would be decreased
from 75 to 50. Failing to make this change, the president said, would
“be humiliating” for voters who voted for the legislative overhaul in
a 2003 referendum. At the same time, Georgia’s cities could also see
their mayors elected, rather than appointed by the president.
Candidate cities for such a changeover were not named, but the
president stated that he expects the reform to happen within the
year. No timeline was set for Parliament’s makeover.

Saakashvili also announced his intention to overhaul the country’s
corruption-ridden, poorly financed education system, but provided no
details. The president emphasized that the judicial system, another
area where change has come slowly, should acquire “independent
courts,” but cautioned that “a dry place cannot exist in the middle
of a swamp.” Saakashvili placed heavy emphasis on the need for
political unity. He named the country’s European orientation, its
willingness to cooperate with international organizations and its
refusal to allow foreign bases on Georgian soil or tolerate foreign
interference in its internal affairs as among the tenets that all
political parties should accept. “No political party or person should
overstep this mark,” the president said, adding that those parties
that fail to support these principles should “automatically be
declared outside the law.”

David Gamkrelidze, leader of the opposition New Rights-Industrialists
coalition, termed the president’s remarks “a well-performed show.”
Gamkrelidze charged that Saakashvili had overlooked such problems as
price increases, unemployment, human rights violations, illegal
arrests and the August 2004 “military campaign fiasco” in South
Ossetia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The comments by Gamkrelidze, who also called on parliament to create
an independent commission to investigate Zhvania’s death, drew a
swift response from the president. “The only purpose of this
statement was to make people remember that it was Gamkrelidze who
made the most noise today,” Saakashvili said.

–Boundary_(ID_Cu10hdLhNRNAbW7b5Ny/ZQ)–

Send a valentine from the vine: Uncork these love potions
by Jerry Shriver

USA TODAY
February 11, 2005, Friday, FINAL EDITION

Heartening news for you unquenchable romantics who intend to use wine
as a seduction vehicle on Valentine’s Day: This year’s options might
be more wickedly efficient than usual.

For those who are normally tongue-tied by love, consider watching the
Oscar-contending flick Sideways by yourself this weekend and then
composing your own version of that soulful soliloquy Virginia Madsen
delivers about ” . . . the life of a wine, how it’s a living thing .
. . how every time I open a bottle it’s going to taste different than
if I had opened it any other day.” If purring those words over a
bottle of pinot noir doesn’t do the trick, it may be time to rethink
your relationship.

Another offbeat strategy is to sample something that is both trendy
and harks back to ancient aphrodisiacs. Pomegranates have re-emerged
as a sensual element in contemporary cuisine, and now Proshyan Wine
Factory of Armenia is making a wine from them and exporting it to
major markets in America. Their non-vintage version is semisweet,
enticingly aromatic and costs about $9 (armenianwines.com).

If over-the-top luxury is more your style, then invest in one of the
upper-tier rose champagnes, which have come back into vogue. Among
the best is the rich, decadent 1995 Dom Perignon Rose, which sells
for about $325 a bottle — and could be worth every penny.

Finally, for those who tend to fall for underdogs and/or wine geeks,
why not embrace an oddly named but potentially rewarding grape that
has been working its way back into the hearts of California
winemakers recently? Petite sirah fits the Valentine’s theme with its
heart-throbbing muscularity, provocative spiciness and supple texture
(when made carefully). Its under-the-radar coolness even comes with
its own advocacy group of growers and producers known as P.S. I Love
You (psiloveyou.org).

“It offers something to zinfandel lovers who are looking for a wine
with a little more guts, and it usually has less alcohol,” says
spokeswoman Jo Diaz. The flavors, which can include blackberries,
blueberries, coffee, chocolate, tobacco and pepper, and the firm
structure “offer an alternative to always having cabernet sauvignon
with beef.”

The grape has been grown in California since the 1880s and has been
used mainly to add color and heft to blended wines. But petite sirah
has always suffered from an identity crisis. Historically, several
grapes have carried the name, and their botanical relationship to the
better-known syrah grape and several obscure French grapes are
tangled. However, a handful of faithful vintners always have believed
that petite sirah can stand on its own as a varietal wine, and that
has enabled the grape not only to survive but also to thrive. P.S. I
Love You counted 65 petite sirah producers in 2001; today there are
more than 190.

“It has withstood the test of time, and people who like it are very
passionate about it,” Diaz says.

True Valentine’s virtues, in other words.

To get a sense of the wine’s potential, check out some of these
versions that stood out in a recent tasting of 24 bottles. Available
vintages will vary from market to market; in this case older is
usually better, because this high-tannin wine benefits from a few
years’ aging. Expect to pay $10 to $18 for entry-level versions and
$25-$40 for reserve wines.

* 2002 Bogle, Calif., $10.

* 2003 Concannon “Selected Vineyard,” Central Coast, $12.

* 2002 Pedroncelli, Dry Creek Valley, $14.

* 2002 Foppiano “Estate Bottled,” Russian River Valley, $18.

* 2000 Guenoc, North Coast, $18.

* 2001 Vina Robles, Jardine Vineyard, Paso Robles, $26.

* 2001 Stags’ Leap Winery, Napa Valley, $27.

* 2002 Trentadue, Alexander Valley, $28.

* 2002 Miro, Coyote Ridge Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, $30.

* 2001 Silkwood Wines “Silkwood,” Stanislaus County, $35.

* 2001 EOS “Cupa Grandis,” Paso Robles, $40.

Who’s drinking what?

“A grape that always gives me pleasure is nebbiolo from the Piedmont
region of Italy. I like the 2001 Hilberg Nebbiolo D’Alba, which has
an intense perfume along with an elegant style. We recommend it with
the guinea hen stuffed with fennel and anise, served with asparagus
wrapped in prosciutto. The richness of the wine holds firm with the
gamy flavor of the meat.”

— Piero Trotta, wine director, San Domenico, New York

Tasteful inquiries

Everyone I know seems to drink wine except me. I have been able to
drink Marco Negri “Marsilio” Moscato d’Asti. Can you suggest wines
that are similar in taste? Also, how long can I retain bottles of
Marco Negri before they are past their prime?

— Larry Howell, Albany, Ga.

No need to feel left out of the party, Larry. You are drinking wine
— your moscato is a peach-scented, fresh-tasting, slightly sweet and
fizzy version from Asti in the Piedmont region of Italy. It sells for
about $13 and is one of my favorites for summer picnics.
Moscato-based wines are best drunk young and are not built for long
aging. Your moscato is made from a grape in the broad muscat family,
and within that family there are drier and sweeter versions. Muscat
de Beaumes de Venise is a famous fortified sweet wine from the
southern Rhone Valley in France, while Muscat d’Alsace is a dry wine
with strong citrus notes from the Alsace region of France.

Do you have a wine question? Send it along with your name and the
place where you live to [email protected].