I am happy to announce that The Dirty Dish is expanding its repertoire. While dishing about restaurant life and cool finds at the grocery store can be ever so fun, there is a part of my life I have been dying to share with you: my love for beverages, and wine in particular. I am no expert (accredited sommelier) in the field, but over the years I have developed a wealth of knowledge and a palate I hope you can trust. Not to mention I never take anything too seriously, even wine. It CAN be fun.

One aspect I hold above all when I take the time to enjoy a glass of wine is terroir. To me a good wine, whether it is $10 or $100 a bottle, should take the drinker on a journey or offer one a “sense of place.” Basically, you should immediately know where that wine comes from without looking at the bottle. One good whiff should send you to some exotic part of the world without ever having to leave the comfort of your chair. With gas prices these days, what a deal!

Since wine bars and wine shops are becoming as scarce as good friends on moving day, I wandered down to Tacoma’s first wine bar, Café Divino in Old Town, to sample some wines from The Grateful Palate. They are responsible for that lovely $10 sparkling Shiraz Paringa that hit Tacoma by storm last year. It’s been a while since I have explored their other wines, but as you will see they were well worth the wait.

We started with their new line, Baby Roogle, which features a truly delightful Riesling. Now many of you wine “purists” will stop at nothing to diss Riesling, but get down off your high horse and give it a rest. The ’80s crucified the good Riesling name with Washington state leading the charge by pushing over extracted wine. However, this trend did lend a solid hand in getting non-wine drinkers to cross over from other types of adult beverages.

Anyway, this Baby Roogle Riesling is crisp, refreshing and brimming with flavors of Granny Smith apples and flinty minerals. It finishes dry with only 10 grams of residual sugar and can be a great compliment to spicy Thai or Indian food. Robert Parker, with whom I have greatly disagreed on many occasions, asks, “Could this be the booty-call wine of the year”?  Weird. I think it’s better than that.

The Baby Roogle Red screams raspberry with 50 percent Shiraz, 30 percent Merlot and 20 percent Cabernet. This blend will compliment any summer barbeque featuring ribs, burgers or perhaps a well-marinated steak. The Roogle Shiraz is more full-bodied with oodles of blackberry and hints of chocolate. Right now the Baby Roogle line is available for retail purchase at Tacoma Boys on Sixth Avenue for $10 a bottle.

Our friends at Café Divino will be featuring three different Grateful Palate all-stars for $6 a glass during their new happy hour. The first is Evil Chardonnay, which spent a small amount of time in French oak and brims with hints of pear, apple and a touch of spice. Very balanced with good acidity and a long, clean finish.

Second wine at hand is Strong Arms Shiraz. This fruit-driven Aussie favorite is complex but easy to drink. Blueberry and cedar dominate the nose, but it drinks smooth and rich even with 15.5 percent alcohol. Bonus buzz! And third, the dark brother of their Chardonnay, Evil Cabernet that sends me back to my earlier comment about “a sense of place.” Lightly aged in French oak, it is full-bodied and fragrant with waves of eucalyptus picked up from the surrounding terroir. It’s lovely.

Enjoy any of these great wines for $6 a glass during Happy Hour, Monday through Saturday and get a personal pizza also for only $6 at Café Divino.

Eat out, Tacoma. We need your love.

[Café Divino, happy hour 3-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 2112 N. 30th St., Tacoma, 253.779.4226]