By Madeline Triffon, M.S., Wine Director, Unique Restaurant Corp., Detroit

These are personal picks that work on all levels. They're not impossible to find (an essential component!), they're irresistibly delicious, they offer genuine value (the wines taste more expensive than they cost) and they're beautifully "typique," meaning a great example of type. These are wines that I find myself ordering more than once, for list placements, for special events, for retail recommendations. Frankly, I'm tempted to use this as a "killer little wine list!"

I love wines like this that never let you down. They bear examination both critically and on a purely hedonistic scale. They either elicit raves from guests, or gently comfort them. This is not "a definitive list of great wines" - simply some of the most useful of all the wines I've tasted over a period of about one year. Sure, you can find greater wines, but they'll probably be more expensive and harder to find.

If two vintages are listed, it's because both of them are good! And in some markets, the vintages may not have switched yet. Most of the wines should be currently available, though some wines are more limited than others. Few fall into the "highly allocated" zone. The ones marked * are great buys, well under $15 wholesale/$22 retail.

I couldn't resist throwing in a couple of Michigan wines, though they won't be an easy find out of state.

SPARKLING
NV L. Mawby Brut Blanc de Blanc (Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan) *
'94 Iron Horse Russian Cuvée (Sonoma - Green Valley)
'95 J (Sonoma)
'95 Pierre Peters Brut Blanc de Blanc Le Mesnil sur Oger (Champagne)

LIGHT DRY WHITES
'98 Fattori & Graney Soave Classico (Veneto) *
'98 Jermann Pinot Grigio (Venezia-Giulia) '97 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve (Alsace)
'98 Scherer Tokay Pinot Gris Vieilles Vignes (Alsace)
'99 St. Innocent Pinot Blanc Freedom Hill (Willamette Valley, Oregon) *
'99 Brancott Chardonnay Gisborne (New Zealand) *
'98/'99 San Gregorio Greco di Tufo (Campania)

SAUVIGNON BLANC/SEMILLON
'98/'99 Domaine Daulny Sancerre (Loire) *
'99 R.H. Phillips Sauvignon Blanc Dunnigan Hills (California) *
'99 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin (Marlborough, New Zealand) *
'99 Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc (Adelaide Hills, Australia)
'98 Robert Mondavi Sauvignon Blanc Stags Leap District (Napa)
'99 Mason Cellars Sauvignon Blanc (Napa)
'97/'98 Clos du Val Ariadne (Semillon- Sauvignon Blanc blend, Napa)

RIESLING & GEWÜRZTRAMINER
'98/'99 Chateau Grand Traverse Dry Riesling (Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan) *
'98/'99 Allan Scott Riesling (Marlborough, New Zealand) *
'98 Gunderloch Riesling Kabinett Jean Baptiste (Rheinhessen) *
'98 Weinbach Riesling Cuvée Theo (Alsace)
'98 Frankland Estate Riesling (Western Australia)
'99 Penfolds Riesling Eden Valley (Australia)
'98/'99 Peninsula Cellars Gewürztraminer (Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan) *

PROPRIETARY WHITE BLENDS
'97 Archery Summit Vireton (Pinot Gris blend, Oregon)
'98/'99 Tablas Creek Tablas Blanc (White Rhone-style blend, Paso Robles)

CHARDONNAY
'99 Gilbert Picq Chablis (Burgundy) *
'98 Domaine des Deux Roches Macon-Davayé (Maconnais) *
'97 Druid Puligny-Montrachet (Burgundy)
'97/'98 MacRostie Chardonnay (Napa - Carneros)
'96 Byron Chardonnay Estate (Santa Maria)
'97/'98 Shafer Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch (Carneros)

SYRAH & RHONE-STYLE BLENDS
'98/'99 Guilhem Durand Syrah (Vin de Pays d'Hauterive, Southern France) *
'97/'98 Domaine Ste. Anne Cotes du Rhone-Villages Notre Dame des Cellettes (S. Rhone) *
'97 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage La Petite Ruche (Northern Rhone)
'95/'96 Marcel Juge Cornas Cuvée C (Northern Rhone)
'98/'99 Chave St. Joseph Offerus (Northern Rhone)
'98 R.Usseglio Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Southern Rhone)
'98 Edmunds St. John Rocks and Gravel (CA)
'98 Alexander Valley Vineyards Syrah (Sonoma)
'98 Glen Fiona Syrah (Walla Walla)
'98 Hill of Content Grenache Shiraz Old Vines (Clare Valley, Australia) *
'98 Omrah Shiraz (Western Australia & McLaren Vale) *
'98 d'Arenberg Old Vine Shiraz The Footbolt (McLaren Vale, Australia)

PINOT NOIR
'97 Chateau de Chamirey Mercurey (Cote Chalonnaise, Burgundy) *
'98 Morgan Pinot Noir (Monterey)
'97 Moshin Vineyards Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley)
'96 Cronin Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains)
'96 Domaine Dujac Morey Saint Denis (Burgundy)
'97/'98 Domaine de Perdrix Nuits St. Georges Terres Blanches (Burgundy)

ZINFANDEL
'98 Deloach Zinfandel Estate (Russian River Valley)
'97/'98 Elyse Zinfandel Morisoli Vineyard (Napa)

MERLOT, CABERNET, BORDEAUX BLENDS
'97/'98 Chateau St. Jean Merlot (Sonoma County)
'97 Catena Malbec Lunlunta Vineyard (Mendoza, Argentina)
'97 Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon (California) *
'97/'98 Villa Mt. Eden Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve (Napa)
'96/'97 Livingston Cabernet Sauvignon Stanley's Selection (Napa)
'97 Seven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Klipsun Vineyard (Walla Walla, Oregon)
'95 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve (Napa)
'96 Quintessa (Rutherford)
'96/'97 Penfolds Cabernet-Shiraz Bin 389 (South Australia)
'95 Amiral de Beychevelle (St. Julien)
'95 Clos du Marquis (St. Julien)
'96 Les Forts de Latour (Pauillac)

SPANISH & ITALIAN REDS
'97 Zenato Valpolicella Ripassa (Veneto) *
'95 Martinez Bujanda Rioja Reserva Finca Valpiedra (Northern Spain)
'95 Dievole Chianti Classico Riserva (Tuscany)
'95/'96 Nottola Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Tuscany)
'97 Terrabianca Sangiovese Scassino (Tuscany)
'97 Poggio Scalette Il Carbonaione (Tuscany)
'96/'97 Marchesi Lodovico Antinori Ornellaia (Tuscany)
'96 Condado de Haza (Ribera del Duero)

DESSERT WINES
'99 Saracco Moscato d'Asti (Piedmont) *
'98 Von Buhl Riesling Auslese (Pfalz)
'95 Saint-Aubin Coteaux du Layon Les Simonelles (Loire)