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By Stett Holbrook

Silicon Valley has a growing number of wine shops that appeal both to connoisseurs and to wine drinkers who want to move beyond the same old merlot and chardonnay.

I stopped by one of these shops, the 6-year-old Grapevine, a wine shop, tasting bar and cheesemonger in Willow Glen. The shop carries about 75 percent California wines and the rest from elsewhere in the world. And most of the wines come from wineries that make less than 5,000 cases, some less than 500 cases.

I was please to see the shop's "cheap and cheerful" shelf, wines priced under $20. I picked up a good Spanish wine, a 2004 Monte Negro Ribera del Duero, for $16.45. For such a deep, garnet-colored wine I expected a little more depth of flavor and fruit extraction, but it was a medium-bodied, easy-drinking wine that went well with the bacon-accented white bean and vegetables I made for dinner.

The Grapevine's wine-tasting events are quite popular, particularly the "cheap date nights" that feature pairings of pizza (from Pizza My Heart across the street) and premium grilled cheese sandwiches with wine.

"It's become a phenomenon," says co-owner Ruth Hennigar. "We sell out."

The events attract couples, groups of friends and people looking for a date. Because the shop is female-owned (Cara Finn is the other owner), Hennigar says women feel particularly comfortably coming in to sip and talk wine.

If good wine and a shop full of women isn't enough of a draw, I can't help you. Maybe you're really just the Mariah Carey, white zinfandel type.

The Grapevine, 1389 Lincoln Ave., San Jose. 408.293.7574.

This article was originally published in the February 15-21, 2006 issue of Metro, Silicon Valley's Weekly Newspaper. Copyright © 2006 Metro Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.