Jennifer Wall smiles as she talks about her first days making Barefoot wines in California more than a dozen years ago. "I was in charge of 140,000 cases that year," she says. "That's a week for us now."

Barefoot has grown to more than six million cases sold just in the U.S.

Although Barefoot is owned by Gallo Family Vineyards, Wall is responsible for determining the style and approach to Barefoot's offerings. Gallo's vast vineyard holdings allow her to choose specific grape varieties from areas where they grow best, and give her better control over how they are handled.

Barefoot offers excellent value: tasty wines, clear varietal character and consistency at a price everybody can afford. Barefoot wines are deliberately nonvintage dated, meaning Wall can dip into a bit of another harvest to build the wine profile she wants.

"I don't think the consumer cares much about the year in everyday wines. What they care about is taste and consistency."

Four Barefoot wines are available in LCBO general listing at $9.95 a bottle. In addition, their varietal sparkling wines should be here in time for Christmas.

BAREFOOT PINOT GRIGIO (code 53983). A relatively new addition and already their top-selling varietal in Ontario. Good extract and medium weight, very fresh. It has an initial impression of jasmine and green grapes thanks to a splash of Symphony grapes, unique to California. Flavours roll from almond to fresh lemon to lemon drops, yellow plums and a touch of white pepper.

BAREFOOT SAUVIGNON BLANC (code 54023). Clean, fresh citrus, dry but fruity style, showing grapefruit, tangerine and dried mandarins.

BAREFOOT MERLOT (code 53991). The top-selling wine in the Barefoot portfolio. Wall says she approaches it like a light version of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has nice structure, nice weight in the mouth, predominantly cherry flavours and muted tannin.

BAREFOOT SHIRAZ (code 54015). The tightest and most "formal" of the four. There's tannin back there, with flavours of cherries, plums, chocolate, spice and a touch of black licorice.

The Chilean Wine & Food Festival in Toronto is a well-organized event where you can taste wines from more than 30 leading wineries. The festival is Oct. 1, 7 to 9:30 p.m., at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District.

Tickets are $55, all included. E-mail tickets@forefrontcom.com or call Sandy at 416-398-3335, ext.2.

Also on Oct. 2 is a Chilean winemakers' dinner at Reds Bistro, 77 Adelaide St. W., featuring a six-course dinner and nine Chilean wines. Tickets are $130 and available online at tickets@forefrontcom.com or by calling 416-398-3335, ext. 3.

dkislenko@thespec.com

905-526-3450