By Mary Nichols Translated by Annie Liu

      Buying wine in Taipei used to be fraught with so many obstacles that I am surprised anyone ever ventured beyond acquiring the occasional bottle, let alone developed a taste for the stuff. Often wine was to be found in tiny backstreet grocery stores, the bottles stood upright next to onions or even--horror of horrors--a can of cooking paraffin. And there was no certainty that what the bottle contained was drinkable. But that has all changed. Once it was established that wine, taken in moderation, is actually good for one's health, it became a sought after product. And this has led to both knowledge and knowledgeable suppliers.

      You may already have your own favorite wine merchant, where you can find treasures beyond belief. Recently I came across one that had in stock several bottles of a stunning Californian Cabernet Sauvignon, from a prime year, at less than NT$600 a bottle. If this is the case, keep with your supplier; you're on to a winner. However, most of us are not so lucky, so I'm going to recommend three suppliers I use with confidence. Our first port of call for both special and everyday drinking is Gregoire de Boisse and his lovely wife Summer at Le Sommelier. This cavernous emporium, under the Wellcome supermarket, is easily recognised by the green and white umbrella, and table and chairs, that sit in the stony courtyard outside the shop. Gregoire and his team of handsome young French assistants are both knowledgeable and hospitable, and are always very happy to sit with you either outside or at their newly installed tapas bar, sharing a glass of wine and wine experiences. As is to be expected from a Frenchman, probably 60 percent of the Sommelier wines are French, but although Gregoire has a good stock of well priced French "names," he has sourced lower-cost wines from the more marginal regions. If you are an enthusiast for country-style wines, try Sommelier's Minervois at NT$250, St. Chinian at NT$390, or the Corbiere at NT$360. These three wines, from Languedoc-Roussillon, are a blend of local grape varieties, with Carignan dominating, together with Cinsault, Mouvedre, and the local Syrah, but much improved in recent years with the addition of a little Cabernet Sauvignon. In my opinion, you will not get better value than these three.

      Although Gregoire will happily sell you a beautiful Margaux from Chateau Priere Lichine at NT$2160 or an Haute Medoc Chateau Hourton Ducasse 2000 for the ridiculous price of NT$710 (this is class stuff), his particular interest seems to be in Burgundian wines, with 1er Cru Givry at NT$680 sitting beside 1er Cru Santenay at NT$1020, a Mercurey and an Aloxe Corton both at NT$885, and for lovers of bubbles, a Cremant de Bourgogne at NT$580.

      Sommelier can also satisfy your taste in wines from other parts of Europe, with excellent Spanish and Italian wines, and the prestigious range of Germanic style Klipfel wines from the French Alsace region. The New World is also represented with a selection of wines from Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and the USA, which although less extensive than his Old World range, have been personally selected by Gregoire and his associates.

      Wine buying in many respects is governed by how you want to drink it. Barbecues: think big Australians. Sitting by the pool: chilled lightweight Italians--a Pinot Grigio maybe. Picnics: fresh and fruity New Zealand whites. Serious talk about politics? How about some of the Californian offerings which are on sale at the Breeze Centre on FuXing Road? Breeze Super has probably the best selection of American wines on sale in Taipei with the big names of Wente, Hogue, Woodbridge and Mondavi all well represented. Indeed, you will find the result of the co-operation between Robert Mondavi and the Baron Phillipe de Rothschild, Mondavi Opus One on offer. This is the only place in town where I've found this wonderful wine.

      Breeze also stocks many good Burgundies including a Pommard and a Vognes Romanee both at NT$1700. The preference of their buyer seems to be towards the Bordeaux region of France, with many Paulliacs, including one of my own favourites, Clerc Milon at NT$3550, together with St. Juliens and Pomerols. Breeze has a comprehensive selection of Champagne and Californian bubbles to suit all tastes, and is the only place I have come across that offers half-bottles.

      With the advent of Jasons at Taipei 101 we are now treated to some of the best wines that Australia and New Zealand has on offer. The New Zealand wines in particular are very impressive, with a great range of what will ultimately become New Zealand's very own grape, Pinot Noir. This is the grape of the Burgundy, and even under ideal conditions is very difficult to turn into good wine, but in New Zealand they seem to have managed and Jasons give us a good choice, with particularly good wines from Akarua in Central Otago.

      The predominance of Australian and New Zealand wines can be laid at the door of Australian Shane Neal and New Zealander Andrew Huang, who have a hand in sourcing for Jasons. Andrew and Shane have a prodigious knowledge of their native wines, and this is much in evidence. Difficult as it is to make price comparisons, I did find to my surprise that the glorious 1999 chardonnay from Leeuwins Estate in Western Australia is cheaper in Jasons than it is at the cellar door. Jasons is the only one of the three stores I've written about to have a climate-controlled room for fine wine, and when you see the quality of the stock in that room, this is understandable. Where else in Taipei can you buy Penfold Grange (for more than NT$20,000 a bottle) with confidence?

      You must remember that about one tenth of all bottles on the market at any time are likely to be faulty. Any fault will be exaggerated by bad handling and bad storage, and how many of your individual merchants will take back an opened bottle? However, keep searching for the treasures that are certainly out there.